When ESPN College GameDay passed up the Arizona at Oregon showdown on Feb. 4 — the Saturday pregame show opted for Kentucky at Florida instead — there was one realistic chance remaining for the network to come to Pac-12 country.
That was UCLA at Arizona next Saturday.
And GameDay did the right thing.
ESPN announced Saturday morning that GameDay is coming to Tucson for the key conference battle, marking the sixth time an Arizona game has been part of the featured matchup and the third time the show has originated from McKale Center.
The Feb. 25 show will mark the 101st episode of the college basketball version of GameDay. The show is hosted by Rece Davis, with Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams serving as analysts.
Feb. 2, 2008 — Arizona at UCLA
The fifth-ranked Bruins smashed Arizona 82-60, as Kevin Love had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Russell Westbrook scored 21 and Darren Collison had 12 points and seven assists. For Arizona, which played the entire season under interim head coach Kevin O’Neill, Jerryd Bayless had a team-high 13 points in a game that was never competitive. UCLA led by 20 late in the first half and by as much as 30 in the second half.
Jan. 28, 2012 — Washington at Arizona
The Huskies had won just six times in their previous 33 trips to McKale Center, but these dogs had their day in a Whiteout at McKale Center. Arizona fought back from an 11-point deficit with less than six minutes to play, tying to game at 67 on Solomon Hill’s 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds to go. But C.J. Wilcox drew a blocking foul against Arizona’s Josiah Turner and made two free throws for a 69-67 lead, which stood up when Tony Wroten blocked Turner’s last-second driving layup from behind. Hill finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds.
March 2, 2013 — Arizona at UCLA
On Senior Night in front of a record crowd of 13,727 at a recently renovated Pauley Pavilion, Bruins senior point guard Larry Drew II had 14 points and nine assists to help 11th-ranked UCLA hold off Arizona 74-69. Arizona had a late possession to tie, but UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad grabbed a defensive rebound and was fouled with nine seconds left. He made both free throws and finished with 18 points. Arizona freshman Grant Jerrett scored a team-high 14 points, making four 3-pointers.
Feb. 22, 2014 — Arizona at Colorado
Arizona-Colorado had been a fun, competitive series after the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12 for the 2011-12 season, but this one was a blowout. Aaron Gordon scored 23 points — 21 in the second half — to help Arizona to an 88-61 victory in front of a sold-out crowd that grew quiet while Colorado missed its first 14 shots. Nick Johnson added 20 points for the Wildcats.
Feb. 21, 2015 — UCLA at Arizona
The Bruins rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit — and then some — but Gabe York and then-freshman Dusan Ristic helped Arizona survive a grind of a game, 57-47, marking Arizona’s 36th consecutive victory at McKale Center. UCLA scored the first 17 points of the second half to take the lead, but Arizona re-took the advantage with about 9:30 to go. T.J. McConnell scored six point in the final 1:14 to keep UCLA at bay. York scored a team-high 13 points off the bench, and Ristic, also a reserve, added 12.
