Report: Arizona men’s basketball to play Florida Atlantic in Las Vegas

In case Arizona men’s basketball’s 2023-24 non-conference schedule wasn’t demanding enough, the Wildcats are set to add a reigning Final Four team to the slate.

Arizona is finalizing a game against Florida Atlantic in Las Vegas on December 23, according to college basketball insiders Jon Rothstein and Jeff Goodman.

Goodman reports that the game is likely to be played at T-Mobile Arena and aired on Fox.

FAU is coming off a season where it went 35-4 and reached the national semifinals as a No. 9 seed. FAU is coached by Dusty May and returns the core of its roster. The Owls are widely projected to be a preseason top 10 team.

Arizona could play a non-conference opponent in Las Vegas for the third straight season under coach Tommy Lloyd. In year one under Lloyd, the Wildcats won the Roman Main Event, topping Wichita State and Michigan at T-Mobile. Last year Arizona defeated Indiana at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Including the Pac-12 Tournament, Arizona is undefeated in Las Vegas under Lloyd (9-0).

The FAU matchup adds to an already difficult non-conference schedule. Here’s how Arizona’s schedule looks so far:

• vs. Morgan State, Nov. 6
• at Duke, Nov. 10
• at Southern, Nov. 12 (Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series)
• vs. Belmont, Nov. 17
• vs. Michigan State, Nov. 23 (Acrisure Classic played in Thousand Palms, California)
• vs. Colgate, Dec. 2
• vs. Wisconsin, Dec. 9
• vs. Purdue, Dec. 16 (Indy Classic played in Indianapolis)
• vs. Alabama, Dec. 20 (Jerry Colangelo Classic played in Phoenix)
• vs. Florida Atlantic, Dec. 23 (played in Las Vegas)

Fasten your seatbelts.