Arizona Wildcats and Michigan State Selected For 2016 Armed Forces Classic
By Gabe Encinas
As if we all weren’t excited for Arizona Basketball’s season opener tonight, we now have even more reason to look forward to the 2016 season. Earlier this morning, it was announced that the Arizona Wildcats and Michigan State have been selected for the 5th annual Armed Forces Classic at Pearl Harbor.
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The match up will take place on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2016. The cool thing about the Armed Forces Classic is that the game will be played in a airplane hangar. Indiana and Kansas were also selected to be featured for the classic, great company.
This match up continues to give Arizona great exposure and non-conference schedule strength as well. Sean Miller is known for scheduling many top 10 caliber opponents to prepare for the tournament. Two years ago, Arizona had Florida and SDSU on their schedule.
Last year, the Arizona Wildcats faced off against SDSU again, adding Duke and Michigan. This year it’ll be Gonzaga, Michigan and presumably SDSU in the finals of the Maui Invitational. Sean Miller’s tactics make him not just the best scheduling coach in the state and Pac-12 , but among the best in the country.
The great thing about these top non-conference match ups is that there is no downside. If you win, it’s a big boost for your program in a statement game that all analysts, recruits and fans will be watching. If you lose, it’s a learning experience that’ll make your team better come March.
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If you’re program is at the point where you’re being selected for these games, more than likely you’re a tournament caliber team. Sure, it’d be great to get a top 10 win, but the only thing that matters is if you can turn it on in March and let the experience take over.
With this matchup, it gives the Arizona Wildcats some of the toughest scheduling in the country going forward. Next year, the Wildcats will travel to Gonzaga to finish the home-and-home series. Meanwhile this past summer, the Arizona Wildcats and the defending national champion UConn Huskies, agreed to play a home-and-home series to start the 2017-2018 season in Tucson.