TUCSON, Arizona -- Arizona will host Georgia Southern on Nov. 29 at McKale Center instead of holding a home game against Texas Southern on Nov. 28.According to Ryan Reynolds, UA's director of basketball operations, the change came after Texas Southern coach Mike Davis left and the program no longer wanted to play the game.
Davis, who left to become Detroit Mercy's head coach, was known for playing a difficult nonconference schedule full of road games in order to raise money and help his team's ratings. Davis took Texas Southern to McKale Center in 2016-17, for an 85-63 UA win.
The change will give the Wildcats a full week to rest and practice following their participation in the Nov. 19-21 Maui Invitational, and it could also give them a slight boost in their strength of schedule ratings.
"It was late for us because we usually try to get done in May or June," Reynolds said. "But I'm happy we got them (Georgia Southern)."
Under the now-discarded RPI, Texas Southern finished 212 last season (it was 243 in Kenpom) while Georgia Southern was 143 (152 in Kenpom). Texas Southern won the SWAC's automatic bid and was a No. 16 NCAA Tournament seed last season before Davis left.
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