The showcase college basketball game of the final Saturday of 2017 is one that just about nobody saw coming.
Arizona vs. Arizona State is almost impossible to find on TV, and that’s a shame
It could be the Pac-12 game of the year, but not many people are going to see it live.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils have been the surprise of the 2017-18 season so far. A high-powered offense led by All-American candidate Tra Holder has ASU off to a 12-0 start that includes double-digit wins over Xavier and at Kansas. Hurley’s team is No. 3 in the current Associated Press Top 25 poll, and received six first-place votes.
No. 3 is the spot that was occupied by Arizona heading into the season. The Wildcats eventually climbed to No. 2 before falling out of the top 25 entirely following an 0-3 performance at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The team has since reeled off seven straight wins, gotten a healthy Rawle Alkins back, and convinced a healthy chunk of the country that they’re still the squad to beat in the Pac-12.
All this has fans across the Grand Canyon State wondering if Saturday night’s meeting in Tucson might be not just one of the games of the year in the Pac-12, but the best meeting ever between Arizona and Arizona State.
There’s just one problem. Not many people are going to be able to watch it.
Saturday’s 9 p.m. ET showdown is going to be carried exclusively on the Pac-12 Network, a network that has still yet to be added by a number of TV providers, including DirecTV. This is a problem, and it’s one that people are well aware of.
The situation is so bad that The Arizona Republic had to put out a full guide to the restaurants and bars across the Phoenix metropolitan area that will be able to carry the game.
Maybe Arizona State solidifies itself as a legitimate national title contender Saturday night. Maybe Arizona announces that it’s ready to be the team everyone thought it was going to be at the start of the season. Maybe the two rivals combine to play one of the best games of the year.
Whatever happens, there are going to be lots of people who are only able to catch the highlights after the fact.
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