The first home game of the 2026-27 season for Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats is on Thursday, when the Mustangs of Cal Poly come to Tucson.
Arizona is looking for win No. 1 after losing the season opener, 84-75, in Las Vegas on Monday night against the UCLA Bruins - despite a Herculean effort from sophomore wing Ivan Kharchenkov , who dropped a career-high 38 points with 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats are 3-0 all-time against the Mustangs, with the most recent matchup coming in November 2018, an 82-61 win in Tucson.
Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Holt (3). | Photo courtesy of Arizona Wildcats Athletics
Kharchenkov looked every bit like the sophomore breakout superstar he's expected to be against UCLA, but 5-star freshman Caleb Holt and Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Mo Krivas were largely ineffective when facing the Bruins' defense.
Krivas had eight points on 2-4 shooting in 31 minutes played, while Holt contributed just seven points on 2-7 shooting, including 0-4 from three.
Arizona's only real chance of returning to the Final Four requires both Krivas and Holt to play far, far better than they did on Monday - and a home game against Cal Poly should help the dynamic duo get back on track.
Dec 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cal Poly Mustangs guard Cayden Ward (14) goes up for a basket during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Cal Poly is 1-0 on the season after a 78-62 win over Division II Cal State San Marcos on Monday. The Mustangs massively outrebounded the Cougars, 59-36, but had a ghastly 25 turnovers - which included 15 steals by Cal State San Marcos.
Arizona looked outstanding defensively in the three home exhibition games and should have plenty of opportunities to get takeaways and convert easy buckets in transition on Thursday.
The Mustangs - currently ranked No. 159 at KenPom - are led by returning superstar Hamad Mousa, who led the Big West with 20.4 points per game last year, shooting 37.1% from three.
The 6'8 guard entered the transfer portal and was reportedly very close to playing for the defending champion Michigan Wolverines, but instead ends up back in San Luis Obispo, where he'll once again be among the best players in the conference.
Below is a look at how to watch, stream, and listen to Arizona take on Cal Poly on Thursday in the 2026-27 home opener:
Date:Thursday, Nov. 5
Game time:8:30 PM MST
Where:McKale Center (Tucson, AZ)
How to listen:Wildcats Radio 1290 AM
How to stream:HBO MAX
How to watch:TruTV
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizona as How to watch Arizona vs. Cal Poly basketball: TV channel, live stream and tipoff time .
