PHOENIX — College basketball fans in the Valley can enjoy a full day of hoops at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix on Wednesday, Dec. 20, for Jerry Colangelo's 2023 Hall of Fame Series. For the first time ever, Arizona State and Arizona will have its men's and women's basketball teams competing on the same day at the same venue; at a neutral site in their own backyard.
The men's teams take the court in the evening with the marquee matchup featuring the fourth-ranked team in the country: the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona (8-1) will be taking on Alabama (6-4) and the Cats are looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to Purdue. The Cats are now 8-1 on the season with the loss dropping them down three spots from the top spot in the rankings. The Wildcats and Crimson Tide are set to tip off around 9 p.m. to cap off the night.
The Arizona State men are set to face Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. to start the second session of the day. The Sun Devils have dropped their last two games on the road so head coach Bobby Hurley and his guys might need some home cooking to get back in the win column. The Sun Devils are 6-4 on the season while Northwestern comes in with an 8-2 record.
The women will take the court first with ASU (7-5) tipping off against Fresno State (7-5) at noon. The Sun Devils have won all four of their previous meetings with the Bulldogs, most recently in 2018. ASU is coming off two consecutive losses to Grand Canyon and in-state rival Arizona.
The Arizona women will face #20 Gonzaga at 2:30 p.m., marking the first-ever matchup between the Wildcats and Bulldogs. Arizona head coach Adia Barnes and her team are coming off a 91-52 win over the Sun Devils in their first Territorial Cup game of the season.
Jerry Colangelo Hall of Fame Series Phoenix (Wednesday, December 20)
SESSION 1 (Women)
12:00 PM AZ - Arizona State vs. Fresno State
2:30 PM AZ - Arizona vs. #20 Gonzaga
SESSION 2 (Men)
6:30 PM AZ – Arizona State vs. Northwestern
9:00 PM AZ – #4 Arizona vs. Alabama vs. Arizona
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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