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Top non-conference games canceled after Pac-12 postpones its college basketball schedule until 2021

Watch Now: Breaking News: Pac-12 To Delay All Sports Until January 1st (8:22)

When the Pac-12 announced Tuesday that all of its sports, basketball included, are on hiatus from competition until the calendar flips to 2021, it hastened the arrival the inevitable: college basketball’s season won’t be happening as planned.

Even if other conferences continue with no changes to their winter sports plans for now, the Pac-12’s decision will have an impact felt throughout the sport as it became the first major conference to announce an adjustment to its basketball season.

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The league planned to move to a 20-game conference slate this season, which meant there were several league games planned for December that will either have to be canceled or postponed. But it also had several marquee non-conference games scheduled for November and December that will now almost certainly be canceled. 

Here are the top four games that are likely going to be wiped out by the Pac-12’s decision:

The rematch of last season’s epic overtime clash between the Wolverines and Ducks was set to be played at Oregon this time. Oregon won 71-70 in December of last year when Zavier Simpson’s late floater and a last-second put-back attempt both missed. This would have been one of the top matchups of the regular season’s first week.

USC vs. Gonzaga (Nov. 17 Phil Knight Invitational)

It’s always fun to see five-star freshmen clash, especially early in the season. This meeting would have pitted Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs, who was ranked the No. 11 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, against USC’s Evan Mobley, who was ranked the No. 3 player in the class. The game was scheduled for Portland, Oregon, as part of the Phil Knight Invitational. 

Arizona didn’t land that one can’t-miss prospect, but the Wildcats did bring in five four-star prospects as part of their 2020 class. This would have been a huge early test for the young Wildcats in a rematch of last year’s 84-80 loss to Gonzaga. This meeting was scheduled to be played on the Bulldogs’ home floor.

UCLA vs. Kentucky (Dec. 19 CBS Sports Classic)

It’s always a good thing when the two programs with the most national titles in the sport’s history get together. That’s especially so when both are actually good. UCLA is on the way back up under second-year coach Mick Cronin, but the Bruins won’t get to test their mettle against a revamped Kentucky roster that will be led almost entirely by freshman. 

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