Arizona Desert Swarm

College Basketball Open Thread

2010-03-20T17:00:56Z

Saturday March 20, 2010
Time	Away	Home	National	Away TV	Home TV
1:05 pm	St. Mary's (Ca.) #10	Villanova #2	CBS - HD National
3:20 pm	Murray St. #13	Butler #5	CBS - HD (Regional)
3:35 pm	Ohio #14	Tennessee #6	CBS - HD (Regional)
5:40 pm	N. Iowa #9	Kansas #1	CBS - HD (Regional)
5:45 pm	Old Dominion #11	Baylor #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
5:50 pm	Washington #11	New Mexico #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
8:10 pm	BYU #7	Kansas St. #2	CBS - HD (Regional)
8:15 pm	Wake Forest #9	Kentucky #1	CBS - HD (Regional)

Can St. Mary's overtake Nova? If so, my bracket is screwed. I have Ohio State and Kentucky winning my two brackets so I am rooting for Northern Iowa!

College Basketball Open Thread: Day Two

2010-03-19T13:29:37Z

Yesterday was an awesome day of basketball. Washington survived and will move on to play New Mexico on Saturday. Cal plays today against Louisville and will hopefully go on to the next round as well.

What happened to Georgetown?

I hit one of my upsets yesterday with Washington over Marquette but lost the other one with San Diego State falling to Tennessee.

My upsets for today: Minnesota over Xavier and Oklahoma State over Georgia Tech.

Now, GET BACK TO WORK!

Friday March 19, 2010
Time	Away	Home	National	Away TV	Home TV
12:15 pm	Morgan St. #15	West Virginia #2	CBS - HD (Regional)
12:25 pm	Minnesota #11	Xavier #6	CBS - HD (Regional)
12:30 pm	Cornell #12	Temple #5	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:30 pm	Siena #13	Purdue #4	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:35 pm	Missouri #10	Clemson #7	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:45 pm	Oakland #14	Pittsburgh #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:50 pm	Wofford #13	Wisconsin #4	CBS - HD (Regional)
4:45 pm	Utah St. #12	Texas A&M #5	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:10 pm	Florida St. #9	Gonzaga #8	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:15 pm	Georgia Tech #10	Oklahoma St. #7	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:20 pm	New Mexico St. #12	Michigan St. #5	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:25 pm	Ark.-Pine Bluff #16	Duke #1
9:30 pm	Vermont #16	Syracuse #1	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:35 pm	UC Santa Barb. #15	Ohio St. #2	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:40 pm	Houston #13	Maryland #4	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:45 pm	Louisville #9	California #8	CBS - HD (Regional)

College Basketball Open Thread

2010-03-18T12:32:07Z

Thursday March 18, 2010
Time	Away	Home	National	Away TV	Home TV
12:20 pm	Florida #10	BYU #7	CBS - HD (Regional)
12:25 pm	Old Dominion #11	Notre Dame #6	CBS - HD (Regional)
12:30 pm	Robert Morris #15	Villanova #2	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:30 pm	Murray St. #13	Vanderbilt #4	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:40 pm	North Texas #15	Kansas St. #2	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:45 pm	Sam Houston #14	Baylor #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
2:50 pm	St. Mary's (Ca.) #10	Richmond #7	CBS - HD (Regional)
4:45 pm	UTEP #12	Butler #5	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:10 pm	N. Iowa #9	UNLV #8	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:15 pm	East Tenn. St. #16	Kentucky #1	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:20 pm	Washington #11	Marquette #6	CBS - HD (Regional)
7:25 pm	Ohio #14	Georgetown #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:30 pm	Lehigh #16	Kansas #1	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:35 pm	Wake Forest #9	Texas #8	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:40 pm	Montana #14	New Mexico #3	CBS - HD (Regional)
9:45 pm	San Diego St. #11	Tennessee #6	CBS - HD (Regional)

Who do you have as an upset? I personally have Washington over Marquette and San Diego State over Tennessee.

Arizona Snubbed by NIT

2010-03-15T12:31:22Z

More photos » Tony Tribble - AP

11 months ago: Sean Miller wipes away tears at a news conference where he announced he is leaving Xavier to become men's basketball coach at Arizona, Monday, April 6, 2009, in Cincinnati. Miller led Xavier to the Elite Eight last year and received a contract extension through the 2017-18 season. Xavier reached the round of 16 again this season. (AP Photo/Tony Tribble)

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As expected, the Cats were not chosen for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Not only did the Cats not make the NCAA Tourney, they were snubbed by the NIT as well. The Cats declined an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational. Coach Miller had this to say about that decision:

That's really not what our program is about right now. The goal here is to make the NCAA Tournament and be in a position for a seed that can advance and can threaten for the Final Four. I'm going to sound the exact way I did when I got here. The building process and doing things the right way is at the forefront. Recruiting Arizona players ...making sure that everybody who returns, returns better and making sure that everyone who is on our roster is about winning. It's about team. It's about togetherness and having a bigger picture than six months. In another six months, a culture will be developed, a way of doing things will be developed. Not only by miles, but sometimes in inches we'll continue to improve and emerge on the national level and within our conference. It's going to take a lot of hard work and patience. Part of the story is written and there is a lot of hard work to go.

That's it for this year's Cats basketball. I'm sure there is disappointment all around at the McKale center, especially for Nic Wise.

This year's team was mediocre at best and only came together to play as a team on a few occasions. Derrick Williams is a stud and will only get better. I wish Nic the best in the future and will be keeping an eye him on NBA draft day.

NIT Bound?

2010-03-13T14:57:12Z

Arizona's streak of 25 consecutive NCAA berths has come to an end. I think most astute observers coming into the season would have conceded the point. An NCAA tournament run from a group this young, with really only one bona fide NBA talent on the roster, would have been almost miraculous.

Still, I think this group should rate some consideration for one of the post-season tournaments, preferably the NIT.

More than anything this group just needs to continue to get minutes together, and the non-NCAA tournaments are good for young teams in that regard. Despite Arizona's youth this group has done some positive things, and a trip to the post-season would allow them to continue building on them heading into the off-season.

One thing this team does reasonably well is shoot--when it gets shots. Arizona's True Shooting Percentage* (TS%) is 55%. *True shooting is an adjusted field goal percentage that accounts for the impact of 3pt shooting and getting to the free throw line. That's pretty decent, and the potential is there for growth. Arizona shoots better than NCAA tournament teams West Virginia and Tennessee as well as probable at-large teams Washington and Texas. All are generally considered good offensive teams. Derrick Williams (64%) is obviously a big part of that, but Arizona has few high volume/low efficiency chuckers, and that's typically a sign that guys are working hard to get good shots. That's a credit to the coaching staff and to those players. Having said that, going forward I have pretty major concerns about Kevin Parrom (42%) and Mo Mo Jones (49%). Shooting that poorly is a troubling sign from two players so highly regarded coming out of high school.

Arizona's Points Per Play (0.91) was the real problem with the offense from a team wide perspective. (BYU leads the country at 1.02). If you click the link and scroll down you'll see some tournament teams at .91 points per play, but very few below that mark. So Arizona was at the bottom end of decent. Points per play tells us how well a team is converting its possessions into points. We know this team converts its shots at a good percentage, but it just doesn't get enough shots. "And another turnover by the Wildcats," may have been the most commonly repeated phrase during any Arizona broadcast. Arizona's assist-to-turnover is .89, which is dreadful. For a team that has to grind out wins, it's a wonder that they managed to finish above .500 throwing away so many possessions. We can expect the turnovers to improve just in the course of some natural maturation and by playing together more.

The biggest improvement needs to come on defense. I can't put my hands on opponent shooting percentages, but foul-based metrics show a mediocre defensive team. Arizona committed 19.2 fouls per game--not very good. It also didn't make up for fouling with turnover-producing defensive plays. Arizona's blocks+steals/foul was only .44. So, many of Arizona's fouls were of the clutching and grabbing type. Although I often saw lots of effort on defense it often only resulted in fouls.

Let's hope Arizona gets an invite to a post-season tournament so we can send Nic off the right way and the kids can get some additional development.

Arizona Falls to UCLA: 75-69

2010-03-12T02:57:01Z

The Streak is most certainly over! Arizona falls to UCLA 75-69.

Arizona Sweeps So Cal Schools, Beats USC 86-84

2010-03-07T04:00:10Z

More photos » John Miller - AP

14 days ago: Arizona's Kyle Fogg (21) goes to the basket as Southern California's Marcus Johnson (0) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Saturday, March 6, 2010. (AP Photo/John Miller)

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Arizona battled back in the 2nd half to tie the Trojans of Southern California to take it into overtime but even one overtime wasn't enough. The Cats won in dramatic fashion on the second overtime by beating USC 86-84. It was the second time in two games that the Cats have had to claw their way back after being down at home in the first half. This one was a little more dramatic than the UCLA game.

Arizona fell behind 38-33 in the first half and had a hard time controlling Dwight Lewis all day. Kyle Fogg attempted a three point shot with two tenths of a second left in regulation. Fogg got to the line and hit all three free throws to take the game into overtime. The dramatics didn't end there. Each team battled back and forth and one overtime wasn't enough to decide the victor.

The Cats looked a little more in control in the second overtime and were leading by two points when USC's Marcus Simmons hit a bucket to tie the game with 16.3 seconds left. Nic Wise, who scored 15 points on the night, and was playing his last home game at McKale Center, hit the game winning layup with 1.5 seconds left in the double overtime. He drove through traffic and timed his shot perfectly.

What a tremendous way to close out the season. There have been a lot of ups and downs but the Cats have dug deep and battled UCLA and USC the entire time and never thought they were out of either. Kyle Fogg, who had 18 points on the day against USC and 26 points against UCLA, looked like the guy Arizona thought they were going to have all season. He had an incredible weekend in Tucson.

The Cats will travel to Los Angeles next week to begin the Pac-10 tournament. The tournament begins for Arizona on Thursday, March 11 and Arizona is matched up against UCLA at 12:00 pacific time. This is the Cats chance to keep history alive and attempt to get the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament with a Pac-10 Tournament championship.

Fogg(y) Mountain Breakdown, Cats win 78-73 over UCLA

2010-03-06T05:28:48Z

More photos » John Miller - AP

15 days ago: Arizona's Lamont Jones (12) reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, March 4, 2010. Arizona won 78-73. (AP Photo/John Miller)

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I don't know what it is about UCLA and Kyle Fogg but Sean Miller should convince that kid that every opponent is secretly representing the Los Angeles campus for the University of California every time the ball gets rolled out onto the court. It was a first half that was almost reminiscent of the first few games of the OOC schedule. Turnovers, missed assignments, foul trouble inside, shooting that resembled a game in an auto shop, clunkers abounded. UCLA played steady ball but lacked that certain something to put the Cats away, but they certainly looked to be in charge at halftime, up by 10.

In the second half, it started like the first, the Cats managed to get down by another 7 to make the lead 17. Derrick Williams picked up his 4th foul. Tyler Hunnicutt looked like the light bulb had gone off and Michael Roll was doing a bit of everything, clearing the defensive boards, making the extra pass, as well as, hitting the open look; something the Cats had been unable to do in the first half.

Something happened, Miller stumbled upon a combination that sparked a lil more effort, a little bit of confidence and he managed to fan that flame until it became a fire, Nic Wise made a few free throws, MoMo Jones penetrated, dished, hit mid range and deep jumpers. Kyle Fogg got nasty and started to look like he was taking the lackluster play personally. The cats backcourt took over, they sliced into the lane, they pulled up, they made some open shots and then they returned the defensive favor by amping up the pressure in UCLA. The Bruins out shot the Cats in the first half 51 to 38%. The game ended with the shooting percentages in the Cats favor in the by the end of the 2nd half compiling a 51 to 45 percentage for the game. Granted the Bruins were lacking a presence in the center, but DWill had been effectively stymied with foul trouble and only 12 points (and only shooting 50% from the FT line). It was all about the guard play and it wasn't even Nic Wise, it was MoMo and Kyle who ledge the charge, got their teammates fired up and the defensive intensity was the fisrt to arrive that was closely followed by offensive opportunity. Kyle ended up with a new scoring high of 26 and he was closely followed by MoMo's crucial 16.

It was an unlikely comeback, despite how welcome the result, yet while these Cats may not be the most consistent group, they are showing a certain mettle and resiliency that is refreshing to watch.

ARIZONA VS. UCLA OPEN GAME THREAD

2010-03-04T22:11:34Z

Next Game

UCLA Bruins
@ Arizona Wildcats

Thursday, Mar 4, 2010, 7:30 PM PST
McKale Center

Complete Coverage >

IS IT OVER YET? Who is going to step up and help out Derrick tonight? Hmmmmm. I don't have a clue.

Cats Split Weekend: Cal Loss, Stanford Win

2010-02-28T23:54:09Z

More photos » Tony Avelar - AP

20 days ago: Arizona forward Derrick Williams, left, smiles with guard Lamont Jones late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. Arizona defeated Stanford 71-69. Williams was the game's high scorer with 24 points. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

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The Arizona Wildcats split the weekend by losing to Cal 95-71 and then beating Stanford 71-69. Derrick Williams continues to dominate as he scored 17 points against Cal and then 24 points against Stanford. Derrick Williams should be considered for the Pac-10 player of the year definitely.

Brendon Lavender scored 14 points against Cal and Lamont Jones scored 16 points (7-15) against Stanford. Lamont Jones scored the game winner as time expired to beat Stanford.

The Cats just can't seem to put it all together. With the exception of Derrick, the rest of the group is streaky. For instance, Lavender scored 14 against Cal and only had 1 point against Stanford in 25 minutes of play. He missed all 4 shots as well. Lamont had 10 points in the loss against Cal, so he is coming on strong at the end of the year. Nic has been hit or miss, mostly miss as of late and the rest of the guys are non-existent except for a breakout game by Horne every now and then.

Miller has a lot of work to do in the off-season, including some team building efforts to make sure that all of the guys realize they are only as strong as the weakest link. (You know you like that high school football quote.) In this instance though, it's true. If there is no one to support Derrick Williams, we can't compete against anybody.

The Cats end the season against UCLA on Thursday and USC on Saturday. After that, the Pac-10 tournament is the only shot to keep the streak alive!!!!

Know Your Enemy: California Golden Bears

2010-02-25T14:27:11Z

More photos » Dino Vournas - AP

3 months ago: California's Jerome Randle reacts after making a shot against Iowa State in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Dino Vournas)

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The fellas over at California Golden Blogs gave us some more insight into the Pac-10's leading basketball program. It's going to be a tough one for the Cats on Thursday night in enemy territory.

1. Since losing to the Cats on January 31, Cal has been pretty dominant and sits atop the Pac-10. What happened?

Everybody else lost? Seriously, did you see us sleepwalk through an embarassing loss at Oregon State? Or fall behind by 11 at the half at home vs. Washington State? Or give up a 25-0 run at USC? Cal has managed to go 4-2 over the past few weeks, but other than a convincing victory over UW at home, they haven't really looked dominating over that stretch.

That said, as mediocre as Cal has been, everyone else has been even less inspiring, though Arizona State at least has managed to stay close. First one to 12 wins this conference?

2. Jerome Randle is one streaky dude. What gives?

He's a shooter. Lots of shooters are streaky. This Cal team can live and die by the jump shot, so Cal fans have learned to live with the streakyness.

Moreover, I think Randle doesn't quite have the ice cold mentality of some shooters; he can let things bother him, so if he's going up against a guard who is quick enough to keep him from penetrating or active enough to force him into some dumb turnovers, he can get flustered and try to do too much. When he's not hitting shots, he's either injured (he's played through both leg injuries and debilitating stomach flus this year -- apparently, he threw up during halftime in Cal's loss to UCLA) or he's taking contested shots that he shouldn't. But man, when he's on, he's crazy-accurate from crazy-deep. I'm going to miss him, and I'm not the only Cal fan that feels that way.

3. What are your thoughts on Cal finishing strong and winning the Pac-10 regular season?

That would be awesome. But who knows? Cal fans have hope now. Hope that we might succeed. This is exactly the moment where something disastrous happens. Losing to both UA and ASU at home? We have Stanford on the road to end the season. You know there is a solid chance Cal needs a win at Stanford to clinch the Pac10 and we lose in disastrously emotional fashion. That, of course, assumes we win against ASU/UA this week, which would be a foolish assumption.

We have 2 of the toughest teams left, but at least Cal has them at home. If Cal fans can finally show up and show some passion, hopefully that helps Cal get some key wins and get their first Pac10 title in 50 years.

Which means we, of course, lose all 3 and flame out of the NIT. We're Cal afterall!

4. Are the Golden Bears going to the Tournament this year?

Unless Cal blows it this week or bombs out of the Pac-10 tournament, we should be safe. Our RPI is too high (I think the highest RPI for a team left out of the tourney is 30 something, and Cal is sitting in the mid-20s), and the NCAA wants to keep on encouraging high-profile matchups out-of-conference. If they want this to continue, strength of schedule has to be factored in, and the Bears have lost to four top 25 caliber teams, three bordering on the top 10.

They got about as good a chance as any other Pac10 team. It is kind of stunning how bad the Pac10 is this year. Bla. Our RPI is good, even though the loss to OSU sucked.

http://kenpom.com/rate.php

KenPom has us at 23rd.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/polls/rpi/index1

CBS has us at 23rd, also. So, I think we are in a good position there to make the Tournament, but we it is not 100% yet. We still need to win more games. Wins against good teams like ASU and Arizona would certainly be helpful. Going deep in the Pac10 Tournament would be VERY helpful.

Right now, Cal is on the bubble. We need some more key wins to get in, but I believe we will get in. The Pac10 is bad, but the tourney still wants west coast representation. We're as good as pretty much any other team out there. I shouldn't say good, perhaps. We're as not bad as pretty much any other team out there.

5. What are your thoughts on the Pac-10 this year?

It sucks. But that doesn't mean I'll be any less happy at a conference title. Beggars can't be choosers. Hopefully our fans get up for it too (http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2010/2/23/1282884/time-to-rock-the-haas).

Arizona 69 vs. Arizona State 73 Recap

2010-02-22T01:33:21Z

More photos » John Miller - AP

27 days ago: Arizona's State's Eric Boateng (2) shoots over the attempted defense of Arizona's Derrick Williams (23) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010. Arizona State won 73-69. (AP Photo/John Miller)

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Arizona couldn't catch up on Sunday, falling to the Sun Devils 73-69 at McKale. The Sun Devils were on, hitting 52% of their FG's and were 11-20 from 3 point land. Arizona didn't help themselves out much by turning the ball over 12 times and having many one and done possessions. Derrick Williams had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Nic Wise scored 18 and had 3 assists. Kyle Fogg chipped in13 points as well. Solomon Hill (foul king) had 4 personals in 16 minutes of play.

Richard Kuksis had 17 points on 17 points on 6-8 shooting and was 3-3 from 3 point land. This guy kills us! Ty Abbott scored 28 points, which was much less annoying than Kuksis' 17. Abbott was 11-17 on his FG's.

I don't know what it's going to take to get Miller to turn these kids around. They are young and that is showing right now in the midst of their losing ways. It's not going to get any easier with the Cats traveling to play at Cal and Stanford this week.

Get your NIT brackets ready.

Arizona vs. Arizona State Open Game Thread

2010-02-21T21:30:15Z

Next Game

Arizona St. Sun Devils
@ Arizona Wildcats

Date: Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010

Time: 3:30 p.m. MST

Location: Olson Court, McKale Center (14,545), Tucson, Ariz.

Radio: IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Matt Muehlebach)

TV: FSN (Steve Physioc/Don MacLean)

Complete Coverage >

Miller miffed but eyes rebound

2010-02-17T13:22:27Z

Miller miffed but eyes rebound

Let's hope he can right the ship once and for all.

Well that was unexpected; Oregon State 63 - Arizona 55 - Post game wrap-up/bang head against wall thread

2010-02-14T18:19:19Z

More photos » John Miller - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona's Jamelle Horne, right, drives past the defense of Oregon State's Josh Tarver (5) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/John Miller)

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Well, 27 years of beating Oregon State in McKale is over. Oregon State stole a game that puts the rest of the season for Arizona in jeopardy. Sean Miller has clearly made a huge impact on this young Cats team, but they are not quite there yet.

Nic Wise was 1-11 of from the field, and no one else besides Jamelle Horne was there to pick up the slack. Here's to hoping the finger-pointing is kept to a minimum, and this embarrassing loss is used as a catalyst for a very strong finish to the season. Without a huge run to end the season, Arizona fans may be filling out NIT brackets in March.

Arizona 70 vs. Oregon 57 Recap

2010-02-12T13:31:17Z

More photos » Wily Low - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona's Derrick Williams (23) dunks over Oregon's Teondre Williams (32) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010. Arizona won 70-57. (AP Photo/Wily Low)

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Arizona beat Oregon on Thursday night 70-57 at the McKale Center in Tucson. It was just another upward swing in this roller coaster season for the Cats. After losing both games in the Pacific Northwest to Washington and Washington State, the Cats rebounded by extending a 36-28 halftime lead into a 52-33 lead within the first 6:00 of the first half.

Derrick Williams scored 11 of his 20 points in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second half and the game was seemingly out of reach for the Ducks at after that point. Williams was 8-10 from the floor, scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Nic Wise had 10 points and 4 rebounds with only 2 assists on the night. Lamont Jones, who has been coming on strong in the last week, had 11 points on 5-8 shooting and also had 6 rebounds.

I wonder how long this is going to go on? The Pac-10, obviously weak this year, continues to beat up on each other round after round and any night is anybody's game. Arizona missed their opportunity to break away from the Pac last week in Washington but has a chance to try to get on a roll again by beating Oregon State on Saturday.

Coach Miller thinks that the beginning of the 2nd half was the best basketball we have played all year:

"The way we played at the beginning of the second half really was as well as we've played all season. We did very well at converting from defense to offense. We were very unselfish. That run at the beginning of the second half was very exciting, and it was really fueled by our unselfishness on offense and our ability to get some good defensive stops. We consistently got better in the first half, but it was definitely that run in the first four to six minutes of the second half that set us apart."

Lamont Jones sure has been playing good as of late. I wonder what lit a fire under him to step up and get it done?

Next up: Arizona vs. Oregon State. McKale Center, 8:00 Eastern.

Quick Stat: Freshmen scored the first 32 of Arizona's 34 second half points.

Expansion would boost Pac-10 but leave wake of disruption - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

2010-02-11T13:43:37Z

Expansion would boost Pac-10 but leave wake of disruption - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

That Was Fun While it Lasted; WSU 78 - UA 60

2010-02-07T17:05:49Z

More photos » Dean Hare - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona guard Brendon Lavender, left, and other team members watch in the waning minutes as their team is behind during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washington State on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, at Jack Friel Court in Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. Washington State won 78-60. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)

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Punked in Pullman. This will be quick, as it is Super Sunday. Three days ago, whispers of The Streak continuing started to surface. Now? Arizona is 12-11 (6-5), and based on the mediocrity of the team, and the Pac-10 in general, Arizona has to be considered at the moment on the outside of the NCAA tournament.

Now, a significant run to close the season, or a Pac-10 tournament win, obviously could change all that. Let's see what Coach Miller has up his sleeve. The margin of error shrunk dramatically in 80 minutes of basketball.

Arizona vs. Washington State Open Game Thread

2010-02-06T23:51:17Z

Next Game

Arizona Wildcats
@ Washington St. Cougars

Date: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010

Time: 5:30 p.m. PST

Location: Friel Court (11,671), Pullman, Wash.

Radio: IMG College/Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Matt Muehlebach)

TV: FSAZ (Greg Heister/Craig Ehlo)

Complete Coverage >

Arizona 75 vs. Washington 81 Recap

2010-02-05T13:29:13Z

More photos » Ted S. Warren - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona's Nic Wise tries to thread his way to the hoop in between Washington's Quincy Pondexter, right, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning, left, in the second half of a NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, in Seattle. Washington beat Arizona 81-75. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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The Washington Huskies outscored the Cats by 12 points in the second half to beat the Cats 81-75. Arizona jumped out to a 6 point lead in the first half thanks to freshman Lamont Jones who scored 14 points on 7-10 shooting. The Cats were down by 9 with 8:50 left in the game and battled to within 2 points with only 1:10 on the clock. The Cats continued to battle all the way until the final buzzer by fouling Washington and then making a series of layups and short jumpers to keep within 2. Unfortunately, Washington's free throw shooting was clutch and they continued to sink free throw after free throw. Quincy Pondexter played almost the entire game and killed Arizona, scoring 30 points. Kevin Parrom defended him most of the night and could not keep up with him.

The Cats just weren't on last night. Nic Wise was 4-15 from the field. Jamelle Horne was in foul trouble all night and only scored 2 points compared to his 22 the last time Arizona played Washintgon. Washington did have Justin Holiday, their defensive specialist, available for last night's game and he was unavailable on their previous trip to Tucson. Derrick Williams fouled out with only 8 minutes of play in the entire game and was held to just 3 points. It was as if the Cats didn't even get to play the game because of all of the fouls.

When Horne and Williams are being shut down, other guys need to step up and fill the roles. Last night was one of those nights. Kyle Fogg had 13 points on 3-9 shooting. Solomon Hill had 12 points on 4-6 shooting and Brendon Lavender had 11 points on 4-4 shooting. I'm really proud of the way those guys stepped up last night. Wise was definitely off, shooting 4-15 and others stepped in to help out. The Cats shot 41% from the floor and 65.5% from the FT line on the night. There is currently a 4 way tie for 1st place in the Pac-10. Mediocrity at its best!

Box Score

Next up: Washington State, February 6, 2010 at 5:30 P.S.T.