Big Dance to get bigger?

College coaches are working on a plan to make the field of 65 into a field of 70 or more. That'll make sitting on the proverbial Bubble a little easier, eh? A better solution would be for those marginal teams to try a little harder instead of watering down the field.

Fake Chicago University scored Final Four Tickets

One way to get tickets to the Final Four is to start a fake university and ask the NCAA for your allotment of tickets to the Big Dance.  Now accepting applications to Wilbur U.

East Coast Bias lives on

Thanks to the refs in the UW/UConn game last night, we see that the West Coast still gets little respect. Congratulations to Romar and his team for handling the loss with class.

And you thought your coach was tough....

This from Texas:

A Conroe school district coach is on leave while officials investigate
claims that he forced a student athlete to defecate into a bag and
urinate into a cup, KPRC Local 2 reported.

That was one long bus ride for everyone.

Who's your daddy....the Pac 10

from the News Observer

Lute not taking it easy on next year's schedule

Even though Washington scheduled 10 of its first 11 games at home (losing number 11 to AZ, btw) and got a higher seed than the Wildcats, Lute is still sticking to his time-proven plan of scheduling tough pre-season opponents. Heck, he doesn't even care if they're on the road. He is second-guessing the committee on their seedings, though, and wondering if maybe he shouldn't schedule Our Sisters of the Prickly Pear and Budweiser State to inflate the record come tourney time. Nahhhhh....

But Olson's core philosophy in scheduling remains, so the Wildcats will host North Carolina, Memphis, Houston, UNLV and possibly Iona at McKale, while facing Illinois in Phoenix next season, according to UA administrative aide Jack Murphy. On the road, Murphy said, Arizona will face Virginia, San Diego State and possibly Villanova.

One thing's for sure. Ticket sales shouldn't drop off. And don't forget that team bonding trip to Europe planned for late May.

• O is for Over, which is the condition of Florida's streak of failures.
  The Gators, entering this tournament, had lost on the opening weekend
  to lower-seeded teams for five straight years. That is a record of
  futility they now share with Illinois (1986-90) and Arizona (1989-93). Welcome to the club, Donovan.
• Shakur, Williams might evaluate draft status. Think Jason Gardner....Jason Terry.....Chris Rodgers...(well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad)
• Just watched that cat that fell 80 feet and got right up again. Gives hope for next season.
  

Cats Save Their Finest for Philly

In the end, it came down to 3-pointers. Arizona matched Nova basket for basket (28), freethrow for freethrow (17), but Villanova made 4 more 3-point shots. Just enough to give the Nova Cats a win over the Zona Cats. We did get a glimpse of the potential of what should have been this year, and got hope for next season. And we did beat the spread, which was 6-1/2 points going in. I hope Lute's got a shooter in next year's class.

• Perennial powers Kentucky and Arizona exit this year's tourney.
• But so do North Carolina, Ohio State (goodbye "Big" 10), and Pittsburgh.
• On Fire: Arizona. The Wildcats lost, but you won't find many fans upset with coach Lute Olson or his talented team.
• A look at parity in college ball.  I'm a believer now.
• We kicked their butts in the stats.  Except those 3-pointers.

Well done, Cats. 

More stories

1. Brett Brielmaier living the dream.
2. Hot Sauce fires up after a week off.
3. Arizona avoids meltdown.
4. Homeboy Shakur.
5. Must-see TV. Highest rated tourney since 1997.
6. Go PAC10! UCLA and Washington advance to Sweet 16.
   

Cancel the autopsy. Arizona isn't dead yet.

Cats find right mix

UA puts together complete game vs. Wisconsin

I just keep finding great articles about The Cats' rise from the ashes, Pheonix(sic) style

When Wildcats show up, they can beat anyone

Some folks have noticed that the Cats have turned the corner......or a corner, anyway.

Come out, come out wherever you are. Arizona fans can finally be proud
of this year's edition of the Wildcats and once again show their faces
in public.

Git R Done!

Cats get ready for Nova Cats

The Cats (the Arizona Wildcats, that is) look forward to tomorrow's matchup against the #1 seed Villanova. Maybe this team just hates being a favorite and loves being the underdog. We'll see.

• Did you make your picks based on mascots?  Here's the inside scoop....
• Stoops (remember football?) loses 4 scholarships for next season.  Now that's a difficult choice.
• Wildcat Women win in NCAA Women's tourney....whaaat??
• Shakur proves you can go home again.
• These Cats are dogs.  I think he means that it a nice way.
• Tourney notebook.
  

Philadelphia Kid

Mustafa Shakur went from playground rat to Point Guard U. Read the story here.

No March Sadness for Cats

Who the heck were those guys with the UA jerseys on today? This was the type of game we've been starved for all year. Smiling, laughing, and running away from the Badgers, the Wildcats finally started enjoying the game and playing like there IS a tomorrow. Even Billy Packer had good things to say about Zona as they hit the ground running and never looked back, leaving the Cheeseheads in their dust.  Ahhh - Philadelphia freedom at last.

• "Our fans came here with expectations," `Nova forward Will Sheridan said. "Their fans came here with hope. It's a lot more fun when you're just hoping your team does well."  Yep, and underdog fans throughout the brackets are feeling the love this tourney.  Great match-ups, NCAA, no matter what Nance and Packer have to say.
• "(Shakur) reached back for those first moments on the playground at 10th and Olney and pulled out the spin move that so many of his friends remember him by."  Classic move, classy guy that Staph.  I'll bet he knows a good cheesesteak when he sees one, too.
• "The thing we didn't want to happen happened," UW coach Bo Ryan said. "You can't play from behind. It's very difficult. . . . That was our worst nightmare."  As a Cat fan, it was a dream!
• "Don't tell Nova it was an ugly win."  Okay....we'll let them in our little secret on Sunday.  But how many of us picked the  AZCats to advance to the Sweet 16, or even into the Round of 32?
• "At long last, talented Arizona plays up to its potential."  And gives Lute yet another 20-win season.
• Check it out.....Wilbur made it to the big time world of blogshares and trading.  Stock is rising, IPO to be announced soon.
• Standings after first round games in the Family Bracket Pool:
• Wilbur and Swister Meeney tied for first
• Three ringers from Wilbur's workplace take next 3 spots
• Sparky running a strong 6th.
• 'Nova fails to cover spread (20 points?  Get real) and loses fans against Monmouth.  Monmouth?

What  A  Tourney!!!

Day 1 and Done

And what a day it was. 4 underdogs pulled off the first-round upsets, with 12-seed Montana and Texas A&M leading the way. Some fantastic comebacks by the big boys (Tennessee, Gonzaga, BC) had Wilma pacing around the pad here all day. She'll need her sleep to make it through today.
OOh! Wilbur and Mike's bracket picks lead the way after the first day of play. And, no, I didn't revise any picks as the games went on. Just dumb luck carried me through the day.

• Follow Bob Barker's Bracket here, along with some other celebs here.
  
• News from the Cheeseheads.  Some Philly first-round tidbits, including Lute not getting his car.
• Shedding labels and Hassan Adams.

Good luck, everyone.

I'd trade two Kirk's and an Isiah for one Butch

From the Madison The Capital Times

More unusual tourney stats here

Breaking down March Madness into numbers I can understand, including how many times Bill Raftery will say "...and the kiss."

Top ten first round upsets in the past ten years. AZ nowhere to be found in this list.

Are you part of the problem?

The problem is the $3.8 billion lost in American worker productivity during March Madness.. Hey. It doesn't feel non-productive, man.....plus I got a few bucks riding on it.

Ready or not....

...here we go!  Picks are made, pools are filled, now we can just sit back and watch non-stop college b'ball for awhile.  Wilma is in heaven.

• Cats expecting fewer calls to be made in the "let 'em play" tourney.
  

• Best and worst case scenarios for tourney teams.  Check out Villanova's: "Scud-shooting Villanova is booted before it ever gets to leave Philadelphia by season-long underachiever Arizona. Home crowd does what it does best, booing 'Nova off the floor."

• Badgers?  We don't need to steenking Badgers!  UA and the cheeseheads stumble into the tourney, almost mirror images of each other.  Tony Bennett chimes in here.
  
• Ouch!  This guy really knows how to hurt someone. (1/2 way down page - Minn. bracket)

• Now this guy thinks we can make some noise.  If we show up, that is.  "Another traditional power that has struggled this year, Lute Olson's bunch is seeded eighth in Minneapolis.  While there's been little to indicate Arizona can put together a sustained run, the return to action of wing Hassan Adams -- who was suspended for the Pac-10 tournament -- gives the Wildcats a chance to push Villanova in the second round; that is, if Arizona manages to get by the more local Wisconsin Badgers in Round One."

• Cats accused of living in the past.  Make that 1997, please.

Let's get busy.

Sampson's past will keep him away from Tempe

Violations likely to keep Sampson away from ASU, like they thought they had a chance. Silly Sun Devils.

Can't make up your mind who to pick?

Here's a random bracket generator. This way you can blame it on someone else when your team goes down in flames!

Another bracket contest

The Official NBA Dance Team Bracket. Vote early and often.
Isn't this a fun year?

Cal-Berkley hoopster pranked by UCLA students.

Gabe Pruitt thought he had a hot date lined up last weekend at the PAC10 tourney. See, he'd been chatting online with a UCLA co-ed, Victoria. Turns out, though, that "she" was really a large section of the UCLA student body who had intercepted his messages and set him up.
Priceless.

Check out these bRACKets

If looking at the field of 64 is blurring your vision, rest your eyes by filling out these bRACKets. Additional research encouraged.

On to the Tourney

Well, the Cats managed to keep their nation's longest string of 22 straight tourney appearances intact.  Hassan Adams just might be enough to take them to the second round, probably against Nova.  And Lute's schedule mastery likely paid off, at least for this year.  Who really likes quality losses, anyway?

• Sour grapes from the Northwest.  Get over it, Ducks and Beavs.  Enjoy the NIT.
• Comparing apples to apples, Wildcats to Badgers.
• Philly is hometown to Mustafa Shakur and Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.  Cheesesteak, anyone?
• Did anybody else catch Billy Packer's slip-of-the-tongue Sunday when he mentioned the AZ/Wisconsin game one bracket too early?
• Tips for winning the pool.  If you need them, that is.
• Cats earn #8 seed the hard way.  They backed into it.
  

NCAA Bracketology

Here's your first cheat sheet for the NCAA tourney. Read it. Learn it. Live it. Send in your money.

Now we'll have to worry about other issues than the spread or whether we can sneak in our peanuts and red vines

FBI warns of possible NCAA tourney threat

Cats cowtow to bRuins

A lack of physicalability (bangability, bruiseability, toughability) caused the Cats to come up short against Ucla last night. It just took too long to adjust to the style of play - "letting them play," as the refs say - and the absence of Hot Sauce spelled doom from the start. Still, we did manage to cut the deficit to 12 by game's end. Little consolation, and look for the Cats to be wearing the road reds in all tourney games. Did I say all?? How far do YOU have them going in your brackets?

• Batcats visit Mississippi State, play grateful guests.
• "And there's also the excitement of disrobing old ghosts like Arizona." Let them gloat while they can.
• Bobby Knight finishes under .500 for the first time in 35 years. Sounds like a perfect fit for Tempe.
• Lute keeps his cool during game, heard muttering "Good Grief!" "My Word!" Still no match for Ryan Radke's "For crying in the middle of the night!"
  
• Fisher-Matlock Final Four Tourney invitations going out soon. Watch out for Sweeney - he's been laid up after his RCT surgery and thinks he has a lock on all the teams.
  

It's Been Real, It's Been Fun...

...and it's been Real Fun. But the days of UA beating up on Rob Evans and his stellar Scum Devil teams have come to an end. Face it - Lute got him fired because his advertising revenues dropped off after Bill Fritter left. Who's next?? Who cares.
Oh, please pick Steve Lavin. Pleeease....

Stanford chopped down, bRuins next on the block

The AZ Wildcat basketball team found a way to beat Stanford yesterday, despite having to leave Hassan Adams at home. Other players picked up his slack (but not his bar tab), and put the game away by shooting 80% from the freethrow line. 23 of 28 in the second half alone?? We could have beat Washington with percentages like that. Tonight, settle in to watch the Cats go for their first win of the year over Ucla, and keep their nation-leading streak of 20-win seasons alive, too. This would make 19 seasons with 20 wins or more. How spoiled are we?
Git R Done, Cats!

• Hot Sauce maxes out his cellphone calling plan in order to amp the Cats up. Can they hear him today?
• Walk-on steps it up, logging 25 crucial minutes in yesterday's game. Thanks, Bret...er, Brent...er, Brett, .....er,...Rudy.
• Ducks beat Dawgs, so Cats will miss possible grudge match against UDub. Pity.
• Stanford bows out gracefully, heads back to the Bay.
  

It's PAC10 Tourney time, it's PAC10 Tourney time (Name that tune)

The Cats limp into the league tourney minus their leading scorer (Hassan Adams - DUI) and missing that swagger we all know and love. It's gotten so bad that Stanford is getting most of the press for our game against the Cardinal on Thursday. Game time is 1:30pm, so plan on taking a late lunch.

• Cats aren't the only bluebloods that have no-showed this year. It really is the Year of the Dog.
• First tip for the Matlock Final Four Pool, brought to you by Wilbur - a little history about seed-by-seed matchups in the past. And speaking of March Madness, watch your e-mail for your invite for the Pool. If you want to be included, and don't happen to be related to a Matlock, leave a comment and we'll be glad to take your money, too.
• Cats RPI drops to 24th, 41st in Sagarin. Still feeling good about getting in? Tempe comes in at 145 in the Sagarin poll, six spots behind those mighty Lumberjacks of NAU. Bye, Rob. Oh - add Rick Majerus to the list of Sundevil coach wannabes. Better stock the First Aid station on the floor level.
• Hey. The softball team continues to win and is ranked #1. Wonder if they can shoot 3-pointers as well as no-hitters?
  
• Don't forget Wildcat golf. And isn't it time for another Matlock Match Play event?

Bear down - and bear with us.

Hot Sauce Hammered - then Nailed

Hassan Adams, leading scorer for the Cats and an All-PAC10 pick, has been suspended for the PAC10 tourney following his DUI last weekend. Hey, I was a little upset after we blew another lead and lost to Washington, but I didn't feel the urge to party then think I could drive. He escaped any disciplinary action last December when he was arrested for disorderly conduct, but this was just a little too much for Lute to let slip by. Anyone who couldn't see this coming, raise your hand. I didn't think so.

Hot sauce HITS the sauce

Things are getting hotter than a habanero after Hassan Adams gets arrested for DUI Saturday night. Sit him down for the PAC10 tourney, coach. This is his second arrest in the past 4 months.

Cats miss the 2-minute warning

For 38 minutes, AZ looked like world-beaters against #14 Washington.  Leads of up to 13 points.  Steals and hustle everywhere.  Stingy ball-handling.  The Huskies never even got a chance to take the lead - until the end.  Two Wildcat turnovers were the undoing when holding onto the ball mattered the most.  So we get to watch another close loss, another "one that got away."  Very puzzling, though, why Adams took control of the ball and the last shot (which fell a good 3 feet short), especially with his bum wing.  Lute should have suited up the kid that won the car at halftime by sinking one from halfcourt. 

• Wait until next year?  I never thought I'd hear that again in reference to our basketball team.  Like I never thought I'd hear "Wait until football season."
  
• Baseball's 5-game win streak ends to Nebraska in DQ Classic.  Peanut Buster Parfaits for everyone, win or lose.
• Completing the trifecta, women get slapped around by Stanford.  Their season mercifully closes.
  
• North Carolina loses seven players from championship team, can still beat Duke in Durham.  I always get some satisfaction when the Dookies lose - at home, on their Senior Day.  Duke goes 0'fer the week.  hehe.
• Cats get Cardinal in PAC10 tourney opener.  Lucky us.
• Hometown press can be cruel.  Especially if you're a Seattle prep star who signed with the Cats.

Saturday - Finally!

Wilbur hopes the rest of you had a better week than he did, but the sun came up today, our son (I hesitate to call him Wilbur Jr.) is flying in for a surprise visit, and the Cats wrap up their regular season with a Red Out Senior Day game against the Huskies. Yeah - it's the weekend.

• Wildcat women break out of slump -- and break into the PAC10 tourney with a win over those angry Beavs. Beaverettes? Is anything PC when their nickname is the Beavers?
• Huskies find their groove -- but they'll be another notch in Wilbur's belt after today!
• The Red Coats are coming -- at least Lute's newly ordered one is for today's game. Put on those shades, folks, this could be tough on the eyes.
• Hot Sauce got chicken winged -- but the sore shoulder won't keep him out of his final home game as a Wildcat. Look for a Basket 'O' Buckets from Sauce.
• DQ Classic features Minnesota meltdown -- Batcats win first game of my new favorite tourney. So how come the local paper doesn't even mention the name of the tourney?

Get yer Red On!

I didn't even know there was a Dairy Queen Classic

The Wildcat baseball team is set to play in the 22nd Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis this weekend. This should be real Dilly!

Tempo Busters

Washington State comes in tonight, bringing their slow-down style of play and lameduck coach with them. The Cats managed to put up 70 points earlier this season against the Cougs, but let's not have a repeat of last year's home loss to these snoozers.

Greg Hansen plays "what if?" -- fun to play, but leaves that empty feeling.

How long 'til football? -- Well, the season opener is just 6 months away.

More coffee.....Bear Down....