Lute in good company

Lute Olson was joined by good friends Bobby Knight and Coach K in the "One and Done" club. The three coaching legends were booted from the NCAA tournament just as the fun was starting.

Wait 'til next year

With yesterday's drubbing by Purdue, Arizona Basketball v.2006-07 is over. Finally. Not the way Ivan or Shakur pictured it, I'm sure, when they started their careers here. Here are a few reasons we had the season we did:

• Shakur was not the kind of player we all thought he was. The freshman "Golden Child" turned into another false point guard.
• We thought were tough. We weren't.
• Not enough depth. Either the bench didn't develop for the entire season or the talent just isn't there.
• And what about Lute? You know the talk is going to be "he's too old...he's lost it...his age hurts us in recruiting.." The guy only needs 19 more wins to reach 800 career victories, so let's make sure he gets them here.
• We struggled without JMac and got too little too late.
• No passion. The team just didn't seem to care about the game, at least not as much as all those of us cheering them on.
  
• Bad Karma. When Williams declared Zona as the "Standard in the Pac10 against which all others are judged" it spelled the beginning of the end of the season. It figures it would happen in the city of Voodoo.

So another basketball season wraps up and we can start thinking Wildcat Football again! Life is always good in Wildcat Country.

Here's the first sign that the end is near - Don King to meet with the Pope.

Agent Zero Update

Wilma found this great video about Gilbert and his drive to excel. And what a cute baby picture....
Oh - check out Hibachi's NBA Best Blog. Or this one even.

Tourney Time!

It's getting down to crunch time in the bracket challenge, and I can't wait to see who the other players are picking to take it all. How many of us picked the Cats to get past Purdue?

• Need help with your picks? - here are the brackets of some SI sportswriters to give you some ideas. Here's another set. I wonder if Bob Barker is going to play again this year?
• Dillon blows - more than 0.08, that is. Looks like we'll be going into the tourney short one defensive stopper. Like our offense needs any more pressure, right?
• Inconsistency is AZ's consistency - that pretty much sums it up. I know we can put two games together, though. And so does this guy.
  
• Tips for an office pool - and all perfectly legal.
• Whoo Purdue - here's Lute's take on the Boilermakers.
• Bobby Wade update - here's what the former UA receiver is doing these days. Vacation in Barbados? Nice.
• Iggy is 76er's new AI - and he's starting to come into his own these days.
  

So Niagara played itself in to the tourney tonight - welcome aboard, Purple Eagles.

Is it Thursday yet?

The Man Behind the Madness

We've all heard of the Sagarin Rankings, so here's the story of the man behind it all.

Utt Bugly

That's about the only way to describe yesterday's PAC10 tourney game against Oregon.  Since I was working, I had Brian Jeffries on the radio, telling me for a couple of hours how much the Cats sucked in LA.  I don't know if the new uniforms went to their heads (or cut off the circulation), but if we see a repeat performance next week in the Big Dance we'll be back in the "one and done" circle of friends.  No heart, no brains - Lute's got to figure out a way to get these kids back on track, pronto.  And, no - I don't care that UCLA and Duke both lost yesterday, too.  We're talking about the Cats here.

• Miles Simon - Q&A with the Wildcat Asst. Coach
• Daniel Schlereth - UA's closer on the mound leads Batcats to Hawaii.  How come I didn't see this road trip coming??
• What's Your Seed? - this writer puts AZ as the #6 seed in the San Antonio Regional.  Is he dreaming?  I say no higher than an 8 seed.
• Nic Costa sighting - former Cat QB signs with the Toronto Argonauts.  Last seen scrambling to the border.

Go Cats!

Get Your Brackets Here

It's easy to get in on the Family Pool Bracket Challenge. Go to this link:
http://catscratchfever.mayhem.sportsline.com/e
You'll need the group password, which is - what else- wilbur

Create a profile if you're a new player (or can't remember last year's login) then wait for the pairings to be announced. Don't forget - $10 a bracket.

And remember - it pays to be bad. Your money refunded if you come in dead last.

Who are these guys?

Five straight road wins (total margin - 22 pts), a season-ending sweep of the Bay, and the PAC10 tourney dead ahead. Are these Cats actually thriving on the mostly self-inflicted challenges they face daily? It's been crazy being a fan, too. Poor Wilma - I haven't heard her say "Gosh Darn!" this much in a loooong time.