Nick Johnson had a real good time against Arizona State.
Photo by Casey Sapio -USA TODAY Sports

Senior Day went about as well as possible for the Arizona Wildcats basketball team. The Cats had a 15-point halftime lead, built it up to as much as 23, emptied the bench and let the departing players enjoy one last ovation in front of the McKale Center crowd.

The Wildcats had an extra hop in their collective step and found a long-lost gear in their transition game. It all added up to Arizona having fun again, which is just what was needed with tournament play about to begin.

The Wildcats had all the energy stats in their favor. The UA out-rebounded the Sun Devils by 12 including a 13-3 edge on the offensive glass. Arizona had twice as many steals as ASU and turned them into 12 fast break points compared to just a single bucket by the team in black.

Those fast break points were a rare treat. In the dozen games prior to Saturday the Wildcats had only hit double figures on the break once and, not surprisingly, it was in the 18-point home win against Washington.

That’s fun. Watching players getting out and running, converting in transition and throwing down dunks is fun.

(By the way, that Nick Johnson photo up above? A bigger version is available here. Right-click + Save image + Right-click + Save as desktop background = Digital poster.)

It hasn’t been the most entertaining brand of basketball over the past month. Low shooting percentages and minimal assist numbers produce unattractive results. Winning outweighs any style points, of course, but there wasn’t a lot of that either in the seven games leading up to this one.

We continue to watch because we’re students, alumni and fans and we care about these guys, even through the losses and uncomfortable wins. It’s like a parent going to a music recital for a typical child. You’re there because you love your kid and you want to support him, not because you’re expecting to hear great music.

You know it’s going well when your seniors end the game smiling on the bench.
Photo by Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday afternoon we were afraid we might be hearing around rendition of “Chopsticks” but instead the Cats surprised us with a bit of Beethoven’s Fifth.

After the low of getting swept in L.A. it was great to see the players looking like they were enjoying themselves out there. This team is usually described with terms like “gritty” and “grind-it-out.” Those are admirable traits on the construction site or in truck commercials but they’re not very thrilling on a basketball court. Even when the Cats were in the top five you heard, “This team is going to kill me!” almost as often as “Bear Down.”

I’m not saying the Wildcats should start gambling in the passing lanes and leaking out instead of rebounding to run at all costs. Sean Miller still believes in No Easy Buckets and Nastiness Is Required. Whatever motto he comes up with for this postseason run, I can guarantee it’s going to smell more like steel-toed work boots than wing tips.

That’s why I didn’t mind Arizona’s woofing or the technical fouls against ASU. This group needs a fire in its core so it can play with an edge.

But there’s also room for fun. The simple joy of playing basketball against elite competition.

You know what else is fun? Sweeping your in-state rival by a combined 32 points. Seniors Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom will be finishing their careers with a 6-2 record against Arizona State. That’s not quite Lute Olson’s final two senior classes (and many before that) going undefeated against the Devils but considering last year’s UA seniors finished with a losing record (4-5) against ASU it’s a step in the right direction.

The UA ended a disappointing conference season on a very high note. One win doesn’t exactly qualify as riding a wave of momentum into the postseason but the Cats are at least back up on the board.

Now the goal is to make the fun last as long as possible.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is geared up for tournament fun. Find the fire in your core on Twitter and Facebook.

There will be lots of this at McKale on Saturday.
Photo by Chris Morrison-USA TODAY Sports

The final week of the regular season is here and UCLA, Oregon and Cal all have a shot at the Pac-12 championship. One is the favorite, one needs a tough road win and one needs some help.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats are playing for rivalry pride, tournament seeding and their seniors.

The TWit-Pac TV schedule helps you find the game(s) that will crown this conference’s champion(s) (all times Arizona/Mountain):

I hope you weren’t planning on watching any Pac-12 games on Sunday. So who’s going to win this thing?

Wed. Mar. 6

UCLA (22-7 / 12-4) at WSU (11-18 / 2-14)
After all the off-court drama, on-court struggles and Bill Walton insults, here are the Bruins just two wins away from Ben Howland’s fourth Pac-12 championship.

Stanford (17-13 / 8-9) at Cal (20-9 / 12-5)
Stanford actually beat the Bears by double digits the first time these two teams played but that was during Cal’s lose-one-win-one phase. This current win-two-lose-one-win-seven phase is much more impressive.

USC (14-15 / 9-7) at Washington (16-13 / 8-8)
Don’t look now but the Trojans can still earn a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament. And if they do it they might even have a winning record.

Thu. Mar. 7

Oregon (23-6 / 12-4) at Colorado (19-9 / 9-7)
Oregon’s schedule edge is over. The Buffaloes are 11-2 at home and beat the Ducks in Eugene.

OSU (13-16 / 3-13) at Utah (11-17 / 3-13)
I’m sticking to my theory that Oregon State’s new logo is a tribute to Inuit women since it looks like an ulu.

Sat. Mar. 9

UCLA at Washington
The Huskies have quietly won three of four. Then again, wins against the three States aren’t usually very loud.

Oregon at Utah
Is it too late to move this game so it doesn’t overlap with UCLA’s finale? Better yet, let’s switch and play the Oregon/Colorado game on Saturday for extra intrigue.

ASU (20-10 / 9-8) at ARIZONA (23-6 / 11-6)
If you thought Arizona had a frustrating trip to L.A., Arizona State lost to UCLA in overtime and fell to USC by one. A better showing than the Wildcats but just as big a bagel in the win column.

OSU at Colorado
What a difference a year makes: Last season’s champion Washington didn’t get invited to the NCAA tournament but this year’s fifth-place Buffs look like they’ll get in with room to spare.

USC at WSU
USC’s scoring output its last five games: 65, 68, 59, 89, 57. One of these things is not like the other. (Apply palm to forehead.)

* * *

I think UCLA is going to do it. Larry Drew II dominated on his Senior Night, Shabazz Muhammad got it done on his Freshman with One Foot Out the Door Night and Kyle Anderson has a really strange beard. I say the Bruins take care of business in Washington, Oregon loses in Colorado, UCLA wins the outright title, Howland is vindicated and Walton tells another story about the Grateful Dead.

Oregon would then slide to the 3-seed in the Pac-12 tournament if Cal beats Stanford because the Bears swept the Ducks.

The 4-seed is the best the Cats can do and they really want to stay there and get the bye into Thursday. The simplest way to do that is beat ASU.

One-game season. Forget what happened before this. Ignore what’s coming next. Feed off the Senior Day crowd and get off to a good start. Play from in front.

Mark Lyons has been the eye of the storm this week but he has fond memories of playing the Sun Devils. The senior had 24 points, three assists, three rebounds and three steals as the UA pulled away from foul-plagued ASU in January.

Kevin Parrom and Solomon Hill have spent four very interesting years in Tucson. Both committed to other schools before coaching changes led them to the desert. The pair has only played in one NCAA tournament to date but it was the thrilling 2011 run that ended a hair from the Final Four.

Saturday is one last chance for the home fans to say goodbye to the last remaining members of Sean Miller’s first Arizona recruiting class.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell has some hugs if anyone needs them. Hold up your framed jersey on Twitter and Facebook.

The Wildcats have been doing a lot of this lately.
Photo by Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012 portion of the 2012-13 college basketball season is complete and the Arizona Wildcats have done nothing but win.

They may soon have to replace the McKale Center roof because it’s time to raise this team’s ceiling.

Three weeks ago I said this looked like a “year away” team. The view has changed. It’s not just the 12-0 start; it’s how the Cats are winning. Or, more specifically, it’s with whom the Cats are winning.

The seniors are the ones leading and the freshmen are following. Imagine that. It’s a simple concept that has become rare with today’s sprint-to-the-NBA mentality. It’s an old-school roster mix that doesn’t come along very often at this level and you don’t want to let it go to waste.

Forget next year. The time to make a run at a high seed in the tournament is right now.

Before the season started the excitement was all about the young guys. With last year’s team missing the Big Dance the thinking was the new players would be the ones to get Arizona back to elite status. One of the new guys has in fact taken a lead role through the first dozen games but it’s not one of the youngsters.

Senior transfer Mark Lyons has already established himself as the UA’s go-to guy at the end of games, scoring the game-winning points against both Florida and San Diego State. Add in the superior play of fellow four-year players Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom, plus sophomore Nick Johnson drastically raising his game, and the Wildcats’ best players so far this year are the ones who started games last year.

This is not to say the young big men are failing in any way. Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and Grant Jerrett have certainly contributed to Arizona’s perfect start but they are playing complimentary roles.

(It’s possible now that next year’s team ends up being a year away from a peak season due to only having one key returning upperclassman. So the year away team may be a year away.)

How high a seed can this team get? Well, whattaya got? It’s been eight years since Arizona was seeded higher than 5 in the NCAA tournament and a full decade since the UA was a No. 1 seed. To refresh our memories on what the big dogs look like, here’s a breakdown of the last few seasons:

NCAA Tournament No. 1 Seeds, Last 4 Years

The last three seasons tell us if you don’t win your conference’s regular season championship you’d better win your conference tournament. In 2009 UConn was in the top five all year and No. 1 most of February. Then Pitt beat the Huskies twice and Louisville ended up as the Big East champ so the committee gave all three of them top seeds.

The 2013 Arizona team is going to have to post a really big win total to make up for its weak strength of schedule. (Notice how badly the UA’s SOS stands out compared to the other teams currently in the RPI top 10.) Winning the Pac-12 regular season title is a must. Taking the Pac tournament in Vegas would also be advised. And it would certainly help if Florida went on to a huge season, like SEC-champs big.

One thing that may work in Arizona’s favor is if you look at the last four years you’ll notice there isn’t a single No. 1 seed from a school west of Kansas. Fourteen of the last 16 top-seeded teams came from the Eastern Time Zone. Because of this drought a legitimate 1-seed candidate from a western school could be given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the top slot in the West Region.

At this point I would say the favorites to the claim the No. 1 seeds this season are Duke, Michigan, Kansas and Louisville. If Arizona isn’t able to win enough to make up for the strength of schedule gap here’s what last year’s 2-seeds looked like:

2012 NCAA Tournament No. 2 Seeds

That certainly looks doable after a 12-0 start.

But doable and doing are two different things. The Wildcats are about to start Pac-12 play and any college fan knows that conference games are a whole different breed, especially when you go into someone else’s gym wearing the league’s biggest target.

There will be plenty of close games and the nine players in Arizona’s rotation will have to continue to define their roles, accept those roles and pick each other up when injuries, foul trouble or off nights occur.

Opportunity is here. The undefeated conference slate gives this team a chance at a huge regular season which provides the best chance to do something special in March.

The “someday” Arizona hoops fans have been waiting for since the end of the Lute Olson era may finally be here.

It sure beats bubble talk, doesn’t it?

- – - – -

Scott Terrell prefers his scoreboard watching to be at the top of the rankings. Look up on Twitter and Facebook.

It's not fun when the new guy fights back.
Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

With the loss to the Colorado Buffaloes the Arizona football season has become a teen movie. It starts with making fun of the new kids (and guys with names like “Beaver”) but it ends with the new guys getting the last laugh. And it’s not as interesting if there’s not a streaker involved.

The reality is with two more losses the 2011 Wildcats make the short list of the worst teams in school history.

Here are the contenders:

If they met on the field? This year’s team would be favored against the 2003 squad. The other two teams would also be in trouble, but only because they didn’t have facemasks.

The ‘11 Cats need an upset to avoid joining the equally-short list of UA teams that have finished in last place (WAC and Pac-10 only; the Border Conference must not have its website up yet):

Historically, landing in the cellar has had immediate consequences at Arizona. Jim LaRue was fired after the ’65 season. Mike Stoops was obviously fired this year. John Mackovic was allowed to return after 2002 and, sure enough, his ’03 team finished last again.

A sports philosopher might ask: Was Stoops fired because he had the worst team in the Pac-12 or is this the worst team in the Pac-12 because Stoops was fired?

If the chicken is dead and the egg is rotten does it really matter which came first?

Silver lining: Only two weeks left until coach-shopping season.

Bonus silver: At least it’s not the Pac-13.

* * *

The return of Kevin Parrom is the kind of college sports story we need during this era of major scandals. It’s a story of life intersecting basketball and providing an example we can relate to.

No, the vast majority of us weren’t shot during college, but you can’t go through life without losing someone you love. We all have obstacles to overcome and when you see a young man respond to his personal setbacks and get back to doing what he loves it’s a powerful reminder that, warts and all, sports are an important part of the college experience.

Kevin Parrom and Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Parrom and Arizona head coach Sean Miller
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

- – - – -

Scott Terrell knows fans live the good and the bad. Experience it all on Twitter and Facebook.

Kevin Parrom isn’t dealing with your typical injury.
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The cliché Arizona Wildcats fan response during the second half (Second quarter? Second play?) of a bad football loss is to ask, “When does basketball season start?”

Losing an exhibition game to a Division II team takes the punch out of that one.

As the hoops regular season begins tonight it appears Arizona Basketball is headed for a transition year. Not like the football team transitioning from one coach to another but transitioning from a peak season while waiting for the next rapidly approaching peak.

It’s easy to forget Sean Miller is only in his third season at the UA. Last year’s run to the Pac-10 championship and Elite Eight (and coming this close to beating UConn and having a serious shot at winning the whole tournament) appeared to speed up the clock on the rebuilding project.

The temptation was there for Cat fans to think that a Lute-like run of dominance was underway. Don’t put on your Pac-12 bully hat just yet. (You will, however, want to remember where you put it.)

There’s no Derrick Williams on this year’s team. Based on the preseason games, it doesn’t look like there’s a Freshman Derrick Williams either, a guy who scored 25 points in his third college game and didn’t look back.

Don’t forget, the Wildcats’ second leading scorer from last year is gone too.

Remember the Duke game, when MoMo Jones had 16 points, six assists, no turnovers and you said to yourself, “Man, I can’t wait to give that guy’s scholarship to someone else”? Me neither.

In a perfect world Jones could have coexisted with freshman point guard Josiah Turner in a Jason Terry/Mike Bibby kind of way but it would have been a tough adjustment for MoMo after a full season as the starter and – multiple times – hero.

Another reason not to go crazy with expectations this year: Kyle Fogg took 39,000 shots over the summer. Kevin Parrom took two.

Parrom was Arizona’s fifth-leading scorer last year and, like Jones, he was an emotional leader and enforcer. The news is good on his recovery but this isn’t just a regular ol’ sports injury. He was shot. With bullets. The kind from a gun. The kid is a warrior for getting back to school and moving on after the ordeal (and his mom’s passing) but I’m not going to be mad at him if he takes a long time to get up to speed on the basketball stuff.

So that’s three key guys from last year’s 30-win team that won’t be playing against Valpo tonight. I am in no way saying this team can’t do some good things. I’m just saying Cat fans might have to wait a bit longer for the Lute-level accomplishments. And by a bit I mean 365 days.

Need to find your next superstar? Assembling the top recruiting class in the nation is a good way to do it.

Develop the young players this year, keep everyone around and add (theoretically) even better young players next year and, yeah, it looks like every dream is on the table in 2012-’13 and ’13-’14.

Enjoy the transition.

* * *

Arizona’s early-season basketball schedule (all times Arizona/Mountain):

* * *

No, I’m not ignoring the football game. I was there in the south end zone shivering with the rest of Wildcat Universe.

It’s interesting how we as fans think. We tend to believe that what we’re seeing from our team today is how every game will go the rest of the season. After the Oregon State game it looked like the Cats were on their way to a 1-11 or 2-10 record (and Mike Stoops paid the price). After the UCLA win and even the close Washington loss the worst case scenario seemed to be 5-7. Now the feelings are back to 2-10.

The Utah game was a regression back to the performances we saw at the beginning of the year: false starts, dropped passes, giving up sacks, stunning special teams inadequacy, early deficit, ray of hope, too little too late.

Only three weeks left until coach-shopping season.

* * *

Saturday was homecoming at the UA and it’s always great to see the old teams honored. The 75th anniversary team wasn’t mentioned (the 1936 Border Conference champions were the last Arizona team to win an outright title) but members of the 1961 Arizona football team were there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 8-1-1 season.

That Wildcat squad was the first in school history to finish ranked and across ’60 and ’61 they produced a school-record 11-game unbeaten streak. The final win in that streak took place on October 21, 1961 in Tucson and it was a battle against New Mexico for the Kit Carson Rifle. The Lobos led 21-14 in the 4th quarter but fumbled on the UA 4-yard line with 2:59 left in the game.

The “Comeback Cats” then lived up to their nickname with a 96-yard drive capped by “Jackrabbit” Joe Hernandez’s third touchdown of the game with 48 seconds remaining. Not wanting to settle for a tie, the UA went for two and converted on a pass from Eddie Wilson to “The General” Bobby Lee Thompson for a 22-21 victory.

(How did the UA go 11 games without a loss and still not win a conference championship? There was no conference to win. 1961 was the year after Arizona left the Border Conference and the year before the formation of the WAC. Only Arizona Football.)

* * *

There will be no bowl trip this winter and most likely no Final Four trip in the spring. The good news is you won’t have to dip into your college sports travel fund this year.

But don’t spend that money somewhere else. With the incoming crop of hoops recruits and the right football coaching hire you might need a bunch of cash next year.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is saving his pennies. Discuss interest rates on Twitter and Facebook.

No back-to-back this time.
Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

I’m a pretty optimistic guy.

I tend to expect positive things to happen. I think the next day will be a good day at work. I believe tomorrow I’ll handle things better with the kids. I keep renewing my Arizona football season tickets.

But even I wasn’t that optimistic.

The goal this year was simply making the NCAA tournament. You know, the kind of season USC had. Now the Arizona Wildcats have a Pac-10 championship, two Pac tourney wins and three March Madness wins! With two of them coming against half of the four statistically best teams in the country!

(Speaking of USC, if the coaching thing doesn’t work out for Kevin O’Neill he might want to try sports handicapping. Although he might have some competition from the Round Mound of Studio Analysts.)

Sean Miller isn’t just playing with house money; he took enough of the house’s money to buy a second house.

If the Texas game was gravy, and the Duke win is icing, what would beating UConn be? A digestif?

The turning point for Arizona on offense was with 18.5 minutes left in the 2nd half. Derrick Williams drove into the lane, three defenders collapsed on him and he kicked it out to Kyle Fogg who drained the 3. Duke got exactly what it wanted – Williams giving up the ball – but Derrick’s teammate showed it wasn’t going to be a one-man show any longer.

After that MoMo Jones forgot he’d only scored two total points in the last three halves and scored eight points in six minutes to help turn a Wildcat deficit into a double-digit lead.

But the daggers came with eight minutes left. First, Williams shook his man at the top of the key and hammered one home. Then, two possessions later, Jamelle Horne grabbed an offensive rebound and absolutely posterized the Duke poster boy. Kyle Singler didn’t score from that point on, Lute Olson got to smile on CBS, and the Blue Devils never got closer than 11.

The end of the game was surprising in its lack of drama. Duke was the anti-Illinois. No backcourt traps, no made 3s, no shrinking lead. Instead of leading a ferocious comeback, Singler was pulled early.

It helps to play in front of a friendly crowd, doesn’t it? Although, something to keep in mind, Arizona didn’t exactly have success playing Regional Finals in Anaheim in both 1998 and 2003.

But neither of those opponents was a true eastern team. You want every advantage you can get when facing the University of Connecticut. No team is hotter than the Huskies and no player is hotter than Kemba Walker.

It may come down to which team can get its star to the free throw line the most. In UConn’s amazing eight-game winning streak Walker has attempted at least nine foul shots seven times, and Derrick Williams is the free throwingest player of them all.

Does Williams have another superstar game in him? Can MoMo remain the scoring sidekick? Can Solomon Hill continue to do work in the paint? Will Fogg, Parrom, Horne and Mayes deliver the timely shots from beyond the arc?

Neither Arizona nor UConn was supposed to be here. But the bracket says one of them has to go to the Final Four.

The Final Four! It’s an incredible opportunity for a college basketball player. Sean Miller will have more chances like this, but these players might not. Jamelle Horne certainly won’t. Derrick Williams probably won’t. The three guys on the roster who are losing their scholarships next year won’t.

It’s greedy to ask an overachieving team to give you more. Very greedy.

But when you’ve already mastered nasty, what’s wrong with a little greed?

- – - – -

Scott Terrell has a need for greed. Make your demands on Twitter and Facebook.

You had to see it to believe what Derrick Williams did without seeing it.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

One-thousand-one…one-thousand-two…one-thousand-three…one-thousand-four…one-thousand–

That’s how quickly things can change in March.

One call, one hero, one (or two) no-calls, and one ticket to the Sweet 16 for the Arizona Wildcats.

How do you top a thrilling victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

You do it again.

How great is this tournament? The Cats were one play – Derrick Williams’ buzzer-beater-beater – from going home in the opening round. Now they have the geographical advantage against 1-seed Duke.

It was a game for the other guys. Williams missed 10 shots. MoMo Jones missed all of his. Kevin Parrom missed time with an injury. So Jordin Mayes and Brendon Lavender took a bunch of 3-pointers and didn’t miss at all.

This is why you give minutes to 10 guys all year. It’s why you develop Mayes and you don’t give up on Lavender. This is why you let Kyryl Natyazhko learn from his mistakes on the court.

The terminology of the expanded tournament has been confusing. Louisville lost in the First Round last year but made it to the Second Round this year even though the Cardinals still didn’t win any games. I nominate new names like the Sexy 64 and the Thunderous 32.

But there’s no debating the Sweet 16.

It was another going-away present for senior Jamelle Horne in a season that just won’t go away. Horne endured three coaches in four years (and not playing for the guy who recruited him) but he’ll leave with two trips into the tournament’s second weekend.

And he’ll get to play Duke.

I honestly didn’t even consider the possibility of the Cats playing Mike “Shushefskee” and the Blue Devils because I remember getting worked up for nothing in ‘04 and ‘09. There’s a whole lot to get worked up about now.

From the “If it ain’t broke” file, here’s how the end of the Texas game went down:

We pick things up with a minute and a half left in the game. The score is tied at 67.

1:24 – Solomon Hill is called for traveling. This is not the run-before-you-dribble kind. It was more of the jab-step-jab-step-drag-your-pivot-foot variety.

1:07 – J’Covan Brown hits a jumper in the lane. He scored Texas’ final 11 points. The Wildcats are very happy it wasn’t the final 13. 69-67, Longhorns.

0:27.0 – Hill spins into the lane but gets his shot blocked. Natyazhko ends up with the rebound and kicks it out to Williams for an open 3. No good. Kyryl taps the rebound again and Hill pulls it down. Solomon drives toward the hoop and one official calls a Texas foul while the other says Sean Miller called timeout. The timeout stands. Deep breath…exhale.

0:14.5 – The Cats run pick-and-roll with Kyle Fogg and Williams (foreshadowing). Williams dribbles behind his back and attempts to go 1-on-3. His right-handed shot ends up going to the left of the entire backboard. No call. Ballgame…one would think.

(Everything about the ill-fated Texas timeout has already been said but here are the details: It was called by Jordan Hamilton, the Longhorns’ leading scorer and a 78% free throw shooter. I have no idea either.)

Still 0:14.5 – The 5-Second Call. Or, if you’re a Texas fan, The 4-and-a-Half-Second Call. Watching the replay, Tex is right. It wasn’t a full five seconds. Somewhere Pitt fans are joining in the outrage.

And 1. Make that And 16.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

0:9.6 – Pick-and-roll with Fogg and Williams again. Texas doubles Fogg (don’t get beat by a 3) but Kyle threads a bounce pass to Williams. Hamilton tries to take a change from the side. Derrick falls forward after the contact, flips the ball over his head and it perfectly hits the square on the backboard and falls through the hoop. Wildcat Universe rejoices.

After a long delay to confirm the time remaining, Derrick Williams steps to the line and shoots, not like a boy who has missed 5-of-10 free throw attempts in the 2nd half, but like a man. Nay, more than a man; a legend.

0:00.0 – No call on the shot, no call on the rebound. MoMo is kissing the camera, Kyryl is flashing his longhorns, and Duke is waiting.

How do you top two thrilling victories in the NCAA tournament?

Go for three.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell has a world-famous Twitter page! See the photographic evidence on Facebook!

Not another inbounds play!!!
Photo by Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Did you miss the thrilling game between the Arizona Wildcats and Memphis Tigers?

Maybe you were stuck at work. Perhaps you were watching but you had your eyes covered. Maybe you blacked out.

Or maybe you had so much fun you want to experience it all again.

We’re here to help. Here’s what went down, how it went down, and why the UA is moving up to the next round.

We pick things up with five minutes left in the game. The score is tied at 65.

4:47 – Kevin Parrom fouls out trying to overplay a pass about 18 from the hoop. Having three perimeter players in foul trouble is a testament to Memphis’ quickness.

4:29 – Jesse Perry misses a 3-point attempt with 18 seconds left on the play clock. Perry did not score at all and proved that cool hair doesn’t guarantee personal success in the tournament.

4:06 – Memphis’ Will Barton travels by starting to run before dribbling. Not quite as bad as Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas Thursday night, but it was still obvious.

3:50 – After Kyle Fogg rushes a 3 (falling over to try and draw a foul) Jamelle Horne grabs a big offensive rebound and quickly passes to the best 3-point shooter in school history (not Steve Kerr; he was out of bounds), and Derrick Williams drains it. 68-65, Arizona.

3:30 – Williams fouls Will Coleman (No!) who misses the front end of a 1-and-1. Coleman gets his own rebound (No!), kicks it to Barton for an open 3 (No!) but the airball goes out of bounds. A whole lot of tension for nothing.

3:07 – Three Tigers converge on Williams who loses control of the ball and gets called for traveling. A bunch of non-dribbling at the end of this game.

2:51 – Tarik Black completes an and-1 post move to tie the game. On the TV broadcast Kerr implies that it’s the 4th foul on Williams but it’s actually on MoMo Jones. Thanks for the unnecessary stress, Steve. 68-68.

2:37 – Fogg attempts the exact same running-before-dribbing move that Memphis tried 90 seconds ago. It’s still illegal.

2:11 – More travelling. Is this game being sponsored by Expedia?

1:49 – The ball goes into Williams and all five Tigers collapse into the lane. That’s what happens when your team is 4-for-18 on 3s. Derrick is tied up but the possession arrow points to Arizona.

1:36 – Jordin Mayes and Jones don’t seem to realize the shot clock didn’t reset. MoMo shoots a 3 with two seconds left. It hits the front of the rim, bounces off the backboard and goes in. It’s like he forgets he’s a bad shooter at the end of games. 71-68, Cats.

1:27 – Chris Crawford misses an open 3 attempt badly. Horribly. I would make a bitter extra-point joke but this is a happy day.

0:53.1 – Jones drives with nowhere to go and throws a pass headed for the fifth row but Horne leaps as high as James Brooks (sorry) and saves the ball to Mayes who penetrates and gets fouled. Good news…until you remember Mayes is a 44% free throw shooter.

He makes them both. Wow. 73-68, UA.

0:38.8 – Will Barton bounces in a runner and Memphis calls timeout. 73-70.

That peppy “NAPA Know-How! NAPPA Know-How!” commercial tries to calm our nerves. It doesn’t work.

MoMo, the corner is not your friend.
Photo by Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

0:33.0 – Memphis presses and MoMo makes the same cut that didn’t work in the Washington game at McKale. He moves parallel to the baseline away from the passer so when he catches the pass he immediately gets trapped in the corner. Jones loses the ball and has to pull it off the ground like a fumble and is very fortunate to get a timeout called instead of a jump ball. To make matters worse this is Arizona’s final timeout.

The collective blood pressure in Tucson doubles.

0:26.8 – The Cats will run a better inbounds play after the timeout, right? Nope. Jones again catches the ball against the baseline and instantly gets trapped. Without any timeouts he has to lunge his way around it and heave the ball toward midcourt before another trap. No Wildcat is there but it hits Memphis’ D.J. Stephens who is trailing the play, and the ball goes out of bounds.

The Tucson Heart Hospital is put on red alert.

0:23.7 – Now at midcourt, the Cats try to get the ball in for a third time. The pass goes to Williams who immediately gets it to Horne who is cutting to the hoop. Horne is fouled and almost makes the layup. He calmly drains both free throws. A senior! 75-70, Arizona.

0:19.8 – Joe Jackson goes coast to coast in half a heartbeat and gets fouled. He makes both free throws. A freshman! 75-72.

Uh-oh. Another inbounds play.

0:12.8 – Both guards are covered so Solomon Hill throws it toward Horne near the top of the key. Horne doesn’t come back for the ball and it’s intercepted by Will Barton. Barton misses the 3 (the Tigers missed their final five 3-point attempts after starting 6-for-10) but Jackson lays in the putback. Josh Pastner calls his final timeout. 75-74, Wildcats.

0:07.4 – MoMo Jones goes the other direction this time and quickly dribbles up the sideline to avoided the trap. He reverses field and burns a couple more seconds before getting fouled. Jones steps to the line.

Good.

Good. 77-74, Cats.

0:05.0 – In an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Pac-10 tournament championship game Sean Miller has Jones foul as soon as the ball-handler gets across halfcourt.

Jackson makes the first free throw to cut it to two. He then executes a perfect intentionally-missed free throw by arcing the ball so it bounces high off the back of the rim. Nobody blocks out the shooter so Jackson is able to tip it and it goes right to Wesley Witherspoon.

0:02.0 – BLOCKED SHOT.

Was it a foul? You be the judge.

I don’t think either the bump by Horne on the rebound or the contact with the body by Williams was enough to warrant a game-changing whistle. But, admittedly, my computer screen does have a distinct red and blue hue.

0:00.4 – Horne misses two free throws for one last bit of drama but the fullcourt heave does not connect.

0:00.0 – Survive. And. Advance.

In the world of college sports there’s nothing like watching your basketball team win an NCAA tournament game. When you win a bowl game your season is still over. But in the madness of March each win gives you the right to play a bigger game against a better team.

And to do it in dramatic fashion? It leads to two days of fist-pumps and random high-fives.

A couple days ago I thought this team’s season would end if it ran into one of two things. Well, the Cats survived the cold 3-point shooting game. That leaves facing a team that can dominate inside.

A team like Texas.

Arizona is now the underdog. The UA will be in the road jerseys and will be playing in front of a very pro-Longhorn crowd on Sunday. It doesn’t look good.

But the Wildcats have earned the right to do something about it.

Now get to work on those inbounds plays.

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Scott Terrell has mastered typing while fist-pumping. Give a random high-five on Twitter and Facebook.

Watch your face!
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona basketball team was having a pleasant afternoon in Los Angeles, shooting a bunch of 3s, making a bunch of 3s, having a good time.

But you know what they say: It’s all fun and games until someone gets slapped in the face.

There are many ways to take a shot at someone in a basketball game. Swinging your elbows after a rebound. Flailing your forearms as you post up. There’s even the “on-ball” defense Eddie House once used against Gilbert Arenas.

But I’ve never before seen the open-handed pimp slap that Oregon State’s Joe Burton used against the UA’s Kevin Parrom. Kinda hard to get away with that one.

The slap and subsequent ejection were the talk after the game because, without it, there wasn’t a whole lot of drama in the 2nd half. OSU scored the first bucket after intermission to cut the lead to one but two minutes later the gap was 10 and the Wildcats kept the Beavers at arm’s length the rest of the way.

Not much to talk about until Burton kept Parrom’s face at arm’s length.

Did it have an effect on the game? Not really. Oregon State had gone scoreless for 2:20 before the technical; they went scoreless for 3:03 after the technical. The better, more-rested team looked better in the 2nd half…and more rested.

Of course, the game is so much easier when you make a bunch of 3s.

I’m going to offer that up as the best strategy against USC. The Cats aren’t suddenly going to get bigger on the inside. The UA guards aren’t going to transform into Kemba-esque step-back assassins. Work the ball around (with crisp passes, please), find the open 3-point shots, and knock them down.

Do that and it’ll be another pleasant day in Los Angeles.

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Scott Terrell believes in surviving and advancing. Move on with Twitter and Facebook.

UCLA is looking for a supersized week.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Do you find yourself putting more arc on your shots into the waste basket? Are you filling up your clothes hamper from long range?

It must be March.

The final weekend of the Pac-10 regular season is here. Who will give their NCAA tournament resume a boost? What will be the seeding at Staples Center? Who will win the conference championship? Will there be bi-winners?

TWIT-Pac loves this time of year!

The schedule and TV info:

Thu. Mar. 3
(all times Arizona/Mountain)

FSN = Fox Sports Net

Sat. Mar. 5

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Thu. Mar. 3

Oregon (14-14 / 7-9) at ASU (10-18 / 2-14)
Shouldn’t the Sun Devils be prohibited from using “March Madness” in their ticket promotions? Isn’t that false advertising?

OSU (10-17 / 5-11) at ARIZONA (23-6 / 12-4)
67-64, 63-55, 76-75. The last three Wildcat/Beaver games don’t make sense, but there they are.

UCLA (21-8 / 12-4) at Washington (19-9 / 10-6)
If you’re at McKale Thursday night don’t even look at your phone. All your fan energy needs to go into Arizona beating OSU.

USC (17-12 / 9-7) at WSU (18-10 / 8-8)
The Trojans have won four straight. The Cougars became the first team to win at Washington. That puts both squads on the bubble for getting on the bubble.

Sat. Mar. 5

Oregon at ARIZONA
Who doesn’t love the CBS college basketball theme song?

OSU at ASU
The long anticipated Battle for the Basement will not occur as ASU clinched last place last week. It’s the second 10th place finish in Herb Sendek’s half-decade at Arizona State. That’s one more than Rob Evans had and it’s equal to the total number of dead-last finishes in ASU’s first 28 years in the Pac-10.

UCLA at WSU
Will the Bruins’ title dreams be crushed before tipoff, or will this be the final Pac-10 championship game?

Stanford at Cal
Because it’s on the schedule.

USC at Washington
The Huskies’ first loss to WSU sent them into a tailspin that resulted in getting swept on the Oregon Trail. Will the second Wazzu loss start a stretch that sweeps them out of the Big Dance?

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Oregon is the better team on Arizona’s schedule this week. The Ducks have more wins and a better conference record while Oregon State has yet to win a Pac-10 road game. But Thursday’s UA/OSU matchup is the key to the championship.

The Wildcats need to get this first one out of the way to send the message (most importantly to themselves) that the L.A. trip is over, the team that started 12-2 in Pac-10 play is still here, and the 15-0 home record is legit.

The Cats need to get the Beaver off their backs.

It would be best to get a couple 3-pointers to fall early. Let the team relax and say, “We’re at home; it’s OK to be good again.” So Solomon Hill (43%) and Parrom/Mayes/Horne (all 42%) need to be ready when the defense collapses on Derrick Williams and the open shot is there.

They don’t let you play NCAA tournament games at home so winning a conference title in your own gym is as good as it gets.

Take full advantage, Wildcat Universe!

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Scott Terrell was born for March. March on over to Twitter and Facebook!