Can the football rivalry gap end up like the basketball gap?
Photo by Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic

The Arizona Wildcats beat Arizona State handily on Saturday giving Sean Miller his fourth win in five games against the Sun Devils.

Add in the UA football team winning three of the last four Territorial Cup games and Cat fans are swimming in bragging rights.

When was the last time the head-to-head in-state rivalry was this lopsided in the two highest profile sports?

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It's all about the trophies.
Photo by Robert Deutsch/USA Today Staff

It’s been a quiet summer for college sports.

Well, there have been scandals and rumors of scandals but after last year’s tectonic shifts this summer has been downright placid.

Unless someone wants to start whispers of Alabama and Auburn to the Pac-12 we have time out west for more reflection. Arizona‘s place in Pac-10 basketball history has been established. Where do the Wildcats fit in on a national level?

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Sean Elliott will have something to say about this.
Photo by Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic

One school boasts John Wooden. The other school boasts the guy who broke Wooden’s conference wins record.

In the summer of 1978 UCLA was three years removed from Wooden’s retirement. Arizona was the new kid on the block and five years away from hiring Lute Olson.

What followed were 33 years of the biggest and best basketball rivalry in the west. But which program was the best in the Pac-10?

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Lute Olson was used to stomping on the rest of the Pac-10.
Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

The official birth of the Pac-12 is Friday, ending the conference’s 33-year run as a 10-team league.

If you’re a fan of the Arizona Wildcats and averted your eyes during the look back at Pac-10 football, it’s safe to come out now.

Here’s how the schools stack up in terms of won-loss record, NCAA tournament appearances, Final Fours and championships after 33 years of Pac-10 basketball.

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Do you still feel the love?
(Tucson Citizen photo)

Saturday began with Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats’ head basketball coach. Saturday ended with the same guy in the same position.

All is well in the Wildcat Universe.

At least until next time.

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