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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“Help yourself to an early lead.”
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been an all-too-familiar scene for the Arizona Wildcats this season. The opposing team jumps out to an early lead and their bench celebrates. Sean Miller calls time out and the Cats slink over for a stern talking-to.

Why does this keep happening? How can the UA fix it? The numbers may show us the answer.

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Josiah Turner’s chances are fading away.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Sean Miller has done everything big in his first two-plus years with the Arizona Wildcats. Big wins. A big star in Derrick Williams. Big-time recruiting classes.

Now he’s finding those big-time recruits can bring big-time headaches.

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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.

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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.

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