Friday, February 8, 2019
Much of the announced crowd of 13,732 vacated their seats before the final horn sounded, signaling a seven-point loss that typified much of the Wildcats' season to date.
The Wildcats (14-9, 5-5) trailed for most of the night, holding an advantage for roughly two minutes of game time, eventually falling to the Huskies, 67-60.
The defeat extends the team's recent winless streak to four games, marking the Wildcats' longest slide in a decade.
The two sides were neck-and-neck at the half, with the visiting Huskies (19-4, 10-0) holding a 29-28 lead through 20 minutes of action.
That was as close as the home side would get, as the Wildcats would struggle mightily from the field in the final 20 minutes, hitting 10 of 28 field goals (35.7 percent).
The lone Wildcats to finish the night in double figures were graduate transfer guard Justin Coleman and redshirt junior forward Chase Jeter, who finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Coleman, who transferred to Tucson from Georgia's Samford University, believes the Wildcats can find a positive in their recent woes.
"I'm glad we going through this adversity because it brings us closer as a team," Coleman said. "We have eight games left, we're going to try and make the best we can in these last eight games and play for each other."
The eight-game gauntlet that Coleman alluded to begins this Saturday, when Washington State comes to Tucson, fresh off a 91-70 win over ASU on Thursday night.
The Cougars (9-14, 2-8) and Wildcats tip off at McKale at 5:30 p.m. local time, with the Pac-12 Network carrying the contest.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , Washington Huskies , Pac-12 , Sean Miller , Justin Coleman , Chase Jeter , FBI , Mike Hopkins , McKale Center , Bill Walton , Mark Phelps , Image
Thursday, February 7, 2019
The University's statement read in part:
The University of Arizona has initiated the process to terminate Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Mark Phelps' employment with the University. During this process, Phelps has been placed on suspension with pay in accordance with University policy. This personnel action is not related to the federal criminal proceedings in New York or the NCAA's review of the facts underlying the allegations of unlawful conduct.Phelp's suspension comes days after ESPN reporter Mark Schlabach reported that Phelps is accused of altering former commit and current UCLA player Shareef O'Neal's academic transcript.
Arizona Director of Athletics Dave Heeke released a statement on Wednesday, calling Phelps' conduct unfit for his position within the program.
“The University of Arizona is committed to the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and our commitment to those principles is unwavering," Heeke said. "The decision to remove Coach Phelps immediately is a direct result of that commitment. We strive to compete within the rules of the NCAA and the PAC-12 Conference, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA. Coach Miller fully supports this decision, which we agree is in the best interests of our men’s basketball program and the University.”
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , Tucson , Mark Phelps , Sean Miller , Pac-12 , Dave Heeke , College Basketball , Tucson , ESPN , Image
Friday, February 1, 2019
The two break down their Pac-12 Most Outstanding Player picks and discuss who will win next week's games between Arizona and Washington and Washington State.
The dynamic duo then breaks down Sunday's Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.
Vondrak breaks down his go-to prop bets, his picks to click and more, with both picking their prospective MVP of the game.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , ASU Sun Devils , Super Bowl LIII , New England Patriots , Los Angeles Rams , Tom Brady , Sean McVay , Jaylen Nowell , Image
Thursday, January 31, 2019
The unanimous vote allows local contractor Lloyd Construction to put in the new system, which will be installed during the summer of 2019, in time for the Tucson Roadrunners' season.
The improvements are a main component of the $50 million renovation of the complex, which was announced in November.
The renovations include a $7.6 million set of improvements to the actual convention center, its exhibit halls and ballrooms.
TCC’s music hall is set to receive another $7.6 million renovation of its own, which would include remodeling the hall’s lobby and restrooms, while renovating its green room, patio and dressing rooms.
The final task for the hall would be a complete replacement of the 47-year-old complex’s roof, which would be included in the price tag.
A center point of the TCC is the $11 million upgrade of the historic Garrett Eckbo-designed fountain and its surrounding garden outside the facility, which will be overseen by longtime Tucson architect Helen Erickson.
Board Chairman Fletcher McCusker is pleased with the ice-making system approval, saying it'll be a definite boost for one of the facility's main tenants.
“Roadrunner hockey has been incredibly successful and the Coyotes are committed for the long term,” said Board Chairman Fletcher McCusker in a statement. “The ice upgrades will be consistent with an NHL floor."
Tags: Rio Nuevo , Tucson Convention Center , Tucson , Tucson Roadrunners , Arizona , American Hockey League , Image
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Longtime LA Times sportswriter Chris Dufresne was kind enough to sit down with Tucson Weekly's resident sportswriter, Christopher Boan on Wednesday.
The two covered a wide variety of subjects, including the state of USC's football team, the UCLA mens basketball coaching search, and what the state of the Pac-12 is at the moment.
Dufresne worked for the LA Times from 1981-2015, covering everything from the LA Rams to the Trojans and Bruins, while also serving as the Times' college football and basketball columnist.
Tags: All Bets Are On , Tucson Weekly , Chris Dufresne , LA Times , Los Angeles , USC Trojans , UCLA Bruins , Christopher Boan , Steve Alford , Chip Kelly , Dan Guerrero , Andy Enfield , Clay Helton , Lynn Swann , Image
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The Wildcats, who are coming off a 43-16 season in 2018, are one of five Pac-12 teams to make the list.
They're joined by UCLA (2), Washington (3), ASU (12) and Oregon (25) in the rankings, the second-most of any conference, behind the SEC.
Arizona kicks off its season at the USF Opening Weekend Invitational in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 8, playing Michigan, South Florida, Illinois State and North Carolina State during the event.
The team's home schedule begins on Friday, Feb. 14, when the Wildcats host New Mexico in the inaugural game at the renovated Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , NCAA softball , Tucson , Arizona , Image
Monday, January 28, 2019
The Arizona Wildcats were thumped on Saturday night by the Bruins of UCLA, thanks to a woeful shooting performance and a defensive malaise that allowed the home side to hit more than 50 percent of their shots.
The Wildcats were forced to play without Jeter once again against the Bruins, forcing Miller to play four guards against UCLA’s larger lineup.
That size disadvantage allowed the Bruins to finish the night with a resounding 47-30 edge on the glass, with freshman center Moses Brown pulling down 15 rebounds by himself.
The Bruins never relented offensively, taking a 38-25 lead into the half, before outscoring the Wildcats, 52-44 in the game’s final half of play.
An agitated Miller discussed his team’s two-game fate against the Los Angeles schools in the bowels of Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.
The longtime Arizona coach didn’t mince words when describing his team’s play of-late, calling the Wildcats’ play against the Trojans and Bruins an offensive disaster.
“We can't make a shot,” Miller said. “You know, at times we really moved the ball. Attacked the ball by getting the ball in the middle. Dribble penetrating, but you know at the end of the day someone's got to throw that thing in and we're really struggling in that area.”
The high point of Saturday’s trouncing was the 19-point performance put up by freshman guard Brandon Williams, who led all Wildcats scoring.
Miller praised the L.A. native for his offensive prowess against his hometown team, saying he played a quality game against USC on Thursday.
That solid outing gave Williams confidence going into the Bruins game, according to Miller, which allowed him to pace the team’s offense.
“Tonight, he played a similar floor game except he made some shots as well, but he's playing the best basketball of his career,” Miller said. “It’s great to see him come back here to L.A. and really, in my mind, string two very solid games in, especially offensively.”
The Wildcats (14-7, 5-3) travel to Tempe to play Arizona State at 7 p.m. on Thursday in their lone game of the week.
Both teams are coming off losses in their previous games, with the Sun Devils falling to USC, 69-67, on Saturday night.
Miller hopes to have Jeter back for Thursday’s game, saying the Wildcats’ offense is in need of the junior’s height and defensive prowess.
“We’re a much better team with Chase and I don't know the outcome of either game, but he gives us the size up front,” Miller said. “He also allows everybody to be in the role that they once were in.”
Tags: Arizona basketball , UCLA Bruins , Westwood , Los Angeles , Bill Walton , Kareem Abdul Jabbar , Pac-12 , Sean Miller , Image
Friday, January 25, 2019
Split the first game one and one but I was still feeling good about the Chiefs/Patriots game. That was until about five minutes in when the Patriots defense completely owned Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. Our -3 bet was looking bad but our under bet looked to be the right call and my feelings remained that way all the way into the 4th quarter. The under 55.5 was all but locked up. The game needed an additional 38 points in 15 minutes to go over, something that both teams had not been able to do the entirety of the other three quarters. And that was when all hell broke lose.
Scoring back and forth in the last 10 minutes and our number still seemed to look good. Then the impossible happened! Chiefs drive the field and go up by four with the total still going under. With only two minutes left to play we are on the right side of both bets. Any other quarterback beside Tom Brady would be in a tough spot. Unfortunately I bet against a cyborg of a man. Brady drives down scores the touchdown, points go over, Chiefs back in a losing spot, and we all know how the rest of the game panned out.
So two tough weekends has us at 48 dollars left in the bank and a record of 5-6-1 after a solid start. We’ve got over 500 prop bets predicted for this Super Bowl weekend and I’ll be doing a deep dive on my favorites next week. Still plenty of cash left to get us back on top before the season ends so stay tuned!
Tags: NFL , playoffs , Super Bowl , Picks of the Dragon , Tyler Vondrak , football , bets , gambling , picks , Image
It's been a rough week (and year) for fans of Arizona men's basketball, with last night's historic loss to the USC Trojans serving as the latest chapter of futility.
All Bets Are On host Christopher Boan discusses last night's follies, along with the state of Pac-12 men's basketball and whether the Los Angeles Rams can upset the mighty New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII on this week's episode.
Check back next Friday for the fourth installment of the show, when Boan and regular co-host Tyler Vondrak will break down the latest sports and gambling information.
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , USC Trojans , All Bets Are On , Tucson Weekly , Christopher Boan , Sean Miller , Chase Jeter , Pac-12 , UCLA Bruins , Steve Alford , Image
The Arizona Wildcats suffered their worst loss against the Southern California Trojans in 46 years on Thursday.
The Wildcats (14-6, 5-2) were routed by the Trojans from the get-go, trailing wire-to-wire before falling, 80-57, to the home side.
The tide of the evening was set a few minutes after tip, with the Trojans hitting four of 10 from behind the arc, while the Wildcats hit 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from deep.
The team's 23-point loss on Thursday was the largest suffered against the Trojans since Dec. 1, 1973, when Arizona lost to USC, 100-74.
An exasperated Sean Miller picked up a technical foul in the game's first half, arguing a personal foul call.
The longtime Arizona coach could barely speak above a whisper in his post-game comments, chalking up the team's loss to a variety of factors.
The key factor that Miller and sophomore forward Ira Lee mentioned was the loss of junior forward Chase Jeter.
Jeter, who is second on the team in scoring (12.6) and first in rebounding (7.2), missed Thursday's game with a back injury he suffered during last Saturday's 82-71 win over Oregon State.
Lee, who scored 12 points for the Wildcats on Thursday, said losing Jeter was a definite blow to the team's chances.
"It was definitely tough. He's our captain. He's our only true center," Lee said. "So, it was a tough deal but I feel like we battled tonight, but we made a lot of mistakes."
Miller said his squad doesn't have the depth or size to contend with teams like USC, which was led offensively by junior forward Nick Rakocevic, who scored a team-high 27 points in the Trojans's victory.
“The team we have right now without him, we have to make shots, a lot of 3s, jump shots, and we weren’t able to do that. We had one of those miserable nights shooting. Seven turnovers was great, but we weren’t able to finish at the rim, 2-on-1s, drives.”
The Wildcats' lack of size resulted in the team being out-rebounded, 51-38 by the Trojans, resulting in a one-sided affair.
The Wildcats will look to rebound on Saturday night, when they'll journey up the PCH to face the UCLA Bruins.
Saturday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. in California, 8 p.m. Tucson time, with the Bruins coming off an 84-73 loss to ASU on Thursday night.
Miller is ready to put Thursday's trouncing in the proverbial rear-view mirror, saying he's going to move on from the loss as soon as possible, with little to gain from dissecting their defeat.
“I don’t think we can take anything” away from it, Miller said. “I mean, we got killed.”
Tags: Arizona Wildcats , USC Trojans , Pac-12 , Men's Basketball , Los Angeles , Tucson , Sean Miller , Ira Lee , Bennie Boatwright , Andy Enfield , Image
