The Arizona Wildcats and Utah Utes engaged in an instant classic at McKale Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats (11-4, 2-0), traded blows with the visiting Utes for much of the day, with the two sides all squared at 72 after 40 minutes of regulation.

The Utes (7-7, 1-1), matched Arizona shot-for-shot for most of the day, thanks to a strong showing by senior guard Sedrick Barefield, who scored a game-high 26 points.

The visiting side's luck faded once Barefield fouled out late in the game's second half, allowing the Wildcats to escape with a sweep of the Rocky Mountain schools (Colorado and Utah) during the first week of conference play.

Coach Sean Miller praised his player's effort in a back-and-forth affair, calling the contest one of the most riveting spectacles he's seen in his decade in Tucson.

"I really think from the opening tip throughout the game, it was certainly a great college basketball game," Miller said.

Miller attributed much of his side's success down the stretch to Barefield's early departure, saying the tide of the day swung when he left the court for the final time.

"Fouling him out really changed the game down the stretch," Miller said. "And then in overtime playing without him is a different task versus playing with him."

The Wildcats' offense was sparked by junior forward Chase Jeter, who scored 21 points and pulled own a game-high 13 rebounds, wracking up his fourth double-double of the year.

Sophomore guard Brandon Randolph also scored 21 points in the win, joining freshman Brandon Williams and junior Dylan Smith in double figures for Arizona.

Jeter, who transferred to Arizona from Duke University in 2017, gushed about the packed house inside McKale Center on Saturday, calling it a one-of-a-kind gameday atmosphere.

"Those are the type of games that we all sign up for when we come to Arizona, so to be able to have that toughness and the will and fight from everybody," Jeter said. "To close that game out in overtime was big for us, so I think that's the best thing that any player could ask for, on this squad especially."

The Wildcats head to the Bay Area this week, with road games against Stanford and California on Wednesday and Saturday.

Miller acknowledged the challenges that are sure to await his team in the weeks to come as conference play continues.

He also made sure to savor the heroics his team showed, in holding off a hard-charging Utes squad on Saturday afternoon, giving a glimpse of what his squad is capable of.

"Different players really stepped up and its certainly one of the best victories we've had here in McKale during my time just because of how hard the game is and how easily it could have gone towards Utah," Miller said. "I think Utah will be a load in the month of January and February."

Editor's note: We gave sales rep Tyler Vondrak a hypothetical $100 to wager on this weekend's NFL games. We'll check back in on Monday to see whether his beautiful baby can afford a new pair of shoes.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Line: Texans -1
Pick: Colts + 1
Bet: $40 to win $38.10

Love the Colts in this game. The Texans' one-dimensional offense is going to lead to a first-round exit. Without a running game outside of Watson scrambling, the Colts will be able to focus on limiting the damage Watson’s favorite weapon will be able to do. From there, Andrew Luck, with plenty of time behind that offensive line, should be able to tear apart the Texans' secondary. Could this be the year the Colts finally get there revenge on the Pats? Quite possibly.

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Line: Cowboys -2
Pick: Seahawks +2
Bet: $20 to win $18.18

This game could really go either way. Both teams have a bit of Jekyll and Hyde in them. At the end of the day, I’ll take the postseason experience of Wilson and Carroll over Prescott and Garrett, even if I don’t love it. Seahawks win straight up but I’ll take the 2-point insurance as well.

It was the best of times, followed by the worst of times for the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (10-4, 1-0), used an explosive first half and suffocating defense to thwart the Colorado Buffaloes in the team's Pac-12 opener, 64-56.

Freshman guard Brandon Williams led all scorers from the home side with 14 points, dishing out 6 assists in 33 minutes of action.

His passing helped the Wildcats jump out to a 39-25 lead at the half, scoring 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the opening 20 minutes, with three assists to his name.

The biggest jolt the 'Cats received came from freshman Devonaire Doutrive, who scored a season-high 8 points, on 3-of-5 shooting.

Coach Sean Miller praised the freshman for his energy, helping the Wildcats overcome a dismal second half performance to beat the Buffaloes.

"As we watched him grow and practice really from the onset, I thought there could be a period of time where he could become important to our team because his style is so much different than everybody else," Miller said. "He's an offensive rebounder, he's a tremendous athlete, he had a couple turnovers which is expected playing that many minutes as a young player when you haven't earlier."

Miller's squad was forced to start four guards, in Williams, Brandon Randolph, Dylan Smith and Emmanuel Akot, after guard Justin Coleman dislocated his shoulder in practice on Monday.

The two Brandons did their part to pulse the offense, with Randolph adding 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Miller had a measured view of his team's performance on Thursday, praising the team's first 20 minutes, while deeming the squad's 25-point, 9-for-27 offensive output in the latter half a disappointment.

"It's hard to feel great about everything just because the last 16 minutes we did not play well," Miller said, "and some of that had to do with Colorado certainly but I'm glad that we played as well as we did in the first half to give us the lead."

For Williams, Arizona's ability to overcome its self-inflicted issues in the second half bodes well for their conference championship aspirations in the Pac-12.

The freshman, alluding to Arizona State's second half collapse in their 10-point home loss to Utah on Thursday, said he's confident the road to the title still runs through Tucson.

"It's up for grabs. I think everybody sees that," Williams said. "I'm not going to name teams, but we've got to be ready every game. "

That championship quest continues at noon on Saturday, when Utah visits McKale. The team's game will be carried on the Pac-12 Network.

Miller expects a 40-minute battle from the Utes, who enter with a 7-6 record, but with the gust of confidence that comes from beating a conference title contender on the road.

"Well anytime a team wins the road game previous to the game that you played in they feel good, they're confident," Miller said. "For us, we don't have a large margin for error, we have to play well, we have to play hard and we have to be healthy." 

The Arizona Cardinals will be in the market for a new head coach, after firing Steve Wilks on Monday.

Wilks, who was hired by the Phoenix-based franchise in January, coached the Cardinals to a 3-13 record in his lone season in the Desert.

That record was the worst for the franchise in 18 years, thanks to a combination of sloppy quarterback play and a woeful defense that surrendered 26.6 points per game this season.

Wilks came to the Cardinals after serving in several assistant defensive coaching positions with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, including a year as the team's defensive coordinator in 2017.

Wilks was hired to replace outgoing coach Bruce Arians in the offseason after Arians retired due to health complications.

His offense struggled mightily all year, finishing dead-last in the 32-team league in points per game (14.1), while ranking near the bottom in passing (157.7) and rushing yards per game (83.9) as well. 

The tone of Wednesday's clash between the Arizona Wildcats and visiting Montana Grizzlies was decided on a thunderous dunk by Arizona forward Chase Jeter.

Jeter, who finished the night with a game-high 21 points, caught the skyward pass by teammate Brandon Randolph, before throwing it down, to the delight of the 14,000 or so in attendance.

The exploits of Jeter and Randolph were enough to carry the Wildcats (8-4) to victory, 61-42, snapping the Wildcats' two-game losing streak, one home and one away.

It was a night of stifling defense and sloppy ball-handling, with each team committing 16 turnovers and the Grizzlies shooting a meager 26.9 percent from the field.

It was a result that longtime Arizona coach Sean Miller appreciated, calling his team's defensive effort one of the best he's seen all year.

"The one thing you try to have a gauge on is how hard your guys play," Miller said. "Our guys gave it everything they have tonight. Montana didn't have a bad night. They are a very good basketball team, but we worked really hard defensively and made it tough."

Miller admitted that he wasn't sure how his team would respond to the team's 58-49 loss to the Bears last Saturday, a defeat that snapped the team's 51-game non-conference home winning streak.

"Coming off the Baylor game you don't really know what to expect. We were connected and a lot of guys did a great job," Miller said.

The Wildcats really only needed Jeter and Randolph on Wednesday, with the two combining to score 35 of the team's 61 points, with no other Wildcats scoring in double digits.

Jeter believes the team has turned a corner on both sides of the ball from their losses to Alabama on the road and the Bears at McKale.

The Duke University transfer is hopeful that their victory against a quality Grizzlies squad can jumpstart the rest of their season, ahead of their final non-conference game, against the University of California-Davis at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22.

"The main thing was to just keep positive and not let two losses define the rest of our season," Jeter said. "I think Montana was a good team and it was a big win for us tonight."

Marana High School senior Jordan Morgan put pen to paper Wednesday morning, joining the 2019 recruiting class for the University of Arizona.

The 6'5 offensive lineman, who had offers from the University of Southern California, Arizona State and Northern Arizona University, joins coach Kevin Sumlin's first full recruiting class.

The Southern Arizona native described his choice of the Wildcats as second-nature, given his love for the area.

"I'm a homebody and I have everything I need to succeed right here in Arizona," Morgan said during his announcement.

Joe Gilbert, who will coach Morgan and the Wildcats other offensive linemen in Tucson, vouched for the senior's athleticism and speed in his assessment, posted to the University of Arizona football team's Twitter page.

"Long athletic offensive tackle with great change of direction and bend. Has the quickness and athletic ability to play left tackle and has good power in the run game," Gilbert said of Morgan.

The Wildcats' 2019 early signings are being released in live time on their Twitter page (@ArizonaFBall), as Wednesday is the start of the Early Signing Window, which runs through Friday.

National Signing Day for Division I football is Wednesday, Feb. 6, when the rest of Arizona and the other 130 teams in the sport's highest division will finalize their incoming recruiting classes. 

It was a night of fits, starts, and missed opportunities for the Tucson Roadrunners last Wednesday evening.

The Roadrunners (15-6-2), struggled to crack the swarming defense posed by the visiting Colorado Eagles, resulting in a 2-0 loss on home ice.

The two sides slogged through the opening period, with neither team able to crack the scoreboard, before the Eagles struck first with just under eight minutes left in the second period.

The opening goal, scored by Colorado forward Logan O’Connor, was all the Eagles needed, with Colorado goalie Spencer Martin turning away each of the Roadrunners’ 22 shots.

The home side struggled to find much offensive consistency, thanks, at least in part, to the seven penalties they committed.

First-year coach Jay Varady summed up the home side’s frustration, calling the Roadrunners’ loss a head-scratcher for all involved.

“I didn't really like how we played,” Varady said. “I thought we were undisciplined. We were in the box too much, and then chasing the game … I thought they did a great job killing penalties, but we were just in that situation too much for things that we shouldn't be doing.”

The Roadrunners had several prime scoring chances in the game’s final period but couldn’t find a way to get one past Martin.

Team captain Dakota Mermis voiced his frustration with how the team played against the Eagles, which Tucson split.

“That one stings,” Mermis said. “Both of the games here this series, there wasn’t a lot of consistency. A lot of penalties both ways. It’s hard to get into a flow when you’re killing penalties that much and unfortunately, we just couldn’t get it going tonight.”

Wednesday’s loss took the shine off the Roadrunners’ eight-game point streak, where they earned either an overtime loss or a win.

Tucson remains in a tie with San Jose for first place in the American Hockey League’s Pacific Division, with each team collecting 33 points to-date.

Return from injury

A high-note for the Roadrunners on Wednesday was the long-awaited season debut of forward Nick Merkley.

Merkley suffered a serious knee injury in March, keeping him off the ice for an extended period of rehabilitation.

Merkley described his long offseason, saying it was a relief to finally return to the ice, getting his legs back under him.

“I feel really good. I feel very well-conditioned,” Merkley said. “I’ve been bag skating for about two or three months now, but I felt really good tonight.”

Being away from the sport for eight months was a tough reality for the veteran forward, grinding away to get in game shape.

“I think mentally it's pretty tough, I mean it's kind of a long process, you've got to stick with it,” he said. “It was nice being around the guys and got in that environment, but yeah it was a good experience. I think I'll be better for it.”

Varady believes that Merkley’s return will help bolster the Roadrunners’ offensive attack, adding another scoring threat to their potent front line.

“He's a talented player, he made some plays tonight, I think as he continues to get in the rhythm of the game, he'll be making more plays throughout the course of it,” Varady said. “So, I think it just gives you another weapon, another look, another right shot.”

Welcome to the most wonderful part of the college football season, by which I mean the half-hearted consortium of exhibition games known as bowls.

This year's selection of exhibitions for the so-called 'Conference of Champions,' better known as the Pac-12 leaves much to the imagination, with no teams qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

What the conference's bowl games lack in name-brand recognition, they more than make up for in batshit crazy sponsors. Take, for instance, the 'Cheez-It Bowl,' held inside Phoenix's Chase Field; or the 'Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl,' which pits ASU and Fresno State against each other in the Sin City.

The cynics among us might ooh-pooh such a wholesome bounty of capitalism. I, on the other hand, welcome your generic brands to sponsor these wholesome exhibition games.

Before I chase too far down that rabbit hole, let me dispense my take on how each of the conference's seven bowl-eligible teams will fare in their contests.

Without further ado, here's who I expect to win the battle royale(s) that dot the college football bowl industrial complex over the next month:

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl — Fresno State (11-2) vs. Arizona State (7-5)

1:30 p.m. Arizona time, Saturday, Dec. 15

Line: Fresno State, -6

My Pick: Arizona State wins, 28-24

Tomorrow is the official start of the bowl season, with uncle Herm and the Sun Devils taking to the cement-enclosed confines of Sam Boyd Stadium in the annual debaucherous bowl game known as the Las Vegas Bowl. Fresno State is a helluva team, with former Cal coach Jeff Tedford turning a Mountain West also-ran into a bona fide contender in two years' time. I expect the Devils to do juuust enough to eek out a victory in the Sin City, giving the Pac-12 the same number of bowl wins (1) as they achieved in nine tries last year.

Cheez-It Bowl — California (7-5) vs. Texas Christian (6-6)

7 p.m. Arizona time, Dec. 26

Line: EVEN

My Pick: TCU wins, 21-17

Hot damn, am I tempted to take Justin Wilcox and the Bears, who are in their first bowl game since a quarterback named Jared Goff singlehandedly dragged a rotting carcass of a Cal team into the 2015 Armed Forces Bowl (which they won, 55-36, over Air Force). This year's team has the offensive firepower of a cold bowl of oatmeal, but features one of the best pass defenses in the nation. I wonder whether their milquetoast offense can score enough to knock off Gary Peterson's Horned Frogs squad, so I'll give TCU the slight edge here.

Valero Alamo Bowl — Washington State (10-2) vs. Iowa State (8-4)

7 p.m. Arizona time, Dec. 28

Line: Washington State, -3.5

My Pick: Washington State wins, 45-21

I'm not one to second-guess Mike Leach and his fifth-year quarterback (and mustache aficionado) Gardner Minshew, especially considering the fact that both have had more than a month to prepare for their bowl matchup with the Cyclones. Also, while I agree that ISU coach Matt Campbell is one of the sport's brightest minds, I don't believe that his squad has the talent on both sides of the ball to contend with the well-oiled machine that is Leach's air raid offense. I expect Iowa State to hang with the Cougs' for a half, before Minshew and his host of merry receivers torch the Cyclones to pieces in the game's latter half.

Hyundai Sun Bowl — Stanford (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (7-6)

Noon Arizona time, Dec. 31

Line: Stanford, -6.5

My Pick: Stanford wins, 31-14

I know I'm starting to sound like a Pac-12 homer with these picks, but I'm of the opinion that Pat Narduzzi's offense has the consistency and firepower of a bowl of cottage cheese, so I'll stick with Bryce Love and the Cardinal. This take assumes, of course, that Love can actually take the field, which isn't a guarantee, given his frequent ankle injury issues during the past two seasons. If Love is healthy, and QB K.J. Costello can avoid making brain-dead passes, then the Cardinal will roll past the Panthers. If not, then look out Betty, as it might be another bowl season to forget in Palo Alto.

Redbox Bowl — Oregon (8-4) vs. Michigan State (7-6)

3 p.m. Arizona time, Dec. 31

Line: Oregon, -3

My Pick: Oregon wins, 45-31

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Mario Cristobal's Ducks squad has lived up to expectations, because they clearly haven't. That said, they do have the best quarterback west of the Mississippi, in Justin Herbert, and I'm not convinced that the Spartans can beat a pack of disease-ridden squirrels with the way their offense is faring at the moment. I expect Herbert to ride off into the (relative) sunset against MSU, feasting on the Spartans' overmatched secondary in what should be his final collegiate start for the Ducks.

Holiday Bowl — Utah (9-4) vs. Northwestern (8-5)

5 p.m. Arizona time, Dec. 31

Line: Utah, -7.5

My Pick: Utah wins, 28-10

Kyle Whittingham somehow always seems to get the best out of his Utah teams in the bowl season, going 10-1 in these glorified exhibition matchups in his coaching career. I believe that the Utes, who surged into the Pac-12 Championship Game for the first time this year, will roll past a Northwestern squad that's done exceptionally well under Pat Fitzgerald. The X-factor for the Utes is their exceptional defense, which was led by Gary Andersen all year. It'll be interesting to see how that unit fares, with Andersen returning to his previous post in Logan to coach Utah State University. Expect the Utes to stifle the Wildcats in San Diego, getting Utah back to the 10-win plateau once again.

Rose Bowl — Washington (10-3) vs. Ohio State (12-1)

5 p.m. Arizona time, Jan. 1

Line, Ohio State, -7

My Pick: Ohio State wins, 34-31

The expert's pick here is for the Buckeyes, who will be coached for one final time by Urban Meyer, to romp the Huskies. I, on the other hand, wonder whether the Buckeyes will be all that fired up to play in the Rose Bowl, after missing out on the CFP for the second-straight season. I believe OSU will win, but by less than Vegas expects, with Chris Petersen's squad rising up to give Meyer and company all they can handle in Pasadena. I believe this one will be the game of the bowl season in the Pac-12, with both squads playing their best ball of the year in what used to be the marquis matchup of the bowl calendar.

Win-Loss Expectation: I expect the Pac-12's teams to go 5-2 in the bowl season. 

The course of Arizona's home contest with Utah Valley turned on the right hand of sophomore guard Brandon Randolph.

The sophomore's steely eyed shooting touch guided a second half surge that stirred the venerable McKale Center into a frenzy, hitting four-of-five three pointers to pace the Wildcats 51-38 advantage in the game's latter half.

The home side's fate looked glum at the half, with the visiting Wolverines (6-4) hitting 42.6 percent of their shots, while forcing 11 turnovers to give them a 31-29 lead at the half.

The tide took a sharp turn in the immediate aftermath of the break, however, when Randolph drained three straight three pointers to cut the Wolverines' lead to one with 18:06 to play.

Randolph, who finished the night with a team-high 16 points, described his second half surge as a feat he won't soon forget.

"I definitely got going," Randolph said. "My teammates found me and it hyped me up, the crowd up, hyped our whole team up, and I think it helped us move into the game a little more."

Arizona's (7-2) victory over the Wolverines extended their non-conference home win streak to 52 games, with their last loss coming in 2011, when San Diego State beat the Wildcats, 61-57.

Arizona coach Sean Miller gave Utah Valley its share of acclaim for their strong first half, saying his team wasn't ready to fight a scrappy Wolverines squad.

Miller said his team's early struggles were more a result of the Wolverines' defense than any sort of letdown from Sunday's 76-72 road victory over the University of Connecticut. 

"We didn't really get after them at halftime and that might be surprising. Our team doesn't have a great margin of error, especially against a team with skill and as experienced as Utah Valley," Miller said.

"They did not catch us off guard. This wasn't a situation where we were still thinking about our UConn victory, it was just the opposite. We had excellent practices, our guys understood that Utah Valley has great size, unbelievable skill level and they run their offense as well as any team we have faced this season. We knew we were in for a fight and it was great for us to respond the way we did at halftime."

Randolph and freshman guard Brandon Williams were the main cogs in Arizona's victory, with the latter scoring 15 points and pulling down a career-high 10 rebounds in the win.

The 6-foot-2-inch guard was caught off-guard by his first collegiate double-double, saying that his teammates had to inform him of his impressive feat.

"When someone told me on the bench, I was shocked when they said I had a double-double; I thought it was assists," Williams said. "As I said, it's just taking a load off of the guys: Ryan Luther, Chase (Jeter) and Ira (Lee). As a guard, that goes a long way."

Tuscaloosa Bound

Miller's squad returns to action to face SEC stalwart, Alabama, on the road on Saturday, with the game tipping off at 11 a.m. Arizona time.

The Wildcats and Crimson Tide have met three times, with Alabama winning two of those contests.

Arizona defeated Alabama in Tucson last year, 88-82, thanks to a combined 54 points from center Deandre Ayton and guard Allonzo Trier.

Both players are now starring in the NBA, along with the Crimson Tide's high scorer from last year's contest, Collin Sexton, who scored 30 points in the contest.

Saturday's game between the Wildcats and Crimson Tide will be carried nationally on ESPN against a 5-3 Alabama squad. 

The football season just ended in Tucson, but the specifics of next year's schedule are already known, with the Pac-12 releasing the full schedules for each member on Tuesday.

The Wildcats, who went 5-7 this season, kick off the 2019 campaign in Honolulu against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Arizona will have three bye weeks, thanks to their Hawaiian expedition, with the first coming the week after their opener, and the others coming on Sept. 21 and Nov. 9, respectively.

The rest of the Wildcats' non-conference schedule includes home games against Football Championship Subdivision squad Northern Arizona University, before hosing Texas Tech University on Sept. 14.

The team's Pac-12 schedule features games against UCLA (home), Colorado (road), Washington (home), Southern California (road) and Stanford (road) in succession.

The Wildcats close out their nine-game conference schedule with home games against Oregon State and Utah on Nov. 2 and 23, bookended by road games against Utah and ASU on Nov. 16 and 29.

The start times for all 12 of Arizona's games have yet to be determined, with the conference's TV partners (ESPN, FOX and the Pac-12 Network) picking their games in the spring of 2019.

The team's only Friday game this year will be their annual rivalry game with the Sun Devils, which will be played in Tempe this season.

Season ticket deposits for the 2019 regular season are available online, at arizonawildcats.com, or by phone, at 520-621-CATS.

2019 Schedule:

Aug. 24 - At Hawai'i
Aug. 31 - Bye Week
Sept. 7 - NAU
Sept. 14 - Texas Tech
Sept. 21 - Bye Week
Sept. 28 - UCLA
Oct. 5 - At Colorado
Oct. 12 - Washington
Oct. 19 - At USC
Oct. 26 - At Stanford
Nov. 2 - Oregon State
Nov. 9 - Bye Week
Nov. 16 - At Oregon
Nov. 23 - Utah
Nov. 29 - At ASU