It’s been 19 days since Colorado Coach Tad Boyle’s shot—err, statement heard ‘round the world.

Boyle, who has led the Buffaloes to a 161-102 record in his nine-year reign in Boulder, ushered the now-infamous comments in the immediate aftermath of his team’s stunning 80-77 upset of Sean Miller’s squad—the Wildcats first (and of now, only) conference loss.

Boyle is well-known for his off-the-cuff, oft-blunt commentary and didn’t mince his words in his postgame press conference, when asked by a reporter about whether he took pleasure in beating Miller’s team, along with the USC Trojans, especially considering their place in the ongoing FBI investigation.

“Absolutely,” Boyle said. “Absolutely. It’s ironic we’re playing Arizona. I’ve got great respect for Sean Miller and the type of coach he is. They recruit very, very well. USC has recruited very, very well. The two most talented teams in our league from top to bottom are USC and Arizona. So,
hell yes there’s extra satisfaction.”

Boyle went on to praise Miller, along with USC Coach Andy Enfield, for their continued success in the Conference of Champions—but certainly didn’t contain his excitement either.

“I’ve got great respect for Sean, helluva coach. I’ve got great respect for Andy Enfield. But to answer your question: Hell yes.”

Miller, for his part, didn’t ruffle feathers when asked if he felt extra motivation to clobber Boyle like a dollar-store steak during Monday’s weekly press conference.

“My focus is just on coaching our team. …We have to be a better team this time around, more ready for the game than we were the last time,” Miller said. “And that’s my focus.”

Let the beef commence!

The airing of on-court grievances will once again be on full display at 6:30 tonight—when the 11th-ranked Wildcats (16-4, 6-1) host the Buffs (12-8, 4-4).

The blinding LED lights of McKale Center will no doubt be fixed on the two sideline fixtures, especially if Arizona has a large lead late in the contest.

Miller, who is well-known for his penchant for twisting the knife when given the chance (see last year’s UCLA kerfuffle)—may very well send a symbolic message that cuts across the court and region tonight, should Arizona have a large lead.

The motto of the night, to quote HBO’s infamous Baltimore-centered show “The Wire,” has to be: “You come at the king, you best not miss.”

How to Watch: Arizona and Colorado will face off at 6:30 p.m. tonight, with Fox Sports 1 airing the game.

How to Bet: Arizona is a 14-point favorite to beat Colorado, according to the bookies in Las Vegas. College basketball guru Ken Pomeroy gives Arizona an 88 percent chance of
winning.

Players to Watch: Colorado’s offense, which ranks 179th in points per game (74.1), is led by freshman McKinley Wright IV, senior George King and junior Namon Wright—who average 14.9, 14.2 and 11.6 points per game, respectively.

The game of the season in the Pac-12 tips off tomorrow, pitting an Arizona team that looked god-awful when playing a woeful Cal team against the Brainiacs from Stanford.

The battle, which takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, will be the toughest in a while for Sean Miller’s club, with the Cardinal (11-8, 5-1) rolling off five straight wins, finding themselves in a tie for first place with the Wildcats.

The Cardinal, led by second-year coach Jerod Haase, feature a balanced offensive attack, spearheaded by Arizona natives Dorian Pickens and Michael Humphrey—who average 12.9 and 11.2 points per game, respectively.

Perhaps the greatest cog in the Stanford offensive machine, however, is Minnesota native Reid Travis—whose fresh-faced enthusiasm with the ball in his hands has produced a team-high 20 points per game this season, to go with 7.5 rebounds per game.

Defense might be an issue for both teams, with the Cardinal ranking 250th in Division I in points allowed (75.1), with Arizona sitting at 156th, giving up 71.4 points per game.

Miller in his weekly press conference on Monday stressed how important the Cardinals’ combo of experience and skill is, with two seniors, a junior and two freshmen in their usual starting five.

“With Stanford, they have a lot of experience, maybe the most returning experience in our conference,” Miller said. “But, I also know they've battled through a significant amount of
injuries in the non-conference season.”

Both of those tenets were on full display on Thursday, when Stanford rolled past ASU in Palo Alto, 86-77, thanks to 37 points from the combo of Travis and Pickens, to go with a Herculean effort by bench players Josh Sharma and Oscar de Silva, who scored 14 points apiece against the Sun Devils.

The Cardinal’s recent resurgence has gotten them within the top-100 of Friday’s KenPom.com rankings—up four spots from the start of the week.

Turnovers galore

A major problem for the Arizona offense of-late has been its inability to hold onto the ball—committing 21 turnovers against the Bears in Berkeley on Thursday.

The Wildcats rank 111th in the nation in turnovers per game, at 12.6, which speaks to their continued inability to effectively move the ball, and their lack of a true point guard to
guide the offense forward.

They’ll need better ballhandling from upperclassmen, like junior guard Allonzo Trier—who has committed at least two turnovers in each of his last five games, in order to escape Palo Alto with a win.

The Wildcats should get a shot in the arm on Saturday, with sophomore guard Rawle Alkins returning from a foot injury.

Miller will need Alkins and senior guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who had 14 points and a team-best six assists on Thursday, to be in top form at Maples—where Arizona’s conference
title dreams have died in the past.

The longtime Arizona coach expects a daylong battle in the South Bay on Saturday, given Stanford’s run of-late.

“Stanford's a good team, and seems like they're playing their best, with a lot of confidence,” Miller said. “And in fairness to them, they're healthy.”

How to Watch: Arizona and Stanford tip off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with CBS airing the game live.

How to Bet: Vegas has Arizona as a six-point favorite over Stanford

Who to Watch: Stanford has five players averaging more than 10 points a game—Reid Travis (20.0), Dorian Pickens (12.9), Michael Humphrey (11.2), Kezie Okpala (10.9) and Daejon Davis (10.4). Perhaps the most exciting player of-late, however, has been seven-foot junior Josh Sharma, who scored 14 points against ASU on Thursday.

The fate of the Arizona Wildcats flipped on a highlight reel, rim-rattling dunk by sophomore guard Rawle Alkins.

Alkins, who finished Thursday’s game against Oregon State with 11 points on 4-9 shooting, poked the ball loose from OSU guard Stephen Thompson Jr.

What happened next sent the 14,000-plus people in attendanceat McKale Center ablaze, as the Brooklyn native soared through the Arizona night—slamming home a reverse dunk to give Arizona a 29-26 lead.

Alkins, who missed the Wildcats’ first eight games with a broken foot, was rather nonchalant about the slam, laughing with teammates as he sprinted back on defense.

The rest, to use Alkins’ words in his post-game press conference, was “all adrenaline,” as the Wildcats’ attacking defense drove the Beavers into oblivion, outscoring Oregon State 41-31 in the game’s latter half.

“They doubled the guy on the pick and roll, and I tried to read the guy’s eyes, and I just read ’em,” Alkins said. “I got the steal, and I had a lot of adrenalin. Before I got hurt, that used to be my favorite dunk, so I was us like whatever.”

Alkins’ slam, in combination with a dynamic offensive performance turned in by fellow guard Allonzo Trier, propelled Arizona to a 70-62 victory, on a night with almost as many turnovers (27) as field goals (44).

Trier and the Wildcats recovered from a dismal offensive start, shooting 9-24 (37.5 percent) against the Beavers’ zone defense.

Happy Thursday, ladies and gentlemen of cyberspace. Boy, do we have an underrated doozy of a game at McKale Center tonight, with Oregon State traveling to Tucson to play the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats.

It's a matchup of opposites, with the Wildcats featuring a dizzying offensive attack spearheaded by a three-headed monster of Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins—who score 20.4, 19.6 and 15.6 points per game, respectively.

The Wildcats (12-4) rank 28th in the nation in points per game (83.8), and rank sixth overall in offensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com.

The Beavers (10-5), meanwhile, feature a slow-as-molasses offense that only averages 75.3 points per game, good for 161st in the country.

The great equalizer, as always, is on the defensive end—with the Beavers ranking first in the Pac 12 in points allowed (68.6). Arizona, by comparison, is 72.7 per game, which ranks 196th in the country (and fifth in the Pac 12).

The Beavers feature a sneaky-good trio of sophomore Tres Tinkle (son of OSU Coach Wayne Tinkle) and juniors Stephen Thompson Jr. and Drew Eubanks—who average 18.3, 16.5 and 13.8 points per game this season.

The trio came up big in the Beavers' 76-64 win over in-state rival Oregon on Jan. 5, with Tinkle scoring a game-high 19 points, while Thompson scored 16 and Eubanks added 15.

Arizona senior point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who's averaging 7.6 points per game and a team-high 4.9 assists, certainly isn't underestimating the Beavers, especially after their 80-77 loss to Colorado in Boulder last Saturday.

The senior knows how tough the 11 teams Arizona plays in conference play are, and knows that coming out flat is a death sentence against a quality opponent like OSU.

"You think of teams like Washington State and Oregon State. Those teams are playing tremendous," Jackson-Cartwright said. "Like I said, when you don't come out and you don't play hard, or you don't give great effort, you're vulnerable on any given night."

Coach Sean Miller hit a similar narrative, saying the Beavers are much better than their 116th spot in KenPom rankings, which is eighth-best of any team in the conference.

"They're a much improved team, not only from last year to this year, that's obvious, but I think they're a very much improved team from the beginning of the year to now," Miller said. "They seem to be hitting their stride, which makes sense ... I think you can see what I mean when I talk about that they're playing well."

How to watch: Arizona plays Oregon State at 7 p.m. tonight on the Pac 12 Network. They play Oregon at noon on Saturday on ESPN

How to bet: Vegas has Arizona as a 15-point favorite against Oregon State. The line for Oregon has not been posted

Who to watch: From Oregon State, keep an eye on sophomore Tres Tinkle, and juniors Stephen Thompson Jr. and Devin Eubanks. For Oregon, look for Peyton Pritchard, who scores a team-best 15 points per game, and teammate Troy Brown, who scores 12.3 per game and a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game for the Ducks

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, you probably know there will be a new football coach in Tucson come fall.

The University of Arizona is tasked with finding said coach after ending its relationship with Rich Rodriguez, siting concern over the “Direction and climate of the football program,” as stated in a bombshell released on Tuesday night.

There are many names that will jump to the top of people’s lists, including former star athletes (cough, cough—Chuck Cecil), and big-names, like former Texas A&M and Houston coach Kevin Sumlin.

The bottom line is that whoever the next UA football head coach is will be tasked with the unenviable assignment of keeping the 16 players that signed their National Letters of Intent last week, while adding more by the Feb. 7 deadline.

It’s imperative that Director of Athletics Dave Heeke and President Robert C. Robbins find their man, and find him quickly, so that person can have ample time to lock down a solid recruiting class.

The Wildcats, fresh off a 7-6 season that ended with a disappointing 38-35 loss to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl, have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball—with dynamic quarterback Khalil Tate on offense, and a defense spearheaded by rising sophomores Kylan Wilborn, Colin Schooler and Tony Fields, II.

There’s plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to build around for the next coach in The Old Pueblo, but the clock is ticking for Heeke and company to nail down a solid recruiting class.

Without further ado, here’s who I believe Heeke should seek out to be the 21st coach to roam the Arizona Stadium sidelines.

1. Kevin Sumlin: The former Houston University and Texas A&M coach should be Heeke’s main target, with an impressive 86-43 record in 10 seasons of work. Sumlin was chased away from College Station for “only” winning seven-to-nine games a year, and has recruited the state of Arizona exceptionally well, landing sure-fire first round NFL pick and Scottsdale native Christian Kirk—who’s hauled in 234 catches for 2,855 yards in his three seasons under Sumlin, as well as Tyler Bruggman and Priest Willis. It’s clear that Sumlin, who’s owed $10 million from Texas A&M regardless of whether he lands another job or not, will likely come cheaper than you’d expect. That extra money can be used to entice quality assistant coaches to come to Tucson, which would be a win-win for all involved.

2. Derek Mason: The 43-year-old Vanderbilt coach is a Phoenix native, and went to college at NAU, which bode well for his familiarity with the region. Mason has experience coaching in the Pac 12, working as the defensive backs coach, defensive coordinator and assistant head coach under David Shaw at Stanford from 2010 to 2013, and knows how to recruit west coast kids. Mason knows how to recruit players to unenviable locations, having led the Commodores to a bowl bid in 2016, and a respectable 5-7 campaign in a brutally tough SEC East this fall. He’s clearly an up-and-coming coach, and could likely be talked into moving back west, considering his paltry $2 million salary—less than the $2.1 million base salary Rodriguez received this year.

3. Jeff Monken: Monken has quietly built Army into a powerhouse program, making back-to-back bowl trips, with wins over North Texas and San Diego State in those games. Monken, who has lived a vagabond life, with assistant coaching jobs at Hawaii, ASU, Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Navy and Georgia Tech, as well as a three-year head coaching stint with Georgia Southern before taking the Army job. His Black Knights’ led the nation is rushing yards per game (362.3), and his run-first mindset would pick up where Rodriguez and offensive coordinator Rod Smith left off, with the Wildcats ranking third in the same category this season.

4. Lane Kfifin: The outspoken former Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Volunteers and USC Trojans coach has found his niche in Boca Raton, leading the Florida Atlantic Owls to a 11-3 record in which he won the Conference USA Championship, before knocking off Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl. It’d be awesome to see the “Lane Train” return to the Pac 12, and to see what Kiffin, who engineered the USC dynasty of the early-2000s as the Trojans’ offensive coordinator, could do with Tate at quarterback.

5. Chuck Cecil: I frankly don’t see why anyone would want to hire a man with zero college coaching experience, but everyone else keeps throwing Cecil’s name into the ring, so why not? Cecil, who returned to Tucson in an advisory role this fall, previously worked as an assistant in the NFL, as the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams’ secondary coach. He’s the go-to guy, if Heeke is looking to pull a page from ASU’s playbook, as the Sun Devils hired former NFL head coach Herm Edwards for their opening last month, despite the fact that Edwards hadn’t coached at any level since 2008.

Fans trying to get a sneak peek at this year's Arizona Diamondbacks squad are in luck, at least if they live in the Tucson area.

The team, who went 93-66 a year ago, winning the National League's Wild Card game, is offering a 50 percent off, one-day special on Friday for Tucson-based fans.

Interested fans can snag their tickets at dbacks.com/spring, with the special running from 9 a.m. to midnight. General sale for all 17 of the team's Spring Training games go on sale on Saturday.

Enter the promotional code 18CACTUS in conjunction with a Pima County zip code when purchasing the tickets to receive the discount.

The Diamondbacks kick off Cactus League play on Feb. 23 against the Colorado Rockies, and host the Cleveland Indians the next day in its Spring Training home opener at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like March, at least for those that follow the Arizona Wildcats basketball team.

The Cats, fresh off an 84-78 win over in-state rival ASU, are 11-3 on the year and have won eight straight games.

They’ve done so by lighting up the LED scoreboard of McKale like a dollar-store piñata—averaging 83.2 points per game, while surrendering 69 points per game during said streak.

The Wildcats put their recent luck on the line, first against Utah at 7 p.m. tonight from the unfriendly confines of Huntsman Arena in Salt Lake City.

They then will hop over the majestic Rocky Mountains to visit the most overrated college town in America, Boulder. (Can you tell I went to CSU yet?) They play the Buffs at noon on Saturday.

The Utes (11-3, 2-0) have an uncanny ability to adjust their offensive tempo, depending on their opponent, scoring 80+ points in six of their 13 games, while also scoring 66 points in wins over Oregon and Oregon State last weekend.

The Buffaloes, meanwhile, sit at 8-6 for the year, having lost their last three games—against Iowa, Oregon State and Oregon by a combined score of 233-192.

It’s the first time Sean Miller and company have ventured to the Rocky Mountain schools since getting swept in 2015.

That trip included a 70-64 loss to the Utes, the Wildcats’ first against Utah since the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

Miller didn’t seem too worried about his team’s mindset heading into the clash, telling reporters in Tuesday’s press conference that this year’s squad is completely different from the one that fell at Huntsman 23 months ago.

“That was, like, 15 years ago," Miller said. "It’s irrelevant to the world today. Obama used to be the president. Trump is now. Khalil Tate is the quarterback. Remember when [Rod] Gronkowski was here? Sean Elliott used to play here; it doesn’t have much to do with today.”

Whether there will be a hangover of sorts for the Wildcats after the high-energy defeat of the then-undefeated Sun Devils is yet to be seen, but rest assured that Sean Miller totally doesn’t have any hard feelings about their last meeting in the Wasatch.

How to Watch: Tonight’s game against Utah is on ESPN at 7 p.m. Saturday’s game against Colorado is on the Pac 12 Network at noon.

How to Bet: Arizona is favored by 3.5 over Utah. The line against Colorado has not been released.

Who to Watch: Keep an eye on Utah’s David Collette and Justin Bibbins, who average 13.2 and 13.1 points per game, respectively. Senior Tyler Rawson could also be a thorn in Miller’s side, averaging 11 points per game this season. Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV is the player to watch, averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Senior George King is another name to watch in Saturday’s game, as the senior has scored in double figures in 11 of the Buffs’ 14 games,
averaging 13.2 points per game this season.

A former assistant to ex-UA football coach Rich Rodriguez, who was fired Tuesday night amid sexual misconduct allegations, is seeking $7.5 million for emotional distress, according to a notice of claim filed with the Arizona Attorney’s General’s Office on Dec. 28.

The claim, filed by the attorney for Melissa Wilhelmsen, alleges that Rodriguez forced her to help keep an affair secret from Rodriquez’s wife and later made sexual advances toward her. It also claims and that Rodriguez at one point typed up a book, called “The Hideaway Book,” which sought to establish secrecy within Rodriguez’s inner circle—including Wilhelmsen and then-assistants Charlie Ragle and Miguel Reveles.

The University of Arizona released a statement from UA President Robert C. Robbins and Athletic Director Dave Heeke Tuesday night announcing Rodriguez’s dismissal, saying that an independent investigation commissioned by the university could not substantiate Wilhelmsen’s original allegations, partly because she did not cooperate with the investigation.

But university officials decided to fire Rodriguez because "Arizona Athletics did become aware of information, both before and during the investigation, which caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program,” Robbins and Heeke said.

Wilhelmsen alleged that Rodriguez’s conduct veered from inappropriate to outright sexual harassment—including a request that she bring him his underwear from the equipment area and a conversation in which he told her his “preferred style of underwear ‘visually enhanced’ his genitalia when worn,” according to the claim.

Wilhelmsen also accused Rodriguez of touching the side of her breast, and then trying to kiss her during a meeting in January 2017, after telling her, “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.” The alleged incident occurred as Melissa and Jason were having marital troubles that stemmed from her stressful work environment, the claim said.

Wilhelmsen, according to the claim, tried to leave her role and join the athletic department’s development office after the kissing incident in March of 2017. She scheduled an appointment, but it was later canceled with no reason. She then tried to make another appointment a month later with the same person, but received no response, the claim said.

Wilhemsen said she felt trapped in her job with the Athletic Department because she feared for what would happen to her daughter—who also worked within the department and attended the UA at a discounted tuition rate because of Wilhemsen’s job, the claim said.

Wilhelmsen finally left the department in August for a non-University job, but was cornered by Rodriguez’s wife on her last day, before confessing to the truth about Rodriguez’s girlfriend, according to the claim.

Attorney Augustine B. Jimenez III, who represents Wilhelmsen, said in the claim that no public figure should be allowed to harass women with impunity.

“If this case were to go to trial, in the current climate where #MeToo is in the headlines on a daily basis, neither male nor female jurors would have any sympathy for a public figure who used his authority and power to oppress and degrade his female assistant in such ways. Undoubtedly, the verdict could be in the tens of millions of dollars because the jurors would want to send a message to such high-profile and highly paid coaches that such abuses of power are not acceptable,” Jimenez said.

In a statement on Twitter, Rodriquez admitted to an extramarital affair but said Wilhelmsen’s claims were “baseless and false” and vowed to “vigorously fight these fabricated and groundless claims.”

Read Wilhelmsen's notice of claim for yourself here: 

The University of Arizona fired football coach Rich Rodriguez Tuesday, according to a UA press release.

No exact reason was given for the school’s decision, though the university will honor the separation terms of Rodriguez’s contract, which include a $10.2 million buyout, according to USA Today.

Director of Athletics Dave Heeke cited the school’s investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Rodriguez, which began in October.

That investigation, according to Heeke, did not find that Rodriguez posed any danger to members of the community, though the alleged victim chose to pursue further litigation.

“As a result, we have been reviewing the findings and deliberating our course of action. While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision. And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona,” Heeke said.

Update: Rodriguez took to Twitter Tuesday to release a statement regarding the UA's investigation.

He discussed a complaint by a former administrative assistant, who threatened to file a $7.5 million lawsuit alleging harassment.

Rodriguez said he cooperated with the 10-week-long investigation, taking a voluntary polygraph test, which he passed.

He admitted to have an extramarital affair with a woman not affiliated with the university and expressed regret for his conduct.

"It was wrong, and I have apologized to my wife and family. I am still working incredibly hard to repair the bonds I've broken and regain the trust of my wife and children, whom i love dearly," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez thanked his staff and players for their commitment and effort during his tenure, and vowed to fight against the claims made against him going forward.

There is no timetable for naming Rodriguez’s replacement, though the National Signing Day for high school players is Feb. 7.

Here's the UA statement:

It’s been 18 years and 334 days since Arizona last made the 448-mile journey to the hallowed grounds of The Pit in Albuquerque.

That game—a bitter 79-78 defeat at the hands of the 16th-ranked Lobos—featured former Arizona coach Lute Olson’s famous declaration on their longtime Southwestern foes.

Olson, according to a 1999 Tucson Citizen piece, vowed to "unequivocally" end the rivalry, after Arizona lost to the Lobos on a last-second layup by Damion Walker that was aided by a late-starting game clock.

Call it home court advantage; call it bad sportsmanship—but Olson remained true to his word, putting an end to one of the region’s best rivalries.

The two teams concluded the rivalry 11 months after the infamous declaration, with New Mexico once again prevailing, 70-68, this time in front of a sellout crowd in Tucson.

The two teams—who played 54 times between 1950 and 1999—entered a cold war on the hardwood until Sean Miller and then-New Mexico coach Craig Neal struck a deal for a home-and-home series in 2016.

The first leg of that series took place on a chilly December afternoon last year, with Arizona rolling over Neal and company 77-46 (the largest margin of victory for either team in the series since New Mexico’s 31-point win in 1979).

The two former Border and Western Athletic Conference foes will meet on the light-stained hardwood of the Pit (now called Dreamstyle Arena) at 6 p.m. this Saturday.

The matchup is the perfect analogy for the holidays—with two long-feuding brothers reuniting to rekindle the days of yore.

Miller has made it clear that he has no problem scheduling regional rivals—playing UTEP, UNLV, New Mexico State, San Diego State and Gonzaga in recent years.

He addressed Saturday’s contest in the aftermath of Arizona’s 88-82 win over Alabama, saying his team is ready and willing to play anyone, anywhere—especially teams in their figurative backyard.

“Nobody can point their finger at our team and say we don’t play against good programs,” Miller said. “We’ve gone at UNLV, Texas A&M, Alabama, and New Mexico next week will be a heck of a challenge.”