Arizona Hoops 2022-2023

[AzStevenCal]

Good guy, crap coach

Shortly after the championship season, a poster on a UA site asked my opinion on a replacement for Lute if he retired soon. The other guy went with Kelvin Sampson who was only a couple years out of his stay at WSU, I went for Pastner. I'm glad neither one us of got our choice but especially glad it didn't go my way. Great guy, lousy coach. And that still surprises me, he seemed to have a lot of what it should take to excel.

 

[Russ Smith]

Should be an interesting game tonight we're all assuming Bona is out for tonight. It appears he did what kriisa did but worse, they put the shoulder back in but will probably sit him tonight to rest for the tourney. So we are tiny now and without our 2 best defenders.

My guess is UCLA will play much slower tonight than they did in Pauley and just try and shorten the game and grind it out. The way they played the last 10 minutes last night I'd expect whoever is guarding Tyger to have to defend one ball screen after another, that was the whole game.

Surprised UCLA is favored given nobody expects Bona to play but maybe he will. Looks like the last 2 games Ballo has his mojo back.

 

[Ronin]

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[Carolinacacti]

Should be an interesting game tonight we're all assuming Bona is out for tonight. It appears he did what kriisa did but worse, they put the shoulder back in but will probably sit him tonight to rest for the tourney. So we are tiny now and without our 2 best defenders.

My guess is UCLA will play much slower tonight than they did in Pauley and just try and shorten the game and grind it out. The way they played the last 10 minutes last night I'd expect whoever is guarding Tyger to have to defend one ball screen after another, that was the whole game.

Surprised UCLA is favored given nobody expects Bona to play but maybe he will. Looks like the last 2 games Ballo has his mojo back.

(I'm taking the Wildcats so UCLA by 10

 

[Ronin]

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[Russ Smith]

Bona officially out tonight but expected to play next week so that's good.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Now for the real tournament

 

[Russ Smith]

call me amazed I can't believe it was that close with 2 guys out and the last 5 minutes playing 4 guards.

Clutch 3 by Ramey to win it. Tyger was so gassed but when that 2nd FT left his hand it looked good still surprised it didn't go in. I'm assuming UA is a 2 in the West and UCLA goes somewhere else although I guess you can argue UCLA has the better record and both losses we were missing starters, bailey first time, Bona and Clark tonight. but my guess is Arizona gets the West spot.

I have to hand it to Lloyd the gameplan was face guard Singleton don't let him get looks and he didn't score a point. Was the key to the game IMO

 

[Lefty]

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[Russ Smith]

I don't have video but apparently a UA fan got into the face of Mick Cronin's dad in the crowd and started screaming at him until security intervened. Mick was in the middle of the post game presser when he heard and excused himself and walked out. Sounds like the fan might made some contact and they're investigating whether to file charges.

 

[Lefty]

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[Russ Smith]

I don't have video but apparently a UA fan got into the face of Mick Cronin's dad in the crowd and started screaming at him until security intervened. Mick was in the middle of the post game presser when he heard and excused himself and walked out. Sounds like the fan might made some contact and they're investigating whether to file charges.

Was a family not just one fan. A reporter told Cronin about it as he was doing the postgame presser and he ran out with Jaime and Amari behind him and the AD Martin Jarmond. Jarmond then got into a shouting match with George Kliavkov the new Commish of the Pac 12 for lacking security. Sounds like UCLA is trying to get them to take legal action against the family it sounds like they might have made physical contact with 81 year old Hep Cronin but not really sure.

Fans need to chill the eff out, buying a ticket to a game does NOT give you a right to do stuff like that.

 

[Phrazbit]

Good guy, crap coach

Great recruiter, crap coach.

I wouldn't mind him coming back as an assistant but I suspect his profile is still high enough that he will get a HC gig somewhere.

 

[Phrazbit]

Shortly after the championship season, a poster on a UA site asked my opinion on a replacement for Lute if he retired soon. The other guy went with Kelvin Sampson who was only a couple years out of his stay at WSU, I went for Pastner. I'm glad neither one us of got our choice but especially glad it didn't go my way. Great guy, lousy coach. And that still surprises me, he seemed to have a lot of what it should take to excel.

Kelvin Sampson... if we'd hired him in the 2000s he almost certainly would have left in scandal.

Not that I think he's stopped cheating, he's probably just better at it.

Wild that a guy can leave 2 schools in high levels of scandal, basically bury Indiana as a program, land at another school and lift them from the ashes and the national reaction is "what a job he is doing!"

 

[Ronin]

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[Chaplin]

I just wanted us to get a 2 seed, and the win last night probably got us that.

 

[Russ Smith]

Kelvin Sampson... if we'd hired him in the 2000s he almost certainly would have left in scandal.

Not that I think he's stopped cheating, he's probably just better at it.

Wild that a guy can leave 2 schools in high levels of scandal, basically bury Indiana as a program, land at another school and lift them from the ashes and the national reaction is "what a job he is doing!"

The thing is that what he did that violated the rules then, is not against the rules now. He was breaking the contact rules with calls etc but they changed that rule so what he was doing is totally allowed now.

He was a dirty coach under the rules at that time. Now it's hard to call anybody dirty, when the NIL went in, rules went out the window. You have recruitments all the time now where not only are kids honest they chose based on NIL, but in some cases even boosters are honest about it. Syracuse has a booster who was openly telling fans how much he was offering basketball recruits.

 

[Russ Smith]

I just wanted us to get a 2 seed, and the win last night probably got us that.

I think both teams are a 2. Jerry Palm has UCLA a 3 because of Clark being out but most seem to have both Arizona and UCLA on the 2 line.

Can't stand the guy but have to admit that 3 by Kriisa when UCLA was up 9 that changed the game. He misses that I don't think UA wins.

 

[GatorAZ]

Got lucky but we’ll take it. Apparently Ballo broke his hand.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Got lucky but we’ll take it. Apparently Ballo broke his hand.

Then I'd say we got unlucky. I'd rather we lost that game than lost Ballo. And maybe he can play through it but that's often as bad or worse than losing the player outright.

 

[TJ]

Weird draw, but manageable.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Ballo broke his hand Fri night.

 

[Phrazbit]

We’re screwed, Jay Bilas picked us to win it all.

 

[Chaplin]

We’re screwed, Jay Bilas picked us to win it all.

No he didn't, he chose UConn. Where did you see he picked UA?

 

[Phrazbit]

No he didn't, he chose UConn. Where did you see he picked UA?

Jay Bilas picks every single game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament

The Bilastrator is back with his unmistakable, incomparable "More Than Five Minute Bracket." As always, you're welcome.

www.espn.com

Final Four​

National semifinal: ARIZONA vs. DUKE

A rematch of the 2001 national championship game, and a contest full of great big guys. Duke's defense is better, but Arizona's offense is better. Kerr Kriisa needs to handle Duke's pressure in order to win. If Duke stays on the same trajectory, Duke should win. But Arizona can cause Duke problems, and I think they will. Winner: Arizona.

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National semifinal: TEXAS vs. UCONN

In the Year of the Big Man, UConn's big men should be the difference. UConn looked like a title team in November after being overlooked in the preseason polls. UConn still looks the same and received a favorable draw. By the Elite Eight, that favorable draw is over. The Texas big men are vastly improved, especially Dylan Disu, but UConn has Sanogo inside and Hawkins outside. UConn wins and sets up a date with Arizona in Houston. Winner: UConn.

National championship​

No No. 5 seed has ever won the national championship, or so Rece Davis told me on the Dirty Dog in between spine-rattling screams on the Screaming Baby Express from Greensboro to Bristol. I am going with Davis' wisdom ... or maybe it was the guitar-playing cowboy that told me that?! No matter, Arizona will win the Pac-12's first national championship since 1997, when Arizona won it under Lute Olson. Winner: Arizona.