Bear Down Wildcats

Arizona top 10, picked first in PAC and water is wet

Ten is higher than I'd think. But I totally agree with us being first in the media poll. Just because California has two star freshmen and one good returning player doesn't mean they are a juggernaut yet. We've beaten the crap out of them the last few games. They gotta earn #1 through us.

Olsondogg wrote:Arizona top 10, picked first in PAC and water is wet

10 seems high... but a testament to the respect Sean gets from his fellow coaches. All the worry about recruiting... and the flaws of this team ... and expectations of a "down" or at least up and down year ...and we are still considered a threat to get back to the elite 8 and possibly more. Good to be a Wildcat.

It's higher than I'd have us too, but not going to complain. Can't wait for Saturday

40 straight weeks in the Top 10

60 straight weeks in the Top 25

Jefe wrote:40 straight weeks in the Top 10

60 straight weeks in the Top 25

That Top 10 figure is remarkable. Sign of an elite program. I wonder what Lute's longest Top 10 streak was.

Lute Olson's Arizona coached teams finished in the top 25 of the Final AP Poll for eighteen years in a row (1988-2005). A record unmatched by any other coach - ever.

So according to the preseason media poll we don't have home games against the number two and seven teams in the conference and we don't have to play at the number 4/6 teams

Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

Pretty sure Vitale lost any cred he once had long ago.

Much like genital herpes, Dick Vitale will never go away.

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

ASSU is the next team he ranked behind us, at #38

Olsondogg wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

ASSU is the next team he ranked behind us, at #38

Unless he knows something about ASSU I don't know, I'm pretty sure they're not the 4th best time in the Pac.

Beachcat97 wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

Pretty sure Vitale lost any cred he once had long ago.

Credibility was a pretty young thing Disco Dick had a dance or two with in his pre-coaching days, but whom he wouldn't recognize with glasses if he happened to cross paths with her today.

Beachcat97 wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

ASSU is the next team he ranked behind us, at #38

Unless he knows something about ASSU I don't know, I'm pretty sure they're not the 4th best time in the Pac.

All he knows is that Hurley played for Duke and Duke is AWESOME BABY!!!

Chicat wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Dick Vitale's authoritative poll has Arizona #16, and third in the PAC-12 behind Cal and Utah.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... p-40-teams" target="_blank

ASSU is the next team he ranked behind us, at #38

Unless he knows something about ASSU I don't know, I'm pretty sure they're not the 4th best time in the Pac.

All he knows is that Hurley played for Duke and Duke is AWESOME BABY!!!

Speaking of Hurley, I watched the media day telecast on the PAC network last week. He had an exchange with MacLean where they showed old clips of Dook vs. uCla and where Hurley blew by MacLean for a layup.

MacLean's comments?

"They didn't pay me to play defense".

Found that ironically funny.

KaibabKat wrote:Lute Olson's Arizona coached teams finished in the top 25 of the Final AP Poll for eighteen years in a row (1988-2005). A record unmatched by any other coach - ever.

do you know what Lute's longest streak ranked in the Top 10 was?

thx in advance -- JG

I know his AZ teams spent 280 weeks in the top 10...

Olsondogg wrote:I know his AZ teams spent 280 weeks in the top 10...

was that consecutive?

97cats wrote:

Olsondogg wrote:I know his AZ teams spent 280 weeks in the top 10...

was that consecutive?

Couldn't be. That's like 8 straight seasons.

No...312 consecutive in the top 25...

I don't know consecutive in the top 10...

His teams were No. 1 team for 30 different polling periods, with the last coming on five consecutive occasions in 2002-03.

110 weeks in the top 5, non consecutive....

Fuck UNC

Capone Bone

i believe we are currently in the middle of the school record with 40 weeks in the top 10 (2014 season - present)

Lute's record was 38 in a row (1991-93), followed by runs of 30 ('02-04) and 28 ('99-'01) in either the AP or USA Today polls

to CSM's credit, he's been firmly in the top 10 in both polls during his streak

someone please fact-check me on this

I'd really like for us to be the hunter and not the hunted. I think it really wears on a team, especially come tournament time. We've carried water for the Pac 12 for quite a while now. I'm more than happy to see Cal, Utah, Oregon and others get attention. I want our players to have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Especially Tarc, who I think could benefit from adopting "no respect" attitude. I hope our frontline is reading all the accolades of Gonzaga's Big 3 and how they continue to dominate their JUCO conference every year.

So the Top 10 streak is over?

#12 in AP and #10 USA Today

Gonzaga 12
Cal 14
Utah 16
Wisconsin gone

ESPN has their power rankings up, we are 13th. Seth Greenberg has us the 2nd lowest of everyone (15th), par for the course with this D Head. Andy Katz has us at 21st though, lmfao!

Jefe wrote:#10 in AP and USA Today

Gonzaga 12
Cal 14
Utah 16
Wisconson gone

Arizona has not been in the top ten in the AP poll this year to date

Gonzaga game gonna be big time.

Could be back to back games in like 6 days against top 5 to 10 teams

Playing location aside, I honestly feel much better about the Michigan State match up, if it happens. If Anderson is healthy, I think we take one of those two.

Jefe wrote:So the Top 10 streak is over?

nah, the party line now is that CSM's streak is 41 straight weeks in either the AP or USA today top 10, 61 straight weeks in the top 25. still impressive as hell.

rgdeuce wrote:ESPN has their power rankings up, we are 13th. Seth Greenberg has us the 2nd lowest of everyone (15th), par for the course with this D Head. Andy Katz has us at 21st though, lmfao!

I don't get why everyone in the national media who does not have Arizona as a top ten team is a hack or d head per our fan base. I know you can this about most teams at this stage in the season but Arizona has not proven themselves to be above any of these rankings yet.

Sorry it is not just you, see it on comments and Twitter and other avenues also.

With all that said, perfect opportunity to change their minds this week and next Saturday.

rgdeuce wrote:Playing location aside, I honestly feel much better about the Michigan State match up, if it happens. If Anderson is healthy, I think we take one of those two.

Totally agree, given the depth on this team and a pro Arizona crowd I say UA should have a 60 percent chance of winning or greater this week. Less than 50 but a very good chance still next week at Gonzaga.

Coming to an UA message board and not understanding the "homer" aspect....really?

I still don't get why everyone is so "down" on the CATS.

CalStateTempe wrote:I still don't get why everyone is so "down" on the CATS.

Talking national media?

no, our fans on this "homer" board.

blah blah blah, we are going to lose to MichSt and Zags.

we are a 4 seed this year

cal is the team to beat in the Pac. We only have good player but no one great.

Defeatist talk. Some showing a lack of faith in what CSM can cook up over a season.

we are going to be fine.

CalStateTempe wrote:no, our fans on this "homer" board.

blah blah blah, we are going to lose to MichSt and Zags.

we are a 4 seed this year

cal is the team to beat in the Pac. We only have good player but no one great.

Defeatist talk. Some showing a lack of faith in what CSM can cook up over a season.

we are going to be fine.

Agreed. I don't really get it.

Lets see what Cal does come conference time...tired legs, foul problems...lets see.

Cats can win any game in front of them on the schedule. Not worried about this team at all.

CalStateTempe wrote:no, our fans on this "homer" board.

blah blah blah, we are going to lose to MichSt and Zags.

we are a 4 seed this year

cal is the team to beat in the Pac. We only have good player but no one great.

Defeatist talk. Some showing a lack of faith in what CSM can cook up over a season.

we are going to be fine.

I'm not down on this team, but I think we could lose to MSU and the Zags and wind up a 4.

This team has a lot of new faces in new places. My optimism about this team is how we will finish, and less so about how we start. I would not be shocked to see choppy play early, a 4 seed and a Final Four appearance. There is a high ceiling for this team, but right now we aren't very close to it. That cuts both ways.

PHXCATS wrote:

rgdeuce wrote:ESPN has their power rankings up, we are 13th. Seth Greenberg has us the 2nd lowest of everyone (15th), par for the course with this D Head. Andy Katz has us at 21st though, lmfao!

I don't get why everyone in the national media who does not have Arizona as a top ten team is a hack or d head per our fan base. I know you can this about most teams at this stage in the season but Arizona has not proven themselves to be above any of these rankings yet.

Sorry it is not just you, see it on comments and Twitter and other avenues also.

With all that said, perfect opportunity to change their minds this week and next Saturday.

If it were just this season, I wouldn't say a damn thing. There is a history of this with certain people. We had two teams the last two years and certain people, almost always the same ones, would look for little things to nitpick or excuses as to why they didn't have us as high as everyone else, when the teams they had above us had worse issues. These are the people who say things like, "Stanley Johnson can't shoot" when his numbers show he is a better shooter than the guy on the next team they are riding. Seth Greenberg has historically been a prick. Andy Katz at times has looked for excuses to be a naysayer or keep our team out of that elite tier. I mean, Greenberg is almost always this way, and he is the outlier at 15 in these rankings. And Katz is going to have us even 6 slots below HIM? That isn't funny to you?

Me personally, Im not sure I have Arizona in the top 10 right now. I think 10-14 is more than fair for this team. They have some games coming up where they can prove they belong. The funny thing is, say the collective ranking is 13. Say Arizona loses two close ones to Michigan State on a neutral floor and the Zags on the road. Where do you think Arizona's collective rating will fall? I bet they drop 10 spots, maybe 12, and several of them push us out of their top 25. What happens when most other proven, blue blood programs lose those games? Oh, those were tough games and they played them well, they drop 5 or 6 spots. A lot of people dont view our losses with the same microscope and analysis as others.

For everything a Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, UCONN, Michigan State, Louisville, etc does, we have to do double a lot of the time. We arent among those programs say in the last five years? Only Kentucky has recruited better over the last 5 years or had a better record over the last two. We are pumping out NBA players again. Our facilities, fanbase and revenue are in the elite tier. Even with the end of the Lute-era mess and the transition between and Miller's first year, we are AT WORST a top 7 program of the last 30 years.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8212" target="_blank

That done in 2010, BEFORE Miller put his stamp on this program. We are ranked 6th. Have Syracuse, Oklahoma, or Indiana passed us now? I am pretty sure we have passed Illinois now. Maybe Michigan State passes us with their one final 4 after that was written, but they aren't really pumping out NBA players and dont have much of a body of work post-Magic until the late 90s (but more than make up for it after). Louisville has two final fours (one of which is a title) since then. Maybe they sneak in? They get killed with the NBA argument though, name some impact players from Louisville. UCONN maybe? They werent a force until the late 90s, so we got a 15 year edge there almost, but they do got some nice NBA guys. There's three teams, giving two of them the benefit of the doubt, that puts us at worst, 7th. And that is with some really shit luck in the elite 8 under Miller and the turmoil in the last of Lute's years.

One has to think that ESPN and its reps have a minimal investment in the PAC. It doesn't really pay for them to watch or pay attention to any of the teams, outside of those that are there to travel.

Jay Williams got to see Arizona once, when he was forced to come to Tucson...and Stanley and the rest of the team did not shoot particularly well in that game...thus, he and the team cannot shoot.

I mean, if EsPN ran the conferences broadcasting rights, perhaps there would be a focus on the conference.

rgdeuce wrote:

PHXCATS wrote:

rgdeuce wrote:ESPN has their power rankings up, we are 13th. Seth Greenberg has us the 2nd lowest of everyone (15th), par for the course with this D Head. Andy Katz has us at 21st though, lmfao!

I don't get why everyone in the national media who does not have Arizona as a top ten team is a hack or d head per our fan base. I know you can this about most teams at this stage in the season but Arizona has not proven themselves to be above any of these rankings yet.

Sorry it is not just you, see it on comments and Twitter and other avenues also.

With all that said, perfect opportunity to change their minds this week and next Saturday.

If it were just this season, I wouldn't say a damn thing. There is a history of this with certain people. We had two teams the last two years and certain people, almost always the same ones, would look for little things to nitpick or excuses as to why they didn't have us as high as everyone else, when the teams they had above us had worse issues. These are the people who say things like, "Stanley Johnson can't shoot" when his numbers show he is a better shooter than the guy on the next team they are riding. Seth Greenberg has historically been a prick. Andy Katz at times has looked for excuses to be a naysayer or keep our team out of that elite tier. I mean, Greenberg is almost always this way, and he is the outlier at 15 in these rankings. And Katz is going to have us even 6 slots below HIM? That isn't funny to you?

Me personally, Im not sure I have Arizona in the top 10 right now. I think 10-14 is more than fair for this team. They have some games coming up where they can prove they belong. The funny thing is, say the collective ranking is 13. Say Arizona loses two close ones to Michigan State on a neutral floor and the Zags on the road. Where do you think Arizona's collective rating will fall? I bet they drop 10 spots, maybe 12, and several of them push us out of their top 25. What happens when most other proven, blue blood programs lose those games? Oh, those were tough games and they played them well, they drop 5 or 6 spots. A lot of people dont view our losses with the same microscope and analysis as others.

For everything a Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, UCONN, Michigan State, Louisville, etc does, we have to do double a lot of the time. We arent among those programs say in the last five years? Only Kentucky has recruited better over the last 5 years or had a better record over the last two. We are pumping out NBA players again. Our facilities, fanbase and revenue are in the elite tier. Even with the end of the Lute-era mess and the transition between and Miller's first year, we are AT WORST a top 7 program of the last 30 years.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8212" target="_blank

That done in 2010, BEFORE Miller put his stamp on this program. We are ranked 6th. Have Syracuse, Oklahoma, or Indiana passed us now? I am pretty sure we have passed Illinois now. Maybe Michigan State passes us with their one final 4 after that was written, but they aren't really pumping out NBA players and dont have much of a body of work post-Magic until the late 90s (but more than make up for it after). Louisville has two final fours (one of which is a title) since then. Maybe they sneak in? They get killed with the NBA argument though, name some impact players from Louisville. UCONN maybe? They werent a force until the late 90s, so we got a 15 year edge there almost, but they do got some nice NBA guys. There's three teams, giving two of them the benefit of the doubt, that puts us at worst, 7th. And that is with some really shit luck in the elite 8 under Miller and the turmoil in the last of Lute's years.

Nothing I have seen so far this year makes me think that Arizona deserves the respect this year that you want. That will likely change this weekend but I don't think the Cats have played to their potential yet but I also don't think they have played like a top ten team either. So no I don't find Katz ranking funny. To be fair and honest I can't name a lot more teams better than Arizona right now at the same time but Incant blame or think anyone is trolling or hating on arizona for having 20 teams better than Arizona at this point. If Arizona beats MSU or Gonazaga and that happens after I will agree with you. And I thin Arizona stays in the top 20 even with two losses to MSU and Gonzaga. But I have said in other threads I belive that I think UA wins the tournament this weekend.

As for the teams you mentioned all but UNC and UCLA have made the final four since Miller came to UA and UNC won the title the year before. While U of A has been incredible and impressive except for two years under Miller I personally do not believe we deserve the respect of those other schools you mentioned except UCLA until Miller gets us to the final four. Maybe I am too much a what have you done for me lately fan but I think we need to get to the final four soon, 15 years is too long for a top program to go without hitting that mark. I know a lot was stacked against Arizona when Miller got here so please don't take that as an attack on him in any way. I think it happens in the next three years

We are the epitome of "can't win the big one" in CBB. Tracking back to the beginning of Lute's era, we have one season in over 30 of missing the tourney. Even our down period towards the end of Lute's era still has us sitting on 4 Elite Eights from 2005-2015. We have had consistent success in these last 30 years that rivals any program for any 30 year period.

We have just not converted that sustained success into Final Fours and National Championships. You want to believe there is a correlation between overall success and those crowning achievements, but we are on a 14 year skid of it not playing out like that.

What can you do except continue to believe and load up for this year's run?

Two missed tournaments