The 2021-2022 Season Thread

[UAEebs86]

I don't see a network for the Colorado game.

Anyone know anything?

UofA website says it's on the Deuce:


https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/mens ... le/2021-22

[CatMG]

I don't see a network for the Colorado game.

Anyone know anything?

ESPN2

[threenumberones]

Man it's nice to be upgraded from The Ocho this year.

[97cats]

Arizona blows out Utah as rebuilding Utes take a step back following two-game winning streak

Utah kept it competitive against Arizona the first time around. Thursday night proved to be the opposite.

Arizona leads the country in pace of play and, for the most part, each turnover led to a fast break dunk of some kind. It is why the Wildcats went on a 23-2 run to end the first half — effectively ending the game —and all five starters were in double-figures.

“We had some catastrophic turnovers,” Smith said. “When they get out in transition, their spurt-ability is incredible. It is like the 1980s Lakers.’

Ultimately, if Thursday was a test of the team’s malleability — like Smith talked about — it showed Utah has a ways to go. And Arizona — a program ranked in the top three in KenPom, the NET rankings and the AP Poll — is the one growing.

“They got it all. You can see their athleticism up and down the lineup. That is where we want to go,” Smith said. “But we obviously got a ways to go.”

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes ... -out-utah/

[EastCoastCat]

I liked:

We had some catastrophic turnovers,” Smith said. “When they get out in transition, their spurt-ability is incredible. It is like the 1980s Lakers.’

[Alieberman]

I liked:

We had some catastrophic turnovers,” Smith said. “When they get out in transition, their spurt-ability is incredible. It is like the 1980s Lakers.’

I would have liked it better if he compared AZ to the D'Antoni Nash Stoudamire Suns

[EastCoastCat]

I liked:

We had some catastrophic turnovers,” Smith said. “When they get out in transition, their spurt-ability is incredible. It is like the 1980s Lakers.’

I would have liked it better if he compared AZ to the D'Antoni Nash Stoudamire Suns

Well played comrade...

[97cats]

sorry to be a wet blanket but i prefer the former, they won five ya know

[Alieberman]

I can't argue with the final results of those Lakers.

I just loved the Suns 7 Seconds or Less Offense

[97cats]

I can't argue with the final results of those Lakers.

I just loved the Suns 7 Seconds or Less Offense

well said on the seven seconds or less comment, i hadnt thought of that detail - and i am not a Laker fan at all so lets settle that right now, but to have the team you just crushed at home in their gym say after the game you remind them of one of the most iconic teams in pro basketball history is beyond special, imo ....no disrespect to D'Antoni

[UAEebs86]

I liked:

We had some catastrophic turnovers,” Smith said. “When they get out in transition, their spurt-ability is incredible. It is like the 1980s Lakers.’

I would have liked it better if he compared AZ to the D'Antoni Nash Stoudamire Suns

Without the Tim Donaghy I hope.

[EastCoastCat]

I can't argue with the final results of those Lakers.

I just loved the Suns 7 Seconds or Less Offense

well said on the seven seconds or less comment, i hadnt thought of that detail - and i am not a Laker fan at all so lets settle that right now, but to have the team you just crushed at home in their gym say after the game you remind them of one of the most iconic teams in pro basketball history is beyond special, imo ....no disrespect to D'Antoni

Well, I am a Laker fan but thought the same thing. I'm trying to remember but there was a college team (maybe Kentucky?) where people were saying they could be a pro team, which of course is laughable, but can't remember any team to be referenced as such.

On a sort of different line of thought - I remember the UCLA Freshman team with Lew/Kareem beat the UCLA Varsity team that had just won a Natty.

[MountainCat]

Believe it’s on ESP2

[97cats]

ECC!! Jabbar, imo is the greatest college player of all time and its not really even close. Bill Walton maybe second?

my fav NCAA to NBA team comp was from the 1990 UNLV team that won it all. seemed like all five guys could play in the NBA while they were at UNLV - shit, they got paid like it

[EastCoastCat]

ECC!! Jabbar, imo is the greatest college player of all time and its not really even close. Bill Walton maybe second?

If that's the case this story you will love. As a kid I used to skateboard over to Westwood and UCLA (yes, across Sunset Blvd & Veteran Ave but those days were different). I used to frequent Dykstra Hall which is a UCLA dorm but they had other shit there back then like a bowling alley and pinball machines. Anyway, in the old set up there was an outside bball court. One day when I passed by who the fuck is shooting hoops but the one and only Kareem (Lew back then). And all by himself...nobody around. I got up the nerve and asked if it was OK if I shagged rebounds - not like he missed much - to toss back to him. He said OK. So there is little scrawny ass ECC all alone with one of the greatest players of all time passing the ball over to him after every shot for about 5-10 minutes.

True story!

[VegasCatFan]

ECC!! Jabbar, imo is the greatest college player of all time and its not really even close. Bill Walton maybe second?

my fav NCAA to NBA team comp was from the 1990 UNLV team that won it all. seemed like all five guys could play in the NBA while they were at UNLV - shit, they got paid like it

The 1991 UNLV team was even better than 1990. Undefeated until losing to Puke in the Final 4.

[97cats]

If that's the case this story you will love. As a kid I used to skateboard over to Westwood and UCLA (yes, across Sunset Blvd & Veteran Ave but those days were different). I used to frequent Dykstra Hall which is a UCLA dorm but they had other shit there back then like a bowling alley and pinball machines. Anyway, in the old set up there was an outside bball court. One day when I passed by who the fuck is shooting hoops but the one and only Kareem (Lew back then). And all by himself...nobody around. I got up the nerve and asked if it was OK if I shagged rebounds - not like he missed much - to toss back to him. He said OK. So there is little scrawny ass ECC all alone with one of the greatest players of all time passing the ball over to him after every shot for about 5-10 minutes.

True story!

this is incredible thank you for this share - WOW!

[TheCat]

I can't argue with the final results of those Lakers.

I just loved the Suns 7 Seconds or Less Offense

well said on the seven seconds or less comment, i hadnt thought of that detail - and i am not a Laker fan at all so lets settle that right now, but to have the team you just crushed at home in their gym say after the game you remind them of one of the most iconic teams in pro basketball history is beyond special, imo ....no disrespect to D'Antoni

Well, I am a Laker fan but thought the same thing. I'm trying to remember but there was a college team (maybe Kentucky?) where people were saying they could be a pro team, which of course is laughable, but can't remember any team to be referenced as such.

On a sort of different line of thought - I remember the UCLA Freshman team with Lew/Kareem beat the UCLA Varsity team that had just won a Natty.

Houston's Slama Jama is who they most remind me of on a college level.

[Alieberman]

ECC!! Jabbar, imo is the greatest college player of all time and its not really even close. Bill Walton maybe second?

If that's the case this story you will love. As a kid I used to skateboard over to Westwood and UCLA (yes, across Sunset Blvd & Veteran Ave but those days were different). I used to frequent Dykstra Hall which is a UCLA dorm but they had other shit there back then like a bowling alley and pinball machines. Anyway, in the old set up there was an outside bball court. One day when I passed by who the fuck is shooting hoops but the one and only Kareem (Lew back then). And all by himself...nobody around. I got up the nerve and asked if it was OK if I shagged rebounds - not like he missed much - to toss back to him. He said OK. So there is little scrawny ass ECC all alone with one of the greatest players of all time passing the ball over to him after every shot for about 5-10 minutes.

True story!

That is so cool!

[azgreg]

sorry to be a wet blanket but i prefer the former, they won five ya know

I could be wrong but I don't believe the Lakers ever won an NCAA basketball championship.

[azcat49]

Cats open as a 9.5 point favorite vs the buffs

[Postmaster]

Offensively, I think of Loyola .
Defensively, not so much.

Personally, I get angry every time anyone mentions Nash.

[Alieberman]

sorry to be a wet blanket but i prefer the former, they won five ya know

I could be wrong but I don't believe the Lakers ever won an NCAA basketball championship.

They never should have overlooked Northwest Montana State Technical Institute....

[EastCoastCat]

East Tennessee State...that's the one that always gets me saying wtf.

[Chicat]

East Tennessee isn’t even a state!!

[EastCoastCat]

If that's the case this story you will love. As a kid I used to skateboard over to Westwood and UCLA (yes, across Sunset Blvd & Veteran Ave but those days were different). I used to frequent Dykstra Hall which is a UCLA dorm but they had other shit there back then like a bowling alley and pinball machines. Anyway, in the old set up there was an outside bball court. One day when I passed by who the fuck is shooting hoops but the one and only Kareem (Lew back then). And all by himself...nobody around. I got up the nerve and asked if it was OK if I shagged rebounds - not like he missed much - to toss back to him. He said OK. So there is little scrawny ass ECC all alone with one of the greatest players of all time passing the ball over to him after every shot for about 5-10 minutes.

True story!

this is incredible thank you for this share - WOW!

Anytime. And would love to share some more ECC stories (I got a slew of them).

Maybe over a brew? Maybe in a town that has a French Quarter?
Hmmm....

[UAEebs86]

East Tennessee State...that's the one that always gets me saying wtf.

1987 UTEP first round (in McKale!) still grinds my gears. I was living in El Paso at the time and caught so much shit.

[RondaeShimmy]

Cats open as a 9.5 point favorite vs the buffs

Hopefully the late game and travel doesn't affect them

They got smoked by asu so we should expect them to be play like the '92 us Olympic team for the first 15 mins or so

[azcat49]

Not a directional school but Santa Clara and that pesky guard haunts me. We even had a 20+-0 run and lost.

First 2 vs 15 loss and the SLC crowd was eating it up.

[Beachcat97]

Can't tell if this turn in the thread is "most painful losses."

If so, my top 5 are:

1. Illinois '05 (E8, should've been Lute's last Final Four; up 15 with 4 minutes left and didn't win; still hurts!)
2. Kansas '03 (E8, we were crazy dominant that year and lost the rematch with Kansas; Luke, JG and RA's final game as Cats)
3. Utah '98 (E8, on the brink of back to back FFs and ran into Doleac and Miller)
4. Wisconsin '15 (E8, arguably Miller's best team at AZ, TJM's final game as a Cat)
5. UConn '11 (E8, a Jamelle Horne 3 away from a FF run for Miller in his second year at AZ)

What's crazy to look at here is that these are all Elite 8 losses. Imagine if we'd even won three of these five, and suddenly we're right after Duke, UNC and Kentucky, imo, in terms of elite programs in the modern era.

[Alieberman]

To all of you that have bitched about scheduling 3 games in 5 days, etc....

Do you not get depressed on off days?

[Chicat]

Haven’t we rehashed bad losses enough?

I swear some of you all crave the pain. Fucking masochists…

[EastCoastCat]

To all of you that have bitched about scheduling 3 games in 5 days, etc....

Do you not get depressed on off days?

You are right Ari. I wake up and think if it’s game day or not and instead of trying to figure out if we will get a W I now say “can’t wait to watch this exciting team yet again”.

[Alieberman]

To all of you that have bitched about scheduling 3 games in 5 days, etc....

Do you not get depressed on off days?

You are right Ari. I wake up and think if it’s game day or not and instead of trying to figure out if we will get a W I now say “can’t wait to watch this exciting team yet again”.

I am so invested into this team.... more than I have in a long long time.

I don't know when our last game is going to be..... and I am just going to try to enjoy every moment of it.... I just know its going to suck when it's over (even if we don't lose our last game)

More, more more!!!!!!

[azcat49]

Reminds of the DWill year. Team crept up on us. Had a great run and was very exciting. Has the big win against Texas and then Duke was orgasmic. Then the UConn game made you want to keep playing, it was like a drug you had to have. This is very similar

[Beachcat97]

Haven’t we rehashed bad losses enough?

I swear some of you all crave the pain. Fucking masochists…

Yes, but I was just following the direction of the thread.

I do find something cathartic in facing these unpleasant memories. As time has passed, I've been able to recognize how great these teams were, in spite of those last, gut-wrenching games. It's also made me appreciate even more just how special a FF run is. Whenever we get back there, I'm going to savor that shit for a long time.

[EastCoastCat]

I tell you all one thing. If I happen to be in New Orleans for some strange reason in April, Gumbo and cocktails are on me for our BDW brethren.

[RaisingArizona]

I can't argue with the final results of those Lakers.

I just loved the Suns 7 Seconds or Less Offense

well said on the seven seconds or less comment, i hadnt thought of that detail - and i am not a Laker fan at all so lets settle that right now, but to have the team you just crushed at home in their gym say after the game you remind them of one of the most iconic teams in pro basketball history is beyond special, imo ....no disrespect to D'Antoni

Well, I am a Laker fan but thought the same thing. I'm trying to remember but there was a college team (maybe Kentucky?) where people were saying they could be a pro team, which of course is laughable, but can't remember any team to be referenced as such.

On a sort of different line of thought - I remember the UCLA Freshman team with Lew/Kareem beat the UCLA Varsity team that had just won a Natty.

Houston's Slama Jama is who they most remind me of on a college level.

Totally agree. I made that same Phi Slamma Jamma comp on Twitter after the Michigan game

[dovecanyoncat]

To all of you that have bitched about scheduling 3 games in 5 days, etc....

Do you not get depressed on off days?

You are right Ari. I wake up and think if it’s game day or not and instead of trying to figure out if we will get a W I now say “can’t wait to watch this exciting team yet again”.

I am so invested into this team.... more than I have in a long long time.

I don't know when our last game is going to be..... and I am just going to try to enjoy every moment of it.... I just know its going to suck when it's over (even if we don't lose our last game)

More, more more!!!!!!

This team has turned us into nymphomaniacs: "Feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, and depression may arise due to sexual urges and behavior. Ultimately, no one dealing with compulsive sexual behavior is alone."

[97cats]

I tell you all one thing. If I happen to be in New Orleans for some strange reason in April, Gumbo and cocktails are on me for our BDW brethren.

and a strong strong chance i will be there to pick up the steak martini and bourbon tab

[TheCat]

Oh if this team makes the final 4 and if I can get tickets (for sure) I'm there.

[TheCat]

Let's just win the conference tomorrow and then it will be gravy till the P12 championships. My hope is Oregon wins tomorrow and we win the league by 4 games. I can not remember if that has EVER been done.

[Postmaster]

Haven’t we rehashed bad losses enough?

I swear some of you all crave the pain. Fucking masochists…

Yes, but I was just following the direction of the thread.

I do find something cathartic in facing these unpleasant memories. As time has passed, I've been able to recognize how great these teams were, in spite of those last, gut-wrenching games. It's also made me appreciate even more just how special a FF run is. Whenever we get back there, I'm going to savor that shit for a long time.

Someone compared us to the Suns with Nash.
I hate Nash. That guy clearly sold his soul, and probably those of his children.

[dovecanyoncat]

My hope is Oregon wins tomorrow and we win the league by 4 games. I can not remember if that has EVER been done.

Groan, I dunno. It's really, really excruciating to root for the Ducks under any scenario. I just rewatched our victory against them and we had much harder time with them than we did USC. And I don't want USC spoiling to right themselves after a loss when we travel to Galen. The 4 game margin is a cool notion, but we gotta keep winning.

[Bangkok Wildcat]

Can't tell if this turn in the thread is "most painful losses."

If so, my top 5 are:

1. Illinois '05 (E8, should've been Lute's last Final Four; up 15 with 4 minutes left and didn't win; still hurts!)
2. Kansas '03 (E8, we were crazy dominant that year and lost the rematch with Kansas; Luke, JG and RA's final game as Cats)
3. Utah '98 (E8, on the brink of back to back FFs and ran into Doleac and Miller)
4. Wisconsin '15 (E8, arguably Miller's best team at AZ, TJM's final game as a Cat)
5. UConn '11 (E8, a Jamelle Horne 3 away from a FF run for Miller in his second year at AZ)

What's crazy to look at here is that these are all Elite 8 losses. Imagine if we'd even won three of these five, and suddenly we're right after Duke, UNC and Kentucky, imo, in terms of elite programs in the modern era.

Ughhh, Although I agree with your rankings, I hate re-living this kind of pain…..moving on please…..

[YoDeFoe]

Loving TheCat’s quick pivot from “let’s book flights” to “let’s just win this game” - my exact sentiments

[Merkin]

deleted, but good to get out of my system.

[Chicat]

Stop

Just stop it.

[EastCoastCat]

We just don’t like good things…

[SCCats]

We just don’t like good things…

Some of us do