2024-25 Arizona Basketball

[TheCatInTheHat]

If you’re going to lose 8 poll spots going on the road to play in tough environments like in Madison in the non-con the incentive will be to just stay home and play cupcakes if you play a killer conference schedule like the Big XII.

Didn't see the game, but from the post-game comments, it sounded like the Big Ten refs were actively "doing their job", which is to say the early-season paternalistic stuff (early T on Love, etc.) Obviously we played poorly and would have lost regardless, and maybe it's a good learning experience for a re-patched lineup. But the stacked deck of those kinds of non-conference road game seems like overkill, and the eastern sportswriter types don't seem to give out any credit for tough scheduling. They're just happy to re-confirm their existing beliefs about yet another soft overrated far west team. Fans like the big intersectional home-and-homes, but with the murderer's row of the Big XII waiting, going forward things non-conference may look much more like our series with UCLA, Battle for Atlantis, etc.

[pc in NM]

I love the scheduling of several top opponents in the conference pre-season.

Good for fans.

Good for team-building.

If one discredits regular season performance vs tournament performance (as most here seem to do!), then these games, that might mean more losses but better preparation for the post-season, should be regarded as positives.

And, poll rankings, before January, are, IMNSHO, just as meaningless as preseason polls and ALL of "bracketology" predictions before March.

[Merkin]

I love the scheduling of several top opponents in the conference pre-season.

Same. Scheduling cupcakes like Miller was prone to do sure builds up your record and your confidence, and even puts players like Nico Mannion into the conversation for the lottery, but once you hit conference schedule and come on down back to earth you fall into the 2nd round.

Did get a cup of coffee in the league thanks to Steve Kerr, but now a lifelong Euro player.

[Alieberman]

We generally play up to our competition

I expect a great effort, great game by the Cats

[TheCatInTheHat]

I don't think anyone suggests lowering the level of competition and playing Mercyhurst at McKale for every non-conference game. The only question is how much you cater to fans for the McKale half of a major home-and-home by subjecting yourself to hostile refs and observing a free throw exhibition by the opposition (and frequently a loss) for the road half, with whatever impact that has on that season. Not sure how much that prepares you for NCAA play which is usually officiated very differently. It was interesting in the Pac how much you sometimes had to play on eggshells (even at home!), with much dialogue about how that hurt us when the tournament came around. You need to play 5 or 6 tough teams prior to league play. It's just whether you play them in Tucson, Baton Rouge, Tucson, Bloomington, Tucson, and Lexington, or whether you play them in Phoenix, Maui, Nassau, New York, Palm Springs, and Las Vegas.

[PHXCATS]

Convince me we can win on Friday.

Because Arizona is a good team

What the fuck is this post