Bear Down Wildcats

Great news, Hope will be coming back next year.

Cats lose to asu 3-2 and now wait their fate. The bracket will be announced on Monday.

Had a 2-1 lead going into the 79th minute. Game they should have won

Arizona is left out of the NCAA tournament. Looks like the loss to asu was the difference as asu made it. UCLA, USC, Cal & Stanford also made it.

That is some BS. They are easily one of the 64 best. 39 in RPI and I think the highest left out. Of course a win in Tempe would have sealed it and maybe another win earlier so no one to blame but themselves.

Kind of slim pickings last night for sports after the Chargers game, but in flipping around, I stumbled on ASU soccer. Ordinarily, there'd be no chance, but I didn't feel like starting a movie or something. I thought it might be another really bad idea by the Pac-12 Network to show some prior year soccer match. But, it was the very first live college sporting event I've seen for this season. So I watched the first half. First off, what's with the lights? Dim with long shadows, and the area beyond the pitch was as dark and spooky as a vampire movie. Get some decent LEDs. (Our team could use some improvement in that area, too.) ASU played Mississippi St. As best I can tell, ASU was playing for a tie the whole game. They just let the clock run while their goalie and a fullback would tap the ball back and forth deep in their side of the field. Like for a full minute. They did this multiple times in the first half, and only had one or two forays at the MSU goal, which were sloppy and ineffective. Well, they got what they wanted with their stall: 0-0 was the final. So they're 1-0-1 after two home games (Wright St was their big victim), and we're 0-1 after a road game at Iowa St. After some streamed games, we play Boise St on Pac-12 Arizona the Sunday after next. Hopefully, regardless of the outcome, our play in that game will be more entertaining than ASU's slow-down garbage. Back in the day prior to the shot clock, I had debates over the stall in college basketball. I argued that it was more interesting to see a close competitive game that way than to see an overmatched team get blown out. Well, I've changed my opinion. It just seems like a poor twisting of the rules and bad for any sport. Play straight up and let the chips fall where they may.

(Note: I edited this after realizing I had erroneously posted that we were 0-2 after dropping a game at Pepperdine. That was just an exhibition. The loss in Malibu was noted on the schedule without noting that it was an exhibition, but it is not included in the overall total.)

You never saw UTEP play basketball in the WAC, did you?

I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

Cats start the season 2-0 with wins over Grand Canyon and Pacific.

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 7:28 am

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

The Albuquerque part of that road trip was physically dangerous. The crowd at the Pit would throw stuff at the opposing players. No fun at all.

RichardCranium wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:18 am

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 7:28 am

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

The Albuquerque part of that road trip was physically dangerous. The crowd at the Pit would throw stuff at the opposing players. No fun at all.

I've been to several games in the PIT, including a few vs Arizona (but post-WAC timeframe), and never witnessed such behavior...

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:29 am

RichardCranium wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:18 am

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 7:28 am

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

The Albuquerque part of that road trip was physically dangerous. The crowd at the Pit would throw stuff at the opposing players. No fun at all.

I've been to several games in the PIT, including a few vs Arizona (but post-WAC timeframe), and never witnessed such behavior...

Maybe you could try talking to Bob Elliot?

RichardCranium wrote: Tue Aug 20, 2024 1:23 am

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:29 am

RichardCranium wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:18 am

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 7:28 am

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

The Albuquerque part of that road trip was physically dangerous. The crowd at the Pit would throw stuff at the opposing players. No fun at all.

I've been to several games in the PIT, including a few vs Arizona (but post-WAC timeframe), and never witnessed such behavior...

Maybe you could try talking to Bob Elliot?

Maybe you could provide a link!

I tried to find links. The incident appears to be too old for the internet or something.

I remember it involving coins hitting Al Fleming and Bob Elliot, and Herm Harris having to be restrained from instructing the crowd on proper behaviour.

Snowden and Ellenberger were good friends so the dispute didn't go nuclear but UA and UNM relations have always been frosty ever since.
Then the slow clock incident convinced Lute to never schedule them again.

RichardCranium wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 10:18 am

pc in NM wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2024 7:28 am

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Tue Aug 22, 2023 9:55 am I actually did. God, it was the worst...especially during a time when Snowden's guys wanted to run up and down the court willing to give up 110 to get 120 (which I believe they did more than once.) One of the worst parts of it was that while the crowd was bored into a silent stupor, the visiting UTEP cheerleaders were intentionally annoying in banging wooden blocks on the floor in front of them. Good times.

It was a great rivalry - the Albuquerque/El Paso road trips and home weekends, and the contrasting styles, was very interesting basketball!!

The Albuquerque part of that road trip was physically dangerous. The crowd at the Pit would throw stuff at the opposing players. No fun at all.

The Pit was raucous, but for actual acting out, I'd go with UTEP. In their small Memorial Gym, capacity 3,000 (before the Don Haskins Center in 1977), I used to listen to Ray McNally do radio play by play, and he'd have stuff thrown at him, including (what I assume were pint-sized) liquor bottles. He sat courtside there, and he got into it directly with their fans in the middle of a broadcast ... really something else. In '92, I went to the Sun Bowl for our game with Baylor. Some kid driving a car bellowed something at our group of Arizona fans from his window, and I locked eyes with him. There was a traffic cop in the intersection, but he still jumped out and started charging until his friend pulled him back. ("Hold me back," right?) Nothing like some Wild Turkey on your Wheaties, I guess. Must be something in that Rio Grande water.

RichardCranium wrote: Tue Aug 20, 2024 3:18 pm I tried to find links. The incident appears to be too old for the internet or something.

I remember it involving coins hitting Al Fleming and Bob Elliot, and Herm Harris having to be restrained from instructing the crowd on proper behaviour.

Snowden and Ellenberger were good friends so the dispute didn't go nuclear but UA and UNM relations have always been frosty ever since.
Then the slow clock incident convinced Lute to never schedule them again.

IMNSHO, the biggest obstacle to another home/home series is that the PIT is no longer a NCAA tourney site. After the WAC. Arizona benefited form playing there because of the NCAA-tourney atmosphere, and even the opportunity to be familiar with the environment if seeded there....

BTW, the PIT is the only college arena I've been in that was usually louder than McKale when the students were on campus....

Cats beat NAU 5-0 last night to start the season 3-0. Next game is at powerhouse North Carolina on Sunday. This is the game where we will see how good this Cats team is. Anson Dorrance, the GOAT retired this summer, so it will be interesting to see how the Tar Heels play. They are currently ranked 5th in the country.

It says ACC Network, but it looks like it ** might ** also be available on ESPN+.

Ramey is playing great as the Cats are tied 0-0 with 23 minutes left in the game. UNC has been dominating the game but Ramey is playing brilliantly.

Cats lose 2-0. Even though they lost, they look better so far than last year.

Cats beat BYU 2-1.