Arizona football recruiting: Wildcats officially sign 2016 class

All the guys who will make their way to Tucson this season

National Signing Day is approaching and there's a lot of recruiting terminology and information that you should be aware of concerning all the latest recruits.

National Signing Day is such a huge day for a football program. To put it simply, teams that win on signing day win games. The kids in each recruiting class are the future of the program, and that's what drew my interest towards the topic a few years ago.

When you look at the top 25 teams, or even the top teams in the Pac-12, those are the teams that are recruiting the best talent. Arizona has hovered around the top 40, sometimes around the top 30 mark, but when compared to the Pac-12, that's usually about 7th-9th in the conference. And the difference in recruiting shows when you look at Arizona's record vs. Pac-12 South rivals Arizona State, UCLA and USC. Rich Rodriguez has gone 2-10 against those three teams in his time here at Arizona.

Now, onto the recruiting terminology you need to know.

Scholarship count

Every program, unless mandated by the NCAA for violations, is given 25 scholarships for each recruiting class. The recruiting class currently has 13 commits, so that allows Arizona to fill up with 12 more. Should Arizona go over that 25, there are multiple options for a recruit from there.

Gray shirt

The first option is to gray shirt. A gray shirt can be brought up by the coaching staff for a few reasons: 1) The recruit suffered an injury and will be recovering throughout the summer and fall camps, 2) the staff feels that the player needs to train to get bigger, faster etc., or 3) the recruit is ineligible academically and so on.

When a kid is asked to grayshirt, his enrollment is essentially delayed by a semester. Rather than joining the team in the summer, going through fall camp and the entire regular season, the recruit must wait until the spring semester to enroll and then join the team for spring practice.

Sharif Williams, Keenan Walker, Antonio Parks were all gray shirt recruits, all of whom suffered injuries that set back their timeline. It's a strategic move for coaches that ends up benefiting both parties in this situation. However, former Arizona commit Sean Riley was asked to gray shirt, likely because they already had four running backs in the class and saw this opportunity as a benefit for both.

Sometimes, kids can also go to, prep school, which has been a common thing for many. Guys like Tyrell Johnson and Paul Magloire went to prep school, both at Milford Academy. Prep school is an option for a multitude of reasons; grades, physicals, etc.

Blue shirt

Blue shirt is another option for recruits if a team begins to over sign on their allotted 25 scholarships. This option essentially makes the recruit a walk-on. This type of recruit cannot go through the normal recruitment process, much like a walk-on. There is no in-home visit, no official visit, no scholarship offer.

The recruit will be able to pledge to the university, and arrive on campus with the current recruiting class. The recruit is still eligible to play for that season as well, the only problem is that they will not be on scholarship until the following semester. When I spoke to former Arizona commit Jabari Watson, this is essentially what the staff wanted him to do, which resulted in a decommitment.

The recruit will then go on scholarship in the spring semester and that scholarship will be counted towards the following recruiting class.

Preferred Walk-on

The preferred walk-on is a kid who the staff really wanted, but just didn't have the means to offer him a scholarship. A regular walk-on is typically someone who expresses interest in the staff first and literally walks onto the team after reaching out to the staff. The preferred walk-on is someone the staff seeks out and still wants on a team, with the hopes of one day offering him a scholarship should he work hard and go above and beyond. We saw this with two local Tucson products in Jared Tevis and Jake Matthews.

Early enrollee

An early enrollee is a member of the recruiting class who wraps up their high school or junior college career a semester early. This has to be organized well in advance for a recruit to pull this off, simply because they're graduating an entire semester, or two quarters, earlier than your typical student.

Upon graduation, they'll be able to head to campus for the first day of classes of the spring semester. From there, they're able to begin working out and practicing with the team, taking a huge edge off the learning curve for most recruits.

This year, Arizona had three early enrollees, with Khalil Tate, Isaiah Hayes and Kahi Neves.

How can guys still leave after committing

Some people question if the word commitment truly means anything these days in the world of college recruiting. The sad thing is, not really. Whether a recruit commits early in the process and his recruitment starts to blow up, with bigger schools coming after him, too much competition ahead of them, or even the coaching staff backing off and parting ways with a recruit who has been nothing but loyal to the program.

All of the decommitments can happen because the recruit has only given a verbal commitment. Nothing actually matters until the recruit signs a National Letter of Intent. Unless a recruit plans to enroll early, a recruit can only sign on the first Wednesday of February, which is National Signing Day. Until that letter is signed, guys can commit, decommit and flip at any time, for as many times as they want.

Official vs. unofficial visits

When recruits visit campus, their trips are classified as either official or unofficial. If the recruit is being offered a scholarship, they can get an official visit. Their flight, hotel, meals, everything is paid for by the university. They're then escorted around campus and Tucson by their host, typically someone from the same city or position group.

When a recruit comes to campus unofficially, they pay their way for the trip. This is more so if the recruit just wants to continue coming to campus on an open weekend, much like Khalil Tate did all of 2015, or if they're current juniors and decide to take unofficial visits, as official visits are only offered to those who are seniors. One player can take five official visits, and an unlimited number of unofficial visits.

For preferred walk-ons and blue shirts, they can only take unofficial visits.

In-home visit

Whether the recruit is committed or uncommitted, a coaching staff can go out and visit a recruit within their home. Here they can talk about the recruit's future on the field, academics, high school, play video games, have dinner, anything. We've even seen Jim Harbaugh take it to the extreme this year and have sleepovers with some potential commits.

Satellite Camps

Satelite Camps are super hard to explain, so here's a great breakdown about satellite camps, and how they're actually legal.

Scholarship Types

Here's a great breakdown I found of how it all works out, describing the four scholarship types.

Scholarships	In-home visit?	Official visit?	Class	Enrolls
Early enrollee	Yes	Yes	2015	Spring 2015
Fall enrollee	Yes	Yes	2015	Fall 2015
Blueshirt	No	No	2016	Fall 2015
Grayshirt	Yes	Yes	2016	Spring 2016

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Arizona basketball: Three things we learned about the Wildcats against Oregon State

Identity issues, defensive issues, and Gabe York were all on hand Saturday night

The biggest question facing the No.18 Arizona Wildcats following their soul-crushing loss to Oregon, which also shattered their 49 game home winning streak, was how would they respond two days later, at home, against an Oregon State Beavers team that is one of the weakest in the Pac-12.

The answer is respectably.

Unlike their start against Oregon, the Wildcats did not extend a quick lead, but rather began lethargically. They only led by four at halftime, but used a fast, hot-shooting second half to pull away and win 80-63.

This victory was complicated, and here are three things we learned to explain why:

Severe Identity Crisis

Whereas Arizona imploded in the second half against Oregon thanks to a lackadaisical effort on both offense and defense, not to mention 19 total turnovers, the Wildcats came alive in the second half against Oregon State, hitting threes, finishing fast breaks, and generally playing well together. But is this encouraging as it sounds, or does it make trying to understand this Arizona squad even more maddening?

At the end of January, a time during which teams are gradually starting to cement their identity, Arizona seems more lost than ever. Arizona sizzles to start a game, then wanes drastically in the second half, and in the very next game plays lethargically in the first half only to explode in the second. One minute they are beasts in the post, the next they are getting out-muscled.

The best teams are those that know who they are, that intimately understand their strengths as well as their weaknesses so they can always remain one step ahead of their opponent.

While this win over Oregon State is encouraging, it is also uncomfortably deceptive because the W masks still very present problems that Sean Miller is going to have to resolve in order for his team to make a run at the NCAA title.

Defense, Defense, Defense

It can’t be ignored. Their inconsistent energy is a serious problem, and it doesn’t show any more glaringly than on defense. During his half-time interview, Miller lamented his team’s inability to pull away because after they scored an easy bucket they would immediately allow an easy bucket on the other end. One would think that with the Kaleb Tarczewski and Ryan Anderson towers patrolling the paint, teams would struggle to attack the basket. Yet these two provided very little rim protection as Oregon State capitalized on lay-up after lay-up. Tarczewski was frequently caught snoozing as his man cut back to the basket.

Unreliable rim protection, wide driving lanes, and laziness--these are catastrophic deficiencies of Arizona’s defense. And Miller is going to have to think of something other than a swear-fest to correct them. Perhaps their team’s best defender, Elliott Pitts, could help salvage this travesty, if he ever returns.

Gabe York is Ridiculous

Let’s end with how ridiculously good of a shooter Gabe York is. He scored a career-high 24 points on a career-high 6-12 from deep. He shoots well over 40% from deep on the season, but he was extra accurate Saturday. He would have made one or two more if not for a couple unlucky bounces. Indeed, he is the kind of smooth shooter who can save games. As bad as Arizona is defensively, and as lethargic as they can sometimes be offensively, this guy may very well be the lone reliable bright spot.

Until Allonzo Trier returns, that is.

Let’s assess how well Arizona plays together in both halves with Trier back out on the court before we start calling the Wildcats not a very good team this year. Ultimately, they are still a tremendously intimidating team, and will be even more so if they find a way to play hard and fast for a full 40 minutes.

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Arizona football: Cal grad transfer Michael Barton to join Wildcats in 2016

A potentially huge piece to the linebacking puzzle next year

In the pursuit of replacing Scooby Wright III, the Arizona Wildcats coaching staff has added a lot of Pac-12 experience in Cal graduate transfer Michael Barton on Sunday.

#Beardown http://pic.twitter.com/K66oVVxzsT

— Michael Barton (@michaelbarton08) January 31, 2016

Barton played in 32 games over the past three seasons at Cal, totaling 169 tackles in that span. His best year was 2014, where he brought down 80 ball carriers, and also had a couple of pass deflections. His 80 tackles were the best on that Golden Bears team, and earned him an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

Following that campaign, he was named a preseason second-team All-Pac-12 player by Phil Steele. It didn't pan out as expected, as he only played in nine games and compiled 25 tackles after he lost the starting job in training camp.

According to the SF Gate, Barton will graduate from Cal this spring before he will be able to join Arizona. While it seems bad that he lost his starting job this year, the Wildcats are in desperate need of high-level experience at linebacker in 2016 with the departure of Wright, and the possibility of Derrick Turituri missing the 2016 season lingering, as well as the uncertainty of Jake Matthews' recovery.

The Cal transfer will only play one year, so he won't face his former team unless Arizona and Cal meet in the Pac-12 Championship Game. But having him join the system only has upside.

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Arizona basketball: Sean Miller responds to criticism of his behavior towards Kaleb Tarczewski

"For me, it’s not about anything other than what do we do to become the best team we can be, and to bring out the best in him."

During the Arizona Wildcats' home loss to the Oregon Ducks Thursday night, Sean Miller got into a shouting match with Kaleb Tarczewski after the center had a few mental lapses on the defensive end. Miller got in Tarczewski's face and barked a few expletives after Tarczewski appeared to talk back to his head coach.

The spectacle, which happened in front of over 14,000 fans and a national television audience, caused quite a stir among the college basketball community, and a strong disagreement among our staff here at Arizona Desert Swarm. One of our writers thought Miller's actions were over-the-top and unnecessary, while another believed they're just part of the game and nothing to be worried about.

But did Miller have any regrets about his outburst?

"No," he said Saturday after the team's win against Oregon State. "I don’t care what it’s perceived like. I have a great relationship with Kaleb, and he has a great relationship with me and unfortunately in today’s world... it’s trying to catch you, trying to catch coaches. 'What can I do to get this guy fired? Is there anything I can do to catch him behind the scenes'?"

In Miller's mind, he's just doing his job.

"I’m myself. I’m the coach and I’m going to push our team to the best that we can be," he said. "I’m going to push our players to be the best they can be. I’m going to love them, but once in a while they’re not going to like the things that you do."

He likened it to being a parent.

"'Dad can I go out tonight and come back at midnight?' Yes. They come back at 1 a.m. Next weekend [they ask], 'dad can I go out tonight and come back at midnight?' No," he said.

"They don’t like it, but you have to follow the rules. When you’re a coach and you’re in a program like ours, you’re going to be corrected, you’re going to be coached and I think part of it is to be receptive to that. That’s what’s going to bring out the best not only in our team, but also the players."

To no surprise, Miller, who picked up his 300th career win Saturday, isn't going to change his coaching style because of a few dissenting opinions.

"The standards are the standards," he said. "For me, it’s not about anything other than what do we do to become the best team we can be, and to bring out the best in him."

"All that other stuff is nothing but noise. I can’t worry about that."

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Arizona basketball: Allonzo Trier likely returning vs. Washington schools

The Wildcats should have their leading scorer back this week.

When Allonzo Trier broke his hand vs. the USC Trojans, the estimated timetable for his return was 4-6 weeks.

It seems he'll be on the low end of that.

Sean Miller had always said that he hoped the Arizona Wildcats' star freshman would be closer to the four week mark, but there's even a chance that it'll only be three and a half weeks.

"There's a chance," coach Miller said on Saturday about Trier playing against Washington State on Wednesday. "We'll know more when he gets an x-ray before Wednesday."

Trier was warming up with the team prior to Saturday night's win against Oregon State without anything on his hand.

"He would like to play," coach continued. "He can shoot and pass. He's at the point now where depending on the x-ray, he could be more vulnerable if he fell, and we're not going to do that to him. We want him to be able to fall and not be more vulnerable."

"So maybe he needs another week. We'll find out."

My best guess is that Trier would not play Wednesday against the Cougars, but is a lot more likely to make his return against the Washington Huskies on Saturday in Seattle in what could end up being a crucial game in the Pac-12 landscape.

When Allonzo does return, it will not be without some sort of protection on that hand.

"He's gonna play with a pad when he first comes back. It's just the healing."

That Washington game would be right at the four week mark since he broke it.

And what a time to come back, with Arizona needing a road win at the Pac-12's second-place team's house.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Photos of the Arizona marching band at Super Bowl I

These are cool

With one week until Super Bowl 50, there's a lot of reminiscing about past Super Bowls going on. You may or may not know that the University of Arizona was very involved in the very first Super Bowl, as the Arizona marching band was the halftime act. Thanks to AZ Central, this magnificent photo gallery of that performance in the LA Coliseum and the fabulous looks sported by 1960's college marching band members is up for our enjoyment. Always remember, Arizona had the first halftime act at a Super Bowl

- It was a busy recruiting day. Late in the night, former FAU commit Francisco Nelson pledged his allegiance to Arizona.  The Wildcats also secured a preferred walk-on in Josh McCauley

- Former Arizona target Kee Whetzel decided that he will go to...Oregon State

- Sometimes you may ask yourself, what are all these different color shirts people are talking about? Here is the best guide you will find for that kind of thing

Basketball

- Arizona put a late run together for a convincing win over Oregon State. It didn't start well for the Wildcats, but it also didn't start well for this dude

- Kobi Simmons was at the game laughing it up with Gabe York:

#ArizonaWildcats commit Kobi Simmons (@JordanKobi) chats with Gabe York before the team takes on #OregonState. http://pic.twitter.com/sZP1wzqGRE

— Mike Christy (@wildcatphotog) January 31, 2016

Baseball

- A bunch of alumni were in town, and the four National Championship teams were honored at halftime of the basketball game. Kurt Heyer enjoyed himself:

The four national championship teams are being honored at halftime of the @APlayersProgram game! #FourRings http://pic.twitter.com/9ra6B7BWpT

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) January 31, 2016

Other sports

- Swimming and diving had an exhibition meet with Texas for Senior Day

- Women's basketball plays Oregon Sunday afternoon

Tucson news

- Rillito will have to take extra precautions after an equine herpes outbreak at Turf Paradise in Phoenix

- You might go to jail for texting and driving soon

- I found a reason for me to see Hoobastank

Here's some of the acts announced for 2016 @Pimacountyfair. Salt-N-Pepa looks fun. http://pic.twitter.com/vKcmaWv8fh

— Whats Up Tucson (@whatsuptucson) January 30, 2016

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Oregon State vs. Arizona final score: Gabe York leads Wildcats to 80-63 victory over Beavers

For about the first 30 minutes, the Arizona Wildcats looked tight, and the Oregon State Beavers kept the game that way, trailing by just two midway through the second half.

But in traditional Arizona form, the Wildcats busted out a lengthy run, fueled by Gabe York and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and ended up getting back to their winning ways with an 80-63 victory in McKale Center Saturday night.

Arizona led by just four at the break, taking a 34-30 lead to the locker room.

The reason the Wildcats were even in front at that point was three-point shooting, particularly from the hot hand of York. The team was 6-of-11 from beyond the arc at the break, with the senior guard going 4-for-5 and leading all scorers with 14 points. York would finish the night with career-highs in threes made (6) and points (24), putting the exclamation point on it with a dunk with four seconds remaining.

Oregon State was only 4-15 as a team from three at the break, but would keep it close in the second half thanks to their own sudden heating up from downtown.

One guy for the Beavers who had success the entire night was Tres Tinkle. Just add him to the list of wings that the Wildcats have been unable to control this year. The coach's son finished the night with a team-high 16 points.

Playing with tight butts: It looked not great early, but the final ten minutes were encouraging moving forward. As Kevin O'Neill said at halftime of the broadcast, they looked tight, and Arizona doesn't have the personnel that it has in the past. As Cam Newton would say, everyone's butts looked tight.

Apple Turnovers: It was a 9-4 turnover deficit Arizona was facing when OSU pulled within two, but the gap was closed by the end of the game. The Wildcats turned the ball over 13 times on the night compared to the Beavers' 11.

Double-double machine: Ryan Anderson quietly put together another double-double, scoring 13 and grabbing 12 boards. It seems like he's flying under the radar a bit lately, but he keeps putting up incredible numbers.

3x300: In the third attempt, Sean Miller reached the 300 win plateau on Saturday. The school honored him after the game by having Greg Byrne hand him the game ball.

Arizona takes the court next on Wednesday, as they travel to Pullman to take on Washington State.

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Arizona football recruiting: 2-star defensive end Francisco Nelson commits to Wildcats

Another OKG for the class of 2016

The Arizona Wildcats have landed another verbal commitment for the class of 2016, just days before National Signing Day. 2-star defensive end Francisco Nelson was on campus this weekend for an official visit, where he opened up his recruiting process on Saturday morning.

As Of Right Now I've Decommitted From FAU. Opening up my Options!!!

— #WatchOutFor((39)) ™ (@NxttGreat39) January 30, 2016

When this happens, it's usually a good sign for Arizona. Kahi Neves and Jessie Britt are two examples within this 2016 recruiting class. When Arizona first offered Nelson, a long-time FAU commit, I got a good feeling from the beginning. I was able to talk to him after he was offered and he was absolutely thrilled and grateful that a Pac-12 program like Arizona wanted him. For more on that interview, check out my recruiting roundup from a few weeks ago.

Paul Magloire was the host for Francisco Nelson and things seemed to have gone well between the two Florida boys.

Everybody go follow my recruit and the future at Arizona @NxttGreat39 !!!!!! #FloridaBoy recruited by the best @Coach_Addae !

— Paul Magloire ™‼️‼️ (@P_MAGLOIRE) January 30, 2016

@P_MAGLOIRE Best host I ever had So Far..... Arizona Is the Place

— #WatchOutFor((39)) ™ (@NxttGreat39) January 30, 2016

Too hyped to play for this defensive staff this year the PAC12 better watch out!!!! #MoneyTeam

— Paul Magloire ™‼️‼️ (@P_MAGLOIRE) January 30, 2016

Nelson is a 6-4, 215 pound defensive end who will likely need some time to be groomed and gain a little more weight. Although, Nelson is a big-time speed rusher and could be utilized as the 4th down lineman in the 4-2-5, more like a hybrid 3-4 outside linebacker.

His senior year highlights are below.

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Sean Miller's outburst just the latest episode in larger issue in college athletics

Allowing this to happen to young people that can't fight back is wrong, and people need to start realizing that

Imagine yourself doing something you love, doing it for free, but at a high level. People make millions of dollars off of your actions and you could certainly make the case you should be getting paid at that time. You also know that you have the potential to make millions in just a few short years. But before you reach that pay day, you have to give your services, and more importantly your life, to someone who is making millions of dollars that has absolute control over everything you do.

Now imagine yourself being screamed at by this person, day in and day out, but you take it, because you have no choice. No immediate reward for putting up with this outside of the personal satisfaction of doing the thing you love at the highest level, and admittedly, receiving a free (largely in the case of men's basketball and football) education.

This is what we all got to witness on Thursday evening in McKale Center, when Sean Miller not only pulled Kaleb Tarczewski for making a mistake, but after the 22-year-old center told coach to relax, was responded to by the 47-year-old Miller by getting called a "motherfucker". Miller was not done there, going back at his four-year player and getting right up in his face again.

That's one way to get your point across if you are Sean Miller http://pic.twitter.com/LmehfWtuvG

— DailyWildcatHoops (@WildcatHoops) January 29, 2016

This, to me, is not about being "naive about cussing" or the "wussification of America" as so many people have commented on our various platforms since Thursday night's debacle. It's not about "growing a pair" or handing out participation trophies.

It's about the fundamental issue with college athletics.

It's about the wealthy having absolute power over the student-athlete.

Counterpoint: Don't be concerned with Sean Miller's actions

I'm not sure there is anyone who embodies the spirit of the student-athlete on this Arizona Wildcats team more than Kaleb Tarczewski. About to graduate with his degree from Eller College of Management, the big man grew up in a cabin in New Hampshire, and is on the verge of achieving success in the real world, or in the basketball world. After he returned to action against ASU, Tarczewski said that his injury gave him a chance to focus on his academics, and the time away from basketball may have actually been a blessing in that aspect.

Not sure you would get that from a lot of people.

He's always been a little different, and has been the target of Arizona fans' vitriol for years now. This is just the latest instance, being attacked with the "soft" label for telling his coach to relax.

That's what he said. "Relax".

In the world of college athletics, this has become unacceptable. A player that has no control over his life to say something so simple, and have good reason to say it. I think we can all agree that Miller is always toeing the line of taking it too far during a game.

Watching this event took me back to, of all places, the 2015 ACC Football Championship Game between Clemson and North Carolina. Why? The Tigers' punter called for a fake punt on his own, drawing the ire of Dabo Swinney. Not once, but over and over and over again.

Just like Swinney, Miller's actions can not be considered "coaching". They are the actions of a man frustrated with the results of the game he is coaching in, and taking out those frustrations on someone he knows can't do anything to respond. They just have to sit there and take it.

I'm sorry, but this isn't right.

Now, if you make changes to the NCAA, and say, pay the student-athlete in a way, or allow them to profit on their likeness, then my take changes. I also think the behavior by coaches and players immediately changes as well. But in the current system, people should not be standing idly by and just chalking this up to "being part of D-1 athletics". Give me a break.

This isn't limited to just Miller, or Swinney. It includes Rich Rodriguez. It includes these other "great" college coaches people keep bringing up like Calipari, Coach K, Izzo, Bill Self. They're taking advantage of a broken system, and are using it to abuse alleged students verbally and mentally in a very public forum. And they're able to do it without having to suffer any repercussions.

People say "this is big boy basketball". When's the last time you saw Gregg Popovich absolutely lay into one of his players like this. When did Phil Jackson do it? Steve Kerr? Erik Spoelstra? You don't see it. Why? They're busy coaching, and they know that screaming at a guy isn't going to actually improve anything. And if they do it just to vent frustration, those players might actually respond, because, well, they're not in a subservient role like they are in college.

So don't just come with the caveman take of "you're soft, grow a pair". Take a second, step back from the insane passion that some people have for college sports, look around at real life, and realize that there are bigger issues here that need to be addressed by everyone.

The status quo isn't acceptable anymore. Everything evolves. This is something that needs to evolve.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Jonathan Haden transferring from Arizona

A few roster changes went down on Friday in Tucson

Lately, people have spent a majority of their time worrying about the potential additions to the Arizona Wildcats roster next week on National Signing Day. But a few names have departed. First, it was Sharif Williams, who retired due to chronic knee pain. Then, as noted at the end of Anthony Gimino's post on Williams, Jonathan Haden has informed Rich Rodriguez that he will be transferring. Haden had 41 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards, one kick return, and ten tackles on special teams, including a forced fumble in 2015. He'll have two years of eligibility remaining

- Also, offensive lineman T.D. Gross will not be returning to the program next season

- On the recruiting side, there are a few guys in town this weekend, including Jalen Cochran, FAU commit Francisco Nelson, and former Cal linebacker Michael Barton

- Cal and Arizona are also going head-to-head for a couple of guys heading down the final stretch

- There might be a new annual fee for students coming to help fund improvements to Arizona Stadium

Basketball

- Congrats to Brandon Ashley on making the D-League All-Star Game

- Sean Miller's behavior on Thursday has started an interesting debate. Alec took Miller's side. I will go the opposite way later Saturday

- We learned other things about the team in its loss to the Ducks

- Rawle Alkins was at that Thursday game. This is what he did Friday and will be doing Saturday:

. @Iam_RawleAlkins went for 38 points , 12 Rebs and 8 assists tonight in his Homecoming game at Word of God. St. John's official tomorrow

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 30, 2016

Baseball

- D1Baseball's Aaron Fitt predicts Arizona will finish 10th in the 11-team Pac-12, but has Bobby Dalbec winning Player of the Year

- Arizona held its first practice on Friday, and there will be an Alumni Game Saturday morning

Other sports

- Women's basketball got smoked by Oregon State

- Men's golf leads after their first round of the year. I'd like to think it's because they had a coyote in their foursome

- Swimming and diving came up just shy of taking down Texas on Friday

- Men's tennis swept New Mexico State

Tucson news

- The Gem and Mineral Show is underway

- A child was hit while riding his bike on Alvernon, and sadly, the driver did not stop

- Game and Fish says there have been at least eight bighorn lambs, with three coming this year

- Head to Oracle to the new Arizona Zipline Adventures, though it does cost a decent amount of money

The first of many. Doesn't get much better than a Tucson sunset. http://pic.twitter.com/n9yQnKGuoQ

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) January 30, 2016

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Wildcat Radio Podcast: Oregon State and Power Poll

Oregon State Preview, Listener Questions, and the Pac-12 Power Poll

Wildcat Radio discusses Oregon State, answers listener questions, and goes through their second Pac-12 Power Poll.

Click play below to listen or subscribe for free on iTunes, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.

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Oregon State vs. Arizona: Who to watch, what to watch for, and why you should watch

Thursday's game against the Ducks went pretty terribly. Can the Wildcats bounce back against the Beavers?

After losing to the Oregon Ducks on Thursday, the Arizona Wildcats look to get back on track against the Oregon State Beavers. Below, we look at what Oregon State players to look out for, what to expect from Oregon State, and why you should watch this game.

Who to watch

The obvious answer is Gary Payton II. Payton is one of the best players in the conference, averaging 16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. Those are insane numbers, and they get even more insane when you consider that Payton does all of this while shooting 50%+ from the floor and being one of the best defensive players in the league. He's the best point guard in the conference right now and it's not close. Kadeem Allen is going to have to guard him - Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Gabe York just aren't capable of doing it - and he'll have his work cut out for him.

A less obvious answer is Tres Tinkle, coach Wayne Tinkle's son. Tinkle is a freshman, but has still managed to average a little over 12 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game. He's one of the few guys on Oregon State who can and will shoot three pointers, averaging 38.5% from deep this season on over four attempts per game. Arizona fans might as well get familiar with Tinkle now because he'll be a very solid contributor for Oregon State for the next four years.

What to watch

Oregon State is not a very good team. They're 11th in the conference in offensive efficiency, 7th in the conference defensive efficiency, and one of the Pac-12's worst three-point shooting teams.

That said, there are at least a few things Oregon State does well that should worry Arizona fans. First, they're good at protecting the ball, turning the ball over on only 14.7% of possessions. Second, they're good at forcing turnovers, forcing conference opponents to turn the ball over 21.2% of the time.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Oregon beat Arizona on Thursday not because they shot the ball better, but because they forced turnovers and didn't turn the ball over themselves. Those two things are literally the two things that the Beavers are best at. That should worry Arizona fans, at least a little.

Oregon State also isn't afraid to run a zone defense, as the Wildcats should remember from their loss in Corvallis last year. Arizona hasn't been able to reliably break a zone this season, so expect Oregon State to throw it at the Wildcats and see if it works.

All of this isn't to say that Oregon State will win - again, they're not very good and they're playing on the road. But there is a path for the Beavers to find a win.

Why you should watch

To see if the Cats can bounce back. Thursday went badly in a lot of different ways, with a ton of turnovers, yelling on the sideline between Sean Miller and Kaleb Tarczewski, and a lack of defensive effort. But tomorrow, we'll learn whether the Oregon game was just a hiccup against one of the best teams in the conference or if something is more seriously wrong with Arizona. I hope it's the former. I really, really hope it's the former.

Arizona and Oregon State are scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.

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Arizona basketball: Wildcats fans shouldn't be concerned about Sean Miller's behavior

These are Division I sports, people. It's going to happen.

Ever since Sean Miller pulled starting center Kaleb Tarczewski for, to my best analysis, not boxing out on a corner three attempt, Arizona Wildcats fans have been in an uproar over Miller's apparent lack of class.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, this below picture pretty much sums it up.

You could say things got heated tonight.... http://pic.twitter.com/5vgWCui05j

— Alec Sills-Trausch (@UofAlec) January 29, 2016

More recently, we were given the live version (with sound) to the exchange.

Sean Miller to Kaleb Tarczewski: "If you ever talk to me like that again, m-----f-----, you will never f---... https://t.co/RRU0V0dRDi

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) January 29, 2016

As bad as it might look, I guarantee this type of exchange happens once a week in the Richard Jefferson Gym and/or the locker room.  We're just not used to seeing it on live TV. I will admit I was surprised to see the bickering happening on my screen, but in an intense game with a 49-game home winning streak on the line, emotions are bound to erupt.

Sean Miller has said in the past that "nastiness is required." Now people know he wasn't just talking about his players.

This is a program that brings in $28M overall and a whopping $18M in profit which means the expectations can sometimes get the better of someone, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

Growing up playing sports, I've always lived by the mantra, 'If a coach doesn't care, he/she doesn't get on you to be better.' If Miller didn't care about Kaleb's play, he would have benched him and let him sit there the rest of the night.

But that didn't happen.

While I wouldn't want an exchange like this happening each game, once in a while is okay. Maybe it is even the spark Tarczewski/Miller/the team needs to snap out of this two game funk and finish the rest of the Pac-12 regular season strong.

Regardless, Arizona fans need to step back and understand this is one of the most competitive sporting environments in the country and it's bound to happen.

Would you rather have this be a losing program with a coach who doesn't really care?

You can't have it both ways.

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Arizona basketball: Three things we learned versus Oregon

That was not fun

Most Arizona Wildcats fans awoke Friday morning hoping that the events of Thursday night, when Oregon came to Tucson, were simply a bad dream. That the nation’s longest home-court winning streak was still alive at 50 games, that Arizona had gotten its signature win of the season, and that the Cats had made a major statement in the Pac-12 race.

Alas, Oregon did beat Arizona—soundly--ending the Cats’ 49 game home winning streak and sending Arizona to 4-4 in the conference and into a three-way tie for third. A statement was made Thursday night. It was just made by the visiting Ducks.

Some keys we learned—the hard way:

Arizona is not a very good team this year

I think I’ve been in denial about this as much as any Arizona fan. Going off recent reputation and the talent on the roster (even accounting for departures), it seemed like Arizona would just reload again like they always do. The Cats jumped out to a good start prior to conference play, with the lone blemish being to a good Providence team on a neutral floor. But right now, Arizona’s best win, in RPI terms, is over Stanford (no. 48). The Cats are 0-3 against the RPI top 25 and a mere 6-5 against the top 100.

A road win over Gonzaga was heartening at the time, but was a bit of fools’ gold. The Zags have work to do to continue their NCAA Tournament streak—ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has them as a 9-seed and dangerously close to the bubble. It’s possible Arizona’s best non-conference win(s) will end up being over Boise State. And the one thing this team could hang its hat on was that home winning streak… and that’s now over.

Yes there has been attrition. 5-star recruit Ray Smith has been out all year. Elliott Pitts, a solid rotation player, has been out for some time. And Allonzo Trier has missed time with his injury. But injuries and player issues happen and you have to overcome them. At least we can take comfort that Duke, the defending national champions, isn’t very good this year either.

Not all losses are created equal… and this loss was about as bad as it gets

If you lose a non-conference game, you say 'well at least it doesn’t affect our conference standings'. If you lose on the road, you know you’ll get right at home (especially with a long home-court winning streak in place). If the other team comes out guns blazing and you can’t throw a pebble in the ocean, you chalk it up to bad luck and will execute better next time.

This was a conference loss—and a costly one.

It was a home loss—where the Cats hadn’t lost in nearly three years.

And Arizona couldn’t have started any better, shooting 11 for its first 12 and jumping out to a double digit lead early. The home crowd was rocking. But despite shooting an otherworldly 73% in the first half, the Cats led by just a point at the break. For the game, Arizona shot better than Oregon from the field, from the 3, and from the free throw line. They outrebounded Oregon 29-21. They had double the assists.

But Arizona turned the ball over again and again, to the tune of 19 (to Oregon’s 6 which makes matters worse). For the first time in a long time, there’s really no "yeah, but", no silver lining. Even the argument about Arizona’s losses this year all being by an average of just 2.5 points each is out the window with an 8 point loss. Would having a healthy Allonzo Trier (or an active Elliott Pitts) really turn the tide defensively? If you shoot 61% for a game, at home, it’s pretty difficult to lose. Oh, and while hosting 5-star recruit Rawle Alkins on an unofficial visit. Not really a great look. This one stings. Bad.

This year’s team has totally flip flopped its identity

Sean Miller’s teams have been known for elite level defense and the ability to grind opponents out. The Cats would often win in "SEC Football" fashion, winning low scoring games. Arizona was a fixture in the top 5 of Ken Pomeroy’s ranking for defensive efficiency, which measures the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions, adjusted for the opponent. The offense was just good enough to win. The Cats right now rank 55^th in AdjD, allowing 97.1 points per 100 possessions. For comparison, Oklahoma, 1st in AdjD, allows almost five points fewer per game, per 100 possessions.

But Arizona is 12^th in offensive efficiency. The Cats score 116.8 points per 100 possessions. Most consider this Sean Miller’s best offensive team (in spite of a turnover epidemic at times). I for one was really excited about the offense, in concert with typical elite defense, but the latter simply is not there. Arizona this year is forced to win shootouts and if the offense stumbles, as happened in the second half versus Oregon, the defense simply cannot make enough plays to stem the tide. 75 points scored, as Arizona got Thursday night, used to be plenty. It's simply not enough now. Really good offense and really good defense remain somewhat mutually exclusive with these Wildcats.

Bonus: Bill Walton is just the worst

When Walton is calling a game and your team is playing—and they are winning—his ridiculous non-sequitur is kind of funny and endearing. When your team is losing it’s grating and annoying. So in this case it was decidedly the latter.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Apply to be Wilbur or Wilma

Haven't you always wanted to be a mascot?

Players come and go, but mascots are forever. There are probably some of you out there that have always wanted to be Wilbur or Wilma, or at least have wondered what went into the whole process of becoming a mascot. Well, you're in luck, because applications are being accepted until April 5th. Final mascot tryouts will happen at the April 15th baseball game against Stanford, which could make that game extra interesting to attend. There's a scoring system and everything in the packet. What a competitive industry the mascot one must be

- Why did I just write a paragraph about mascots? Because Arizona's home winning streak ended, and everyone is in mourning. You do need to watch what Sean Miller said though

- Meanwhile, at ASU, Michael Phelps was putting on the greatest Curtain of Distraction performance ever. And then ESPN trolled them a little bit:

Gold medals won by Michael Phelps: 18 NCAA Tournament wins ever by Arizona State: 13 https://t.co/qc310R0ywl

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 29, 2016

- Alec talked to Jordy Tshimanga's family after Arizona offered the rising center a scholarship

Football

- After he was just on campus, Victor Viramontes got an in-home from Donte Williams

- Arizona also offered 2017 center Brett Neilon

Baseball

- The USA Today coaches poll came out, and as expected, Arizona is not one of the many Pac-12 teams either ranked or receiving votes. Baseball starts practice officially on Friday

Other sports

- We will have more softball coverage this year, and the Wildcats are picked to finish 3rd in the Pac-12

- Gymnastics will travel to No. 7 Utah on Monday

- Women's tennis swept Utah

Tucson news

Never change Tucson http://pic.twitter.com/OWuAIGq6gX

— AZ Desert Swarm (@azdesertswarm) January 29, 2016

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Oregon vs. Arizona final score: Ducks end streak, shock Wildcats 83-75

The Wildcats and Ducks engaged in a battle on Thursday night for Pac-12 supremacy.

All good things come to an end. And on Thursday night, the Arizona Wildcats' 49-game home win streak, the longest in the nation, did just that. The Oregon Ducks marched into McKale Center and stole one from the Wildcats, 83-75.

The Arizona diehards were stunned as they filed out of McKale Center, witnessing the team's first home loss in nearly three years. For those watching at home, after those first nine minutes of the game, nobody can blame the crowd for being stunned. Arizona raced out to a phenomenal start, leading 26-13, knocking down 11 of their first 12 shots from the field. It looked like the makings of a rout.

After a quick Oregon timeout, the Ducks fought back, answering with several three pointers. Arizona's shots continued to fall, but the Wildcats were suddenly very sloppy with the ball, turning the ball over seven times in the final 10 minutes of the half, 10 turnovers in the first half overall. Arizona shot 73% in the first half, but momentum had shifted and they only led by a score of 42-41 at the break.

The opening minutes of the second half showed just how much the tide had turned. Oregon continued to capitalize on Arizona's mistakes, turning three straight turnovers into eight points to take a 52-46 lead. Arizona hung with the Ducks, tying the game at 64 after a Parker Jackson-Cartwright three pointer.

Oregon responded to that with eight straight points and never looked back.

The game turned into the Dillon Brooks show as the Oregon forward got everything he wanted offensively. When the clock hit zeroes, the Wildcats committed far too many mistakes and the Ducks weathered every storm Arizona brought at them as Oregon walked away with a stunning victory.

Ryan Anderson was the team's MVP offensively, despite five turnovers. He finished with 22 points and nine boards on 8-of-9 from the floor. Kadeem Allen set a career high with 10 assists, also chipping in nine points. He also, however, finished with five turnovers. Oregon's Dillon Brooks finished with 24 points to lead all scorers, 15 of those in the second half.

Some thoughts on the game...

- If you had told me that Arizona would shoot 61% from the floor, I would have guessed that Arizona won by at least 20. Throw in 18 assists for the game and it sounds like a lock. But, alas, that's why they play the game. While 18 assists is a great performance, 19 turnovers is, quite frankly, unacceptable. You cannot expect to win a basketball game with a -13 turnover margin. We can talk about the fantastic play of Dillon Brooks. We can talk about the fact that Oregon took Arizona's best shot in the first half and just kept coming. But the reason Arizona lost is simple: 13 more turnovers and 21 less shots taken than Oregon.

- I have to preface this with a rather obvious statement: Sean Miller is a fantastic basketball coach. Now that that's out of the way, Coach Miller and his staff were outcoached Thursday. Dana Altman brought the weave offense, a look that Arizona was not even close to being ready for. Oregon's offense led to attacking the basket and getting a ton of room to shoot threes for the majority of the game. Sean Miller is one of the best in the game at making adjustments. But it was Altman that adjusted his squad and turned the game on its head.

- More than anything else to be said tonight: On a personal note, I'd like to thank Sean Miller and every single player and coach that was associated with the 49-game home winning streak. It was a pleasure to watch as a basketball fan. Tonight was a rather tough way to end it for the Wildcats but it was a joy to watch over the last three years.

Arizona has dropped two straight and fallen to 4-4 in a conference that can literally be called the Wild, Wild West. The Wildcats have the opportunity to get back on track against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: Wildcats offer center Jordy Tshimigana

Arizona softball: Wildcats selected third in Pac-12 Preseason poll

Arizona Softball starting the season with high expectations

We're just a few weeks out from the season opener for Arizona Softball, and in the Pac-12 Preseason poll, the Arizona Wildcats were selected third with 49 votes, just two votes shy of UCLA in second place. Arizona also landed two top 15 preseason rankings, ranked 13th by the NFCA and 15th according to USA Softball.

Team	Votes
1. Oregon	64
2. UCLA	51
3. Arizona	49
4. Washington	42
5. Utah	36
6. California	32
7. Arizona State	27
8. Oregon State	15
9. Stanford	8

In Mike Candrea's preseason press conference, he said that pitching will be the strength of this team, with many viable options in the circle led by two-year contributor Michelle Floyd. SDSU transfer Danielle O'Toole and freshman Taylor McQuillin are two new left-handed pitchers that Candrea will be utilizing this season as well. Redshirt junior Nancy Bowling will also find herself in the mix.

This roster is lined with speed and Candrea cited Mandie Perez as the lead-off hitter, utilizing her small strike zone and speed.

"Our speed is getting better," Candrea explained. "I love playing this game with speed. There's a lot you can do with it. This year, we're going to be able to put some people in action and spread some defenses out."

Depth has been the concern for this team in the past, but Candrea believes that won't be an issue this season. This team is as deep and fast as it's been in the last five or six years, Candrea said, with quality depth down the entire roster.

Arizona will be hosting the Hillenbrand Invitational from February 11-14th, with the girls opening up against Southern Utah on February 11th at 6pm.

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Oregon vs. Arizona: Three questions about the Ducks

After three lopsided wins over Oregon last season, what can the Wildcats expect in this season's only scheduled matchup?

The Pac-12 is a wild mess these days with teams beating each other up and dropping left and right. The Arizona Wildcats find themselves tied for third place with a 4-3 conference record after falling to Cal last Saturday night.

One of the two teams ahead of Arizona in the Pac-12 is Tucson-bound this Thursday night as the Wildcats square off with the Oregon Ducks (16-4, 5-2 in conference) in a top 25 showdown. Arizona will be looking for its 50th consecutive victory at McKale Center, while Oregon looks to avenge their three losses against Arizona from a year ago, where they lost by an average of 26.6 points.

What will it take for the Ducks to get the job done? Can they break the streak? Could this game decide the Pac-12? I asked Sean Larson of Addicted to Quack to fill us in.

1. Arizona will be looking to extend their home win streak to 50 against Oregon on Thursday night. Who should Arizona fans know about that will need to step up for Oregon to end the streak?

Larson: First off, jeez, has it really been 50 games since you guys lost at home? That's astonishing. If the Ducks hope to snap that streak, Tyler Dorsey needs to up his scoring. In his last four games, Dorsey has averaged just over nine points a game. He's been a huge key to Oregon's success this year and they need him on his A-game.

Defensively, Oregon needs Chris Boucher to step up and crash the boards. Boucher, at 6'10'', leads the Ducks with almost 8 rebounds per game. When he's on, he can really limit second-chance scoring opportunities and that could be a key factor for the Ducks.

2. Both national polls have Arizona and Oregon as the best two teams in the Pac-12 and, really, the west, in general. Do you agree and are these the two teams from out west that everyone should take notice of come tournament time?

Larson: The Pac-12 is a total toss-up this year. There has been talks of the conference getting as many as seven to nine bids this season due to how strong it is top to bottom. Half of the conference is within one game of first place currently, including Arizona. Last season, Oregon and Arizona met in the Pac-12 tournament championship and I think that could very likely happen again. At this point though, the conference is still a total toss-up.

3. What's your prediction for the game and do you think this, the only regular season matchup between the two, will be a huge deciding factor in who wins the Pac-12 regular season championship?

Larson: Arizona has dominated Oregon at home. The 90-56 defeat last year was probably the flattest I've seen Oregon play all season. I think it's going to be a much closer game, but I don't see Oregon snapping their losing streak at McKale. I'm giving Arizona the edge in this one. That being said, I don't think this game will have any implication on the Pac-12 race. Like I said earlier, there is so much depth top to bottom in the Pac-12, and anyone can beat anyone on any given night. I think winning the lottery would be easier than predicting who is going to come out on top of the Pac-12 in March.

Big thanks to Sean Larson for taking time out to talk to us. Check out Addicted to Quack for all things University of Oregon.

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What to know for Arizona's "Stripe Out" against Oregon

Wear the right color to the game on Thursday night

Last year, the Arizona Wildcats hosted a "Stripe Out" game against the Oregon State Beavers, and it went pretty well, with the Wildcats winning 57-34(!).

This year, Arizona is doing it again, but this time it comes against the Oregon Ducks in what is arguably the biggest home game of the season.

So, you say you're going to the game and aren't sure what color to wear?

Well, we're here to help!

Home sweet home. @APlayersProgram vs. Oregon Tomorrow | 7 pm | McKale #StripeOut Watch: https://t.co/VJAJrFW9h0 http://pic.twitter.com/iOvfyEm7h0

— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) January 27, 2016

Basically, if you sit in the lower level, wear white if you sit in an odd-numbered section, and wear red if you sit in an even-numbered section. The entire ZonaZoo is still wearing red.

If you sit in the upper level, the following sections wear white: 101B, 102, 105, 106, 108, 110, 111, 114, 115B, 116, 118, 124 and 126. All the other upper sections wear red.

Got it? Good.

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Sonoran Hot Reads: Michael Eletise talks Lindy's OMFG challenge

This guy is good and fun

Arizona Wildcats football commit Michael Eletise was recently at the Under Armour All-America Game. It seems many of the prospects in attendance were asked about the most memorable thing that happened on their official visit, and Eletise went to a place I was not expecting. He's towards the end of the video, but he describes his experience doing the Lindy's OMFG Burger Challenge while in Tucson. If you don't know what this is, or have never been to Lindy's, shame on you. But basically, Eletise's favorite thing about coming to Tucson was eating a three pound hamburger. Whatever works I guess.

I love my Coaches. #Arizona #Hawaii Mahalo for the Visit Coach ✈️ @RagleCharlie #LivingMyDream #Wildcats http://pic.twitter.com/D971Xot5mz

— Michael Eletise (@MichaelEletise) January 27, 2016

- Plenty of other Arizona recruiting news went down on Wednesday. Running back Jessie Britt committed. Josiah Sa'o received an official offer. Joshua Kratzer was offered a preferred walk-on spot

- Terrell Burgess will decide between Arizona, Cal and Utah Thursday evening

- What do these things mean? Check out our recruiting basics

- Brandon Burton will announce his college decision on Scott Van Pelt on February 2nd

- Shaq sent some love to Dave Wood, former Arizona player and dad of Trevor and Carter Wood who is in a fight against cancer

- Former Arizona commit Naijiel Hale is going to Montana State

- The Pac-12 is having a rough recruiting year as a whole

Basketball

- Kobi Simmons will be visiting Tucson this weekend

- The advanced stats say Mark Tollefsen has been Arizona's best player this year

- Everyone loves power rankings. We have ours, and House of Sparky has a very inferior version of ours, mostly because they think Arizona had a perfect week last week

Baseball

- Alumni weekend and meet the team is happening on Saturday

Other sports

- Men's golf tees it up for the first time on Friday

- Men's tennis will host New Mexico State and Gonzaga this weekend. Women's tennis will host UTEP and Princeton

- Women's basketball will play a really good Oregon State team on Friday

- Track and field will be in Seattle

Tucson news

- The driving age may come down six months, and that seems scary considering how poorly Tucson people drive already

- Four students were evicted from their apartment after being hateful morons

- Three people were found dead on Highway 87

- The Marana cactus thief was caught on camera

@whatsuptucson @WhatUpOroValley @jeffbeamish @totallytucson my first moon shot over OV just before sunrise #Nikon http://pic.twitter.com/ZV6VZbxl23

— Shane Lopez (@shanemlopez) January 27, 2016

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Oregon vs. Arizona: Who to watch, what to watch for, and why you should watch

This is probably the most difficult home game Arizona will face this season. What should the Wildcats be prepared for?

The Arizona Wildcats will take on the Oregon Ducks this Thursday at McKale Center in Tucson. In anticipation of that game, we took a look from the fans' perspective at who to watch, what to watch for, and why you should watch this game.

Who to watch

Oregon is a very talented bunch, but Dillon Brooks is the best player on the team. Brooks made the All-Pac-12 Freshman team last year but has nevertheless managed to get considerably better. He plays 33+ minutes a game for the Ducks, averages over 16 points per game, and manages to put up 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while he's at it. He's a complete player and will be a problem for the Wildcats.

Another name Arizona fans may already be familiar with is Tyler Dorsey. Dorsey was once committed to the Wildcats before Arizona got a little more interested in Allonzo Trier. Dorsey, to his credit, has had a solid freshman season, averaging over 13 points per game while shooting 45% from three. I'm worried that he'll come in with something to prove against the Wildcats, and if he's being guarded by Gabe York and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, I think he'll tear the Arizona defense apart.

Perhaps the most fun guy on the Ducks, though, is Chris Boucher. Boucher is 6'10" and 190 pounds. He averages 3.3 blocks per game. He attempts 2.9 three pointers per game, and he makes about a third of them. Basically, he is a shorter version of Manute Bol, with the same super-thin frame, the same ability to block shots, and the same tendency to occasionally shoot three pointers like crazy. Boucher will, at a minimum, be an interesting guy to watch.

What to watch

Oregon is a good offensive team. They're currently ranked second in the Pac-12 in offensive efficiency (behind only Arizona), so, at first glance, this game looks like it might be a bit of an up-and-down game.

It probably won't be, though. Though the Ducks are good offensively, they don't play particularly quickly and are ranked eighth in the conference in pace. Strangely, though, they don't get to the line very often, ranking next-to-last in free throw attempts per field goal attempt.

How can a team be so good offensively without pushing the pace or getting to the line? They make it rain from three. Though they don't necessarily shoot the three that well - as a team, they're at 37.2% in conference play - the Ducks shoot a lot of threes, with nearly 35% of their field goal attempts coming from behind the three point line and over 30% of their points coming from three pointers during the conference slate.

The odd thing? All of this has pretty much only started happening during conference play. In conference play, Oregon's pace has slowed, it hasn't gotten to the line as often, it's shot more three pointers, and, above all, it has been more reliant on the three pointer for scoring. It hasn't hurt their efficiency, obviously, but it's interesting to see how different Oregon's season-long metrics look compared to its conference-only metrics.

Why you should watch

This one is easy - these are probably the two best teams in the Pac-12. Even after losing late to Cal on Saturday, the Wildcats are one of the best teams in the conference, and Oregon has done almost everything it could possibly do to keep pace. Unfortunately for the Ducks, this game is in Tucson, where the Wildcats have a zillion game winning streak (approximately). Still, Arizona is only a 7.5 point favorite in Vegas, and this should be an exciting game that the Wildcats will hopefully win.

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Arizona football recruiting: Josiah Sa'o finally receives his Wildcats offer

This has been a crazy recruitment, but Josiah Sa'o finally has his hands on an offer from Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats had yet another decommitment this week, with long-time commit and 3-star safety out of Long Beach City College, London Iakopo. But because of that decommitment, it opened up a scholarship for Arizona, one that went to Josiah Sa'o, a 3-star defensive tackle checking in at 6-2 285lbs.

I've been in contact with his family for about the past month, learning all about Josiah's recruitment process that blew up this winter. Here's what I had wrote about his recruitment last month when I first discovered him. Arizona had originally given him a blue shirt offer, meaning he would essentially be a walk-on for the first year.

Vanderbilt got a hold of his highlights and immediately flew out for an in-home visit, offered Sa'o and scheduled an official visit, all within about 36 hours. Arizona then responded after the London Iakopo decommitment and offered him without the blue shirt title. His highlights are below.

I really like what Josiah Sa'o has to offer at Arizona. Rich Rodriguez has been longing for size on the defensive line and this is a huge dude. He's the definition of an OKG if I've ever seen one, and he has a great opportunity at hand here. Arizona has been the offer he has been longing for and will have one week to decide where he'll end up playing for the next four years.

Here are highlights of his last career high school game, in the Spanos Classic All-Star Game.

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Arizona basketball: Using advanced stats to evaluate the Wildcats roster

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Oregon jumps to the top before Arizona trip

The best two teams play each other in Tucson this week

We're just seven games into the Pac-12 season, and every team has at least two conference losses.

It's going to be a season where home teams dominate, and that's happening all over college basketball (looking at you Big 12 and ACC). In the real conference standings, eight teams are within one game of first place, so ranking these teams is kind of difficult.

After a home sweep over the L.A. schools, we have a new team on top of the standings. And that team happens to travel to the No. 2 team in the conference on Thursday.

Here's how this week's voting played out among seven of our writers. One point for 1st place votes, two points for 2nd and so on:

Ranking (change from last week's poll)	Team (Pac-12 record)	Points
1 (+2)	Oregon Ducks (5-2)	11
2 (0)	Arizona Wildcats (4-3)	14
3 (-2)	USC Trojans (4-3)	20
T-4 (+4)	California Golden Bears (4-3)	35
T-4 (+3)	Utah Utes (4-3)	35
6 (-2)	Colorado Buffaloes (4-3)	40
7 (-2)	Washington Huskies (5-2)	52
8 (-2)	UCLA Bruins (3-4)	56
9 (0)	Stanford Cardinal (4-3)	61
10 (0)	Oregon State Beavers (3-4)	64
11 (0)	Arizona State Sun Devils (1-6)	77
12 (0)	Washington State Cougars (1-6)	81

So let's examine the changes from last week. Oregon and USC trade spots after the Ducks swept a home weekend, and the Trojans got swept at the Oregon schools. So that makes sense. The top three teams have had a much better overall body of work than the rest of the conference this year too, so the separation in points is pretty much expected as well.

Cal and Utah jump up after weekend sweeps, the Utes being the first team to have a road sweep this year. Cal beat a really good Arizona team, and Utah beat conference-leading Washington, so there were some quality wins in there.

To make room for those two sweeps, Colorado, UW and UCLA all drop, but stay in the same order. All of these schools went 1-1. Again, works out perfectly.

And the bottom four teams are the bottom four teams. I think Stanford has a chance to move out of that grouping though.

This week, the Arizona schools host the Oregon schools, the L.A. schools host the Washington schools, and the Bay Area schools are in the mountains.

Let this week's debating begin!

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