[desertrat]

With the season opener only 11 days away I figured it's time to talk about college hoops. Here in Tucson, we take this subject pretty serious with the always high expectations surrounding Arizona basketball. Hassan Adams, Chris Rodgers, and Isaiah Fox are all gone now and newcomers Chase Budinger, Nic Wise, and Jordan Hill have replaced them. Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic are expected to provide their senior leadership with huge roles to be filled by Marcus Williams, Jawann McClellan, and Chase Budinger. First game for the Cats is Nov. 12th in Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers of Virginia. It will be the grand opening for Virginia's new John Paul Jones Arena and the crowd will be hyped for that as well as it being the home opener for the season. PG Sean Singletary is 1st team all-ACC and will be the man most likely to do the most damage for Virginia and will be a stiff test for Mustafa. I think with this being the first game ever played in the new arena that Arizona will have a hard time putting this game away.
Any thoughts?

[desertrat]

Arizona plays their final exhibition game tonight before the season opener at Virginia this sinday. Tonight they host Victoria in a game that will be televised on Fox Sports Arizona. For most of us, this will be the first opportunity to see this year's team in action. Arizona is loaded with talent and this could be a special season for the Wildcats.

[desertrat]

Arizona is now 5-1 overall heading into the Jimmy V Classic to take on Louisville(2-1). Arizona is fresh off a 84-72 win over Illinois in a game where they trailed 33-17 in the 1st half. Arizona is now ranked 14th in the AP and Louisville is unranked. Still, you know that Rick Pitino will have Louisville ready to play.

[desertrat]

Arizona handled Louisville 72-65 behind the dominant play of Ivan Radenovic( 23 pts, 13 reb) and Chase Budinger added 17 points on 6/11 shooting. Next up is San Diego State (8-1) in San Diego this saturday night.

[desertrat]

Arizona moved to 7-1 0n the season with a road win at San Diego State who dropped to 8-2 on the season. The score was the lowest total of the season for both teams with Arizona winning 69-48. Next up is a home date against Houston next sunday.

[desertrat]

Arizona sweeps the two bay area schools to begin conference play. They travel to Washington next week to take on the Huskies and Cougars. Arizona is currently ranked #7 in both the AP and the coaches poll. The RPI has Arizona at #2 just behind top ranked UCLA. Wazzu is currently ranked #41 in the RPI with Washington ranked #44. This roadtrip should provide a stiff challenge for the Wildcats and should give a strong indication of just how good this team might be.