How far will UA men’s basketball go this year?
With the addition of Kevin O’Neill, the Arizona basketball team suddenly turns into a defensive-minded team. That’s good, because it’s already an offensive-minded team with big scorers like Chase Budinger and now Jerryd Bayless. There are still a few question marks with the team, but anything worse than last year’s one-and-done performance in both the Pac-10 and NCAA tournaments would be a shock.
Lose in second round of NCAA Tournament
-Mike Ritter
assistant sports editor
It’s way too early to be talking about basketball. It’s still football season, for crying out loud. Basketball shouldn’t be allowed to start until after the bowl season. That aside, I’m aware there’s a pretty good team here, but I sense a lack of leadership. I smell a title this year, but not a familiar one.
NIT champions
-Brian Kimball
sports writer
I really like the make-up of this year’s UA basketball team. Jerryd Bayless, Jordan Hill, Jawann McLellan and Chase Budinger bring a lot of athleticism and explosive offensive talent to the floor. Freshmen Laval Lucas-Perry and Jamelle Horne will provide much needed depth on the bench. But the key as always for the Wildcats is defense. If assistant coach Kevin O’Neill lives up to the hype as a defensive wizard, then this team can overachieve.
Lose in the Elite Eight
-Corey Romberg
sports writer
No. 9 ASU at UCLA
For a while it seemed like the hottest seat in the Pac-10 was that of Arizona’s own Mike Stoops. But then Stoops’ troops did the usual on Homecoming and beat Karl Dorrell’s Bruins last week. Now every time Dorrell sits down anywhere, he has to make sure his pants don’t catch fire. On the other side, even after a loss to No. 3 Oregon, ASU’s Dennis Erickson is looking really good right about now.
ASU 31, UCLA 14
-Mike Ritter
assistant sports editor
Yeah, yeah. ASU has one loss. Yeah, yeah, UCLA lost to Notre Dame, Utah and Arizona. I don’t care, UCLA is still going to win somehow. ASU has been overachieving all season and UCLA has been underachieving. Roles should flip-flop this week, as the Bruins’ home-field advantage should provide the leg up.
UCLA 24, ASU 21
-Brian Kimball
sports writer
ASU may have fallen from the ranks of the unbeatens and lost its chance to go to the national championship game, but if the Sun Devils run the table, a BCS bowl is certainly still in sight. Head coach Dennis Erickson knows this, and he will have his team prepared. ASU simply ran into a much better team last week against No. 3 Oregon. UCLA, with losses to Utah, Notre Dame, Washington State and Arizona, is not a better team.
ASU 45, UCLA 21
-Corey Romberg
sports writer
No. 12 USC at No. 24 California
The unanimous pick to win the Pac-10? Really? After two conference losses, it’s impossible for the Trojans to be outright conference champions. How stupid do Jim Harbaugh and Dennis Erickson feel now after making their outlandish statements in the preseason about how legendary this current USC football team was? It’s a far cry from being “”the best college football team ever,”” but it’ll still beat the Bears this weekend.
USC 30, California 24
-Mike Ritter
assistant sports editor
So Cal kind of started to tank after beating Oregon. But the Golden Bears are capable of beating good teams, as they showed against Tennessee and against the Ducks. USC couldn’t beat Cal in Berkeley with Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, and it won’t this week with Joe McKnight and John David Booty.
California 27, USC 20
-Brian Kimball
sports writer
This is not the same Cal team that was 5-0 and No. 2 in the nation. The Bears ended a three-game losing streak last week against Washington State, and now they have to go up against a USC team that is 3-1 since the Stanford debacle, the only loss coming against No. 3 Oregon. Third place in the Pac-10 and a spot in that highly coveted Holiday Bowl is on the line, and Trojan head coach Pete Carroll will settle for no less.
USC 34, California 20
-Corey Romberg
sports writer
