The goats of Arizona sports for 2013-14

Roberto Payne, James Kelley, Evan Rosenfeld, and Luke Della

May 14, 2014

Rebecca Marie Sasnett

1- File Photo/ The Daily Wildcat
Junior catcher Riley Moore walks back to the dugout after being forced out at second base during Arizona’s rained out game against Seton Hall at Hi Corbett Field on Saturday. The Wildcats have dropped to the bottom of the Pac-12 since winning the national title in 2012.
2- Carlos Herrera / The Daily Wildcat
The Arizona women’s basketball team kept it close but lost 64-79 to the California Golden Bears in McKale Center on Jan. 20. The Wildcats only won one game in 2014.
3- Cecilia Alvarez/ The Daily Wildcat
ASU’s men’s basketball student section is called “The 942 Crew” because that’s the number of students it holds, but on Feb. 14, the crew was reduced to 941 after one student was ejected for allegedly throwing an object at the Wildcats.
4- Rebecca Marie Sasnett/ The Daily Wildcat
Ka’Deem Carey ran for 169 yards in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, his last game as a Wildcat. Carey out-rushed the Doak Walker Award winner, Andre Williams, 169-75 in Arizona’s 42-19 win over Boston College in the bowl.

Doak Walker Award voters

The 2013 Doak Walker Award voters screwed up big time when they picked Boston College senior running back Andre Williams over Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey for the nation’s top running back.

Williams, who played in one more game than Carey, finished this past season with more rushing yards and more Heisman votes. However, on the field, Carey and the Wildcats outshone Williams and his Golden Eagles. Arizona beat Williams and Boston College in the 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl 42-19, and Carey ran for 169 yards on 27 carries while Williams ran for 75 yards on 26 rushes in the heavily hyped battle of the backs.

— Luke Della
Follow Luke Della @LukeDella

ASU fans

While ASU men’s basketball beat Arizona on Valentine’s Day and avenged a 91-68 loss in Tucson, it did so in an embarrassing fashion.

A few days before the rivalry game, members of the Oregon basketball program accused an ASU fan of spitting on them. The incident made national news, and some UA fans even wore ponchos to ASU’s arena.

The infamy didn’t encourage ASU fans to behave, though, as they threw a big head cutout at the Wildcats, made fun of the injured Brandon Ashley, stormed the court before the game ended and chanted “fuck U of A” en masse on the court after they upset Arizona 69-66 in two overtimes.

— James Kelley
Follow James Kelley @JamesKelley520

Arizona women’s basketball

There are bad seasons and then there are bad seasons. The 2013-14 Arizona women’s basketball teams had a really poor season, as head coach Niya Butts struggled to find consistency through numerous injuries and transfers.

The Wildcats went 5-25 overall and only 1-17 in Pac-12 Conference play. By the end of the season, Butts had only seven healthy bodies and couldn’t even hold a normal practice without extra practice players.

Expectations were not high for this year’s team, but it’s safe to say no one thought they would win only one game in the 2014 calendar year and struggle this mightily.

— Roberto Payne
Follow Roberto Payne @HouseOfPayne555

Arizona baseball

In the two seasons since being crowned College World Series champion, Arizona baseball has seen itself sink from the top of the Pac-12 to near the bottom. Head coach Andy Lopez underwent heart surgery in the fall, missing practice until this semester. The Wildcats will finish the year under .500 for the first time since 2006 and have lost 30 games as of May 11.

Arizona’s pitching rotation has been inconsistent and injury-ridden. Only seldom do the Wildcats present solid pitching and have the run support needed to win games.

— Evan Rosenfeld
Follow Evan Rosenfeld @EvanRosenfeld17