For one last time, Sean Miller apologized for his team’s poor effort against Oregon State.

Then it was an all-genuine appreciation and reward to students at last night’s pep rally hosted by Miller and his staff.

“”ASU verse UA is as big as it gets,”” Miller told students last night in McKale Center.

Miller warmed up the crowd of approximately 300 students by refreshing his self-imposed chants from the beginning of this season.

Next the UA coaching staff picked students to run through one of the Wildcats baseline out-of-bounds plays, giving away free pizza to his participants.

Students, most of who didn’t wear the proper attire, then ran through a coast-to-coast layup drill.

Finally Miller challenged volunteers to replicate his trick plays with the ball, awarding successful students boxes of pizza.

“”I know how much every gets excited for this next game,”” Miller told the crowd. “”Your support, it goes deeper than you realize.””

While one student asked about the UA’s self-imposed men’s basketball sanctions, Miller looked into a more positive light regarding the future health of his program.

“”There will be a day when you come to McKale Center and you ask yourself, ‘how many will they win by today,'”” Miller said.

— Bryan Roy