Basketball
by Roberto Payne
There are two main sporting events on campus this weekend during the 100th Homecoming: UA football vs. Colorado on Saturday and UA men’s basketball vs. Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday. Both games should see plenty of excitement, with football needing a bounce-back performance to stop its current two-game losing streak and basketball getting a chance to play against someone other than their own teammates.
But the men’s basketball game will be more exciting than the football game.
Not only is Arizona a basketball school first and foremost, but Sean Miller has put the Wildcats in a great position to contend for the second national championship in program history. No offense to football’s 6-0 start, which was outstanding, but there was never a realistic chance it’d be one of four teams in the college football playoffs.
This is the first time fans can see Miller’s No. 2-ranked squad in action against real opponents, since no one is privy to watch “secret scrimmages.”
The newly renovated McKale Center was rocking during the annual Red-Blue game, which was the only time fans have seen the 2014-2015 team in action. Fans piled in hours early to fill up the limited-capacity seating that was offered and actually stayed the entire game. In fact, some fans lingered after.
Can you name the last time seemingly all fans stayed for an entire football game? I certainly can’t.
Besides, T.J. McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and Stanley Johnson are a considerably bigger attraction than Anu Solomon, Scooby Wright, Jared Tevis and Cayleb Jones.
That’s just the way Arizona is and that’s likely the way it’ll stay, at least for the foreseeable future. In the end, this is a basketball town.
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Football
by Matt Wall
After its disappointing loss against UCLA last weekend, it’s time for Arizona football to shine against Colorado at the 100th Homecoming game. Sure, there was a nasty bump in the road. But at 6-2 and ranked No. 21 in the country by the AP Top 25 Poll, the UA needs a rebound, and what better way to do it than to defeat the Buffaloes, which will easily be the best game this weekend with thousands of alumni present.
Sure, Arizona men’s basketball will kick off its season with an exhibition game against the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. Like many of the early games played in previous seasons, the Wildcats have blown out opponents, and this upcoming game should be no different.
The game against Colorado, however, marks the 100th anniversary of the UA’s first Homecoming in 1914 against Pomona College, ending in a 7-6 Thanksgiving Day victory. What better way to cap off the anniversary than a Wildcats win in front of a hundred years of alumni? Plus, the UA has a 56-35-5 all-time record in its Homecoming games. Those are pretty good odds. Looking at probability and statistics, there is a pretty good shot that the Wildcats will earn another victory.
The Buffaloes are the Pac-12 Conference’s worst team, boasting a record of just 2-7, including 0-6 in conference play. Yet, in the Wildcats’ previous game, the offense stalled, which ended up being the main reason for the defeat. With no offense, it is challenging to win any sporting event.
Arizona men’s basketball is expected to be an offensive, dynamic powerhouse, and this game should be no different. That’s something that both Arizona teams have in common: an explosive offense, which tends to make games quite interesting.
Basketball season will be underway and if you want to check out a potential NCAA championship team, head to McKale Center. However, if you are looking for a thrilling game and a chance to watch Arizona football bounce back against a depleted Colorado team, this is the game you need to watch and be at.
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