Will UofA be ready in March? Thumbs up and down, Paola Boivin and Jude LaCava on my mind…

Glendale will host the Final Four in April. After watching some of Arizona, Arizona State, and Grand Canyon games on Saturday, I’d say that the madness of March could be on display for all three teams. I can have this opinion after schools like FAU and San Diego State found their way into a Final Four match-up just ten months ago. You never know.

Arizona and Purdue lived up to the hype. But let’s be honest, even if the Wildcats had beaten the Boilermakers, the Cat fans I hear from don’t care what happens to Tommy Lloyd’s team in December. Remember Princeton last March in Sacramento? A one-and-done is not acceptable. The Wildcats success will not be based on the number of regular season victories. That’s a fact…

Arizona State fell apart after leading 38-37 at the 13:30 mark Saturday night at TCU. Bobby Hurley’s team couldn’t stop the Frogs from running all over them(27-5 run) after a technical on the ASU bench and Hurley. This isn’t about a” T “costing ASU the game…

GCU is intriguing. Great guard play in the NCAA can lead to deep runs. Saturday night, the Lopes welcomed back guard Jovan Blacksher from injury. GCU has four strong backcourt players.  Add to that, they have tremendous leadership with Gabe McGlothlan. As we saw last March, out of the SDSU and FAU, it’s all about the match-up and how the brackets break. GCU could make some noise…

I miss Jude LaCava…

Thumbs up! The Spring Breakout game between the Diamondbacks and Colorado will be on March 16th. I love the MLB concept of having the top-level prospects face off in a seven-inning game.

Thumbs up! Big-12 Football Media Days will be in Las Vegas for the next two years…

Double thumbs up! The rivalries on the football field between Oregon v Oregon State and Washington v Washington State will continue next year, even with conference realignment. The better part is that both rival games will be played in September. Let’s hope that the BIG 12 makes the same smart move with Arizona v Arizona State and gets them off the dreaded Thanksgiving weekend death spot…

Thumbs down – Walking into a local sporting goods store(National chain) with Kansas City Chiefs #87 jerseys for men and women on the only display in the entryway. Come on…

Hamilton football search committee calling the Carters at Desert Edge should happen…

Benny Hill Show popped up on CW while I was “working” on this. Who knew?…

Went to a holiday part at the home of my friend and former Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. She slaves in the kitchen to make fantastic lasagna. Not stepping on the scale for me tomorrow…

I won’t be shocked if Chubba Purdy becomes the latest Valley quarterback to hit the portal. Family ties to the coaching staff and history at Nebraska make Dylan Raiola’s move from Georgia to the Huskers a near certainty. Throw NIL in the mix, and the idea of a “competition” isn’t reality…

Show of hands for those who had the Suns at about a .500 team the week before Christmas. Yes, my stance on “who cares, get back to me in late March” still applies. However…

Move about a half dozen of these Bowl Games to the last week in August. You won’t have to deal with players opting out. coaches jumping jobs, teams not playing hard or fans looking forward to the event. This isn’t that hard…

The knock-on Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick being “cheap” needs to stop…

I hope that with Ray Anderson gone, someone within ASU Athletics will reach out(if they haven’t already) to start the process of mending fences with Jordan Simone. Life is too short for grudges. This isn’t that hard…

Kyler has four games left to prove himself to the GM and head coach, or does he?…