9th-ranked Wildcats rebound with 87-78 win over Oregon

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Caleb Love scored a career-high 36 points, and Kylan Boswell broke out of a shooting slump with 14 points and three assists to lead 9th-ranked Arizona to an 87-78 win today inside the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.

Arizona led from the get-go and never let the Ducks get the upper hand, as the Wildcats led 45-38 at the half and shot 49.1 percent (28 of 57) from the field on the day, including 10 of 19 from 3-point range. Love set the tone with 20 first-half points. He finished with 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and canned 7 of 8 free throws.

Boswell let out a few smiles in this one. He made 5 of his 12 shots, knocked down 2 of 5 three-point attempts, and came up with two steals and a couple of rebounds in 33 minutes.

Another happy camper for the Wildcats was Keshad Johnson, who made 3 of 4 from long range and scored 12 points, while Oumar Ballo, despite some foul trouble, added 10 points and nine rebounds. 

Arizona moved back into a first-place tie at 6-3 with the Ducks in the Pac-12 Conference and improved to 15-5 overall. 

Wildcats roadkill on the road

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The 9th-ranked Arizona Wildcats lost to a Pope tonight in Corvallis.

The Oregon State shooting guard Jordan Pope unleashed daggers from all over the court. 

He scored 31 points and looked like Stephen Curry for 40 minutes. His last dagger was at the buzzer, and it was nothing but net as he broke an 80-80 tie with a 3-point fadeaway shot for an 83-80 upset over Arizona inside the Gill Coliseum.

The Wildcats continue to be roadkill away from McKale as they fall to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-12 Conference. And it doesn't get any easier. Arizona's next three road games include a game at Oregon on Saturday, with games at Utah and Colorado to follow on February 8th and 10th. The Ducks, the Utes, and the Buffaloes are a combined 33-0 at home this year.

Caleb Love led the Wildcats tonight with 23 points -- including nine of 10 free throws.

Unfortunately for Arizona, the Wildcats missed 10 free throws (21 of 31). Keshad Johnson added 18 points, Pelle Larsson scored 17, and Montiejus Krivas came off the bench to score 10 points in 15 minutes of action.

My goodness. The Wildcats are in trouble. 

Larsson propels Arizona to 77-71 win over UCLA

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Pelle Larrson scored 22 points and came up with a critical offensive rebound down the stretch, added a key layin for good measure, and then took a charge at the other end of the court -- all with less than one minute left on the clock as #12 Arizona was able to rebound from a 19-point deficit to edge UCLA 77-71 today at McKale.

The Wildcats, who scored just 28 points in the first half, trailed at one point 32-13 as the Bruins canned six of nine 3-pointers before Arizona was able to put on the clamps defensively and went on an 11-2 run of their own to end the half at 37-28.

It then took Arizona the first 15 minutes of the second half to catch up. Along with Larsson's gritty play, the Wildcats received a double-double from Oumar Ballo (17 points, 13 rebounds)), 14 points from Caleb Love, and an excellent game off the bench from KJ Lewis, who finished the day with 13 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes of play allowing the Wildcats to complete the comeback at home in front of a packed house.

Arizona improved to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in the Pac-12 Conference.

  

#12 Arizona knocks off USC, 82-67

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

#12 Arizona rebounded from its stunning loss at Washington State with an 82-67 win over USC tonight at McKale behind another 20-point effort from Caleb Love and a double-double from Keshad Johnson, who grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 10 points.

The Wildcats shot just 40 percent from the field (28 of 70) and made 10 of 26 3-pointers to knock off the Trojans. Five players scored in double figures, with Pelle Larsson adding 13 points, Kylan Boswell 11, and Jaden Bradley chipping in 10. Oumar Ballo just missed a double-double with 13 rebounds and eight points.

Arizona improves to 13-4 overall and moves into a second-place tie in the Pac-12 Conference at 4-2.

Up next: UCLA on Saturday at McKale. The Bruins upset Arizona State 68-66 tonight in Tempe.

Bad night in Pullman

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

from the desk of Dan Price

Arizona shot just 34 percent from the field (25 of 72)  to Washington State in Pullman tonight and lost 73-70.

It was a carbon copy of the Wildcats' loss at Stanford last month -- a cold shooting first half, a struggle at the free throw line (13 of 21), and the lack of anyone on the perimeter who can make a basket other than Caleb Love, who finished the night with 28 points.

The 8th-ranked Wildcats lost to a team that will be lucky enough to play the postseason in the National Invitational Tournament.

It's a show Arizona fans have seen so many times before. With a lofty national ranking, the Wildcats headed north to the state of Washington to tangle with a foe that'll undoubtedly spend most of the regular season fighting to keep out of the Pac-12 Conference cellar.

It's below zero outside and inside the referees...well, the referees are blinded by the cold.

Sometimes, things are just too hard to explain. Kylan Boswell plays 25 minutes, doesn't score, doesn't capture a rebound, and dishes out zero assists. Oumar Ballo does get a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, but at times is a liability on the court.

Still, the Wildcats, with all the above going against them, come back from a dismal 30-point effort in the first half and have a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Love's long-range shot clangs off the rim, and the Cougars have their upset win to improve to 12-5 overall...and for the moment, are midway up the ladder in the Pac-12 Conference with a 3-3 record.

Arizona, on the other hand, falls to 12-4 and 3-2 in Pac-12 play.

And, yes. The Wildcats will fall out of the top 10 next week. The rankings do not matter. After all, it's the middle of January for goodness sake. 

10th-ranked Arizona beats Utah, 92-73

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

All five starters did their thing at McKale Center tonight as 10th-ranked Arizona rolled to a 92-73 Pac-12 win over the Utah Utes.

-- Caleb Love dished out six assists, grabbed six rebounds, and scored 23 points to lead all scorers. 

-- Keshad Johnson added 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

-- Kylan Boswell continued his highlight reel of half-court passes and finished with six assists and 11 points.

But the night belonged to Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson as they reached the 1,000 mark in career points with the Wildcats.

Ballo hauled in nine rebounds and scored 17 points; his last dunk resulted in his 1,000-career point as an Arizona Wildcat, while Larsson did the same moments later with his own thundering dunk to finish the night with 13 points and a six-point lead over his teammate in career points with 1,006.

Arizona improves to 12-3 and 3-1 in the Pac-12 Conference.

Beady edges Tolson, Opocensky for the most TOTS' hits in 2023

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers have been around since 1968, and the amateur baseball club recently completed its 56th season. 

The TOTS play year-round. They play every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Udall Park (see photo above). They seldom take a break.

Arguably, the 2023 season is considered, by the people who keep track of such things, to be the best ever.

Why?

Well, read on to find out.

Forty-four members, ranging in age from 61 to 85, took their cuts at the plate this season, and the 'three studs' that topped the hitting charts were Big Jon Beady, Thunder Tim Tolson, and the "Big O' Joe Opocensky.

They most definitely have earned their nicknames.

Beady, who recently turned 62, finished first in hits (171), triples (10), home runs (17) and RBI with 144. He batted .586 (171 for 292) and was second in runs scored with 124. 

Tolson, 71, batted .463 (170 for 367) and was second in RBI with 111.

Opocensky, 73, batted .558 (169 for 303) and was third in RBI (109). 

Photos: Beady (top), who finished with the most hits (171) and home runs (17) in 2023. Bottom photo: Tim Tolson and Joe Opocensky. Tolson finished second in hits (170) in 2023, while Opocensky was third with 169.

That, of course, is just a start.

Other 'big guns' included John Mathews, who collected 141 hits in 245 at-bats, a .576 batting average, and  John Cooke, who led the club in runs scored (131) while ending up fifth in hits with 136 in 294 at-bats, a .463 average.

Other notables included Ken Nebesny (133 hits in 346 at-bats, a .384 average), Mike Dawson (118 hits in 274 at-bats, a .431 average), Bob Daliege (114 hits in 292 at-bats, a .390 average), Sam Dean (110 hits in 225 at-bats, a .489 average), while Randy Livingston went 108 for 183, a .590 average; Mark Rupert went 105 for 335, a .313 average and Reed Palmer, who went 101 for 201, a .502 average. Palmer finished second in home runs with five.

Dawson turned out to be the TOTS' workhorse on the mound in 2023. He logged 278 innings and pitched in 49 games while compiling a 21-14 won/loss record. Pete Maldonado was also a 20-game winner for the year, going 20-12. Beady went 15-8, and Palmer compiled a 16-7 record.

Beady led the club in strikeouts with 108, Dawson finished with 86 strikeouts, and Palmer 85.  

The TOTS carried a .377 team batting average as a club with 2,581 hits in 6,847 at-bats.

In the super-senior division (75 and over), it was Daliege, 75, leading the way with his .390 batting average. David Byars, 76, went 78 for 249, a .313 average; Mike Steele, 75, went 59 for 194, a .304 average; and Danny "Pigpen" Price, 78, went 53 for 212, a .250 average. Byars and Price tied for the most RBI among the super-seniors with 37.

Way to go, TOTS! And now it is on to 2024!   

#10 Arizona storms back from Stanford loss with 97-50 win over Buffaloes

Arizona Basketball

Wildcats 97 Colorado 50

#10 Arizona received the first part of its home cooking at McKale Center tonight with a 97-50 rout of the Colorado Buffaloes. The Wildcats led 50-23 at the half and led by 50 in the second half behind 18 points from Pelle Larsson, 16 from Caleb Love, 14 from Kylan Bowell, and 15 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes from Mo Krivas.

The Wildcats are back and will get their shot at Utah at McKale on Saturday to complete the home cooking.

Everyone played in this one as Arizona shot 56.3 percent (40 of 71) from the field and made 11 of 20 from long range, with Boswell hitting four of seven 3-pointers.

Arizona improves to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12 Conference.