No answer for Flagg...or was there?

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The Arizona Wildcats (24-13) had no answer for Duke's Cooper Flagg.

Or did they?

The Wildcats' all-american guard Caleb Love scored 14 points in the first half and then put up 21 in the second half as Arizona, down 48-42 at the half,  came roaring back from a 19-point deficit midway through the second half before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament tonight in Newark, New Jersey, 100-93.

Flagg was impressive with a 30-point night, including six rebounds and seven assists, and owned the paint, but Love was also impressive, bringing the Wildcats back to within five points with just under two minutes left in the game.

Duke and Flagg combined for 61 percent shooting (33 of 54) and 11 of 19 from long range, while Love and the Wildcats shot 30 of 67 from the field (44.8 percent), including 12 of 26 three-pointers.

Love finished with 35 points and played all 40 minutes, making 11 of 21 field goal attempts, including 5 of 11 three-pointers. Jaden Bradley finished in double figures with 15, while Henri Veesaar scored 13 points and was the top Wildcats rebounder with six. 

Duke (34-3) moves on to play Alabama in the Elite 8. Arizona returns home to Tucson after turning in an impressive postseason, finishing third in the Big 12 Conference and reaching the Sweet Sixteen.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Baseball season upon us...it's about time!

Baseball...it's that time

This old sportswriter turns 80 this summer, and luckily, I'm still standing and patiently await another Major League Baseball (MLB) season. 

The 2025 season begins on Thursday...

Where will the Arizona Diamondbacks end up this season? Can the D'backs go all the way?

Who will be crowned World Champions? The fun begins in just 48 hours.

As for the University of Arizona baseball team, the Wildcats already have 23 games in the books for 2025. 

Arizona is 18-5 overall and owns a 5-1 record thus far in its first year in the Big 12 Conference.

Fresh off a 2-1 series win in West Virginia, Arizona returns home with some good news and some bad news. The Wildcats are unbeaten at home with a 13-0 record at Hi Corbett Field. Arizona returns home with an injured leadoff man out of the lineup and arguably its best player, Brendan Summerhill.

Summerhill was injured in the series with the Mountaineers and will be out for at least a month. He leads the Wildcats with a .409 batting average and 38 hits in 93 at-bats. The Wildcats will miss his speed around the bases, as he leads the club in triples with six and total bases with 61.

As for my amateur baseball team, the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), we never stop playing and are three months into our 2025 season with nine months to go.

The TOTS have a new group of 60-year-olds and a roster nearing fifty!

Of course, I'm the oldest active player still standing, along with 86-year-old Ted Roberts, who serves as the team's "voice" and our scorekeeper.

The TOTS play all their home games at Tucson Udall Park every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As the temperatures rise, the games will soon start at 9 a.m. instead of 10.

As for the Wildcats, they have 17 home games remaining at Hi Corbett Field this spring. 

The Diamondbacks are back at Chase Field and will open the 2025 season with the Chicago Cubs in town for the season opener and a four-game series (March 27, 28, 29, and 30).

Batter up!

Go, Diamondbacks!

Go, Wildcats!

...and go, TOTS!

A 'Lovely ending' in Seattle

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Anthony Dell'Orso sank four pressure free throws in the final 10 seconds, and Caleb Love knocked home the final two free throws to clinch an 87-83 win for Arizona over Oregon tonight in Seattle to move on to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and a date with Duke next week in Newark, New Jersey.

Love led the Wildcats with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while four players -- Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka (14 rebounds), KJ Lewis, and Dell'Orso added 12 points apiece as Arizona shot 45.5 percent (30 of 66) from the field, including 10 of 20 3-pointers.

Arizona (24-12) didn't come out swinging in the first half. In fact, just five minutes into the game, the Wildcats were down 19-4. By halftime, Arizona led 42-38 -- a 38-19 turnaround!

The second half was a chess match between Oregon coach Dana Altman and Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. The two coaches pulled out all the stops, and the final minute took forever!

Way to go, Wildcats!

Note: Game time next Thursday against Duke at 6:40 p.m. (Arizona time)

Arizona zips by Akron in first round of NCAA Tourney

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Arizona rolled over Akron 93-65 in Seattle today in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Jaden Bradley led the way with 19 points, Trey Townsend was a force under the bucket with 16, while Carter Bryant finished with 12 and Caleb Love and KJ Lewis added 10 apiece.

The Wildcats shot 56.5 percent from the field (39 of 69), made 12 of 25 3-pointers, and out rebounded the Zips, 56-27! 

Way to go, Wildcats.

Houston holds off Arizona to win Big 12 Conference title

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Houston (30-4) held off the Arizona Wildcats (22-12) with an 11-2 run down the stretch to win the championship game of the Big 12 Conference Tournament, 72-64, today in Kansas City.

The Wildcats didn't score a field goal in the final five minutes, and their chance of winning the tourney title slipped away. Arizona led at the end of the first half 33-28. Caleb Love led the Wildcats with 19 points, Jaden Bradley added 14, and KJ Lewis finished with 11.

Arizona made just five 3-pointers, and Houston canned nine of 23 from long range. Milos Uzan was the big gun for the Cougars with 25 points, including 8 of 16 from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

The Wildcats played well in Kansas City. They finished the conference tournament with a 2-1 record, including wins over Kansas and Texas Tech.

And now it's on to the Big Dance next week. The Wildcats await Selection Sunday and look to grab anywhere from a 3, 4, or 5 seed for the tourney.

   

Arizona reaches Big 12 final with 86-80 win over Texas Tech

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Caleb Love scored a game-high 27 points, while KJ Lewis had an all-around game with 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals to lead Arizona to an 86-80 semi-final win tonight over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City.

Arizona improved to 22-11 and once again received balanced scoring. Trey Townsend added 12 points, Jaden Bradley scored 10 and had no turnovers in 37 minutes, and Henri Veesaar finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Wildcats shot 50.8 percent from the field (31 of 61) and 8 of 16 from long range, with Love hitting five of eight from beyond the arc.

Arizona will face 2nd-ranked Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the championship game. Houston (29-4) walloped BYU this afternoon in the other Big-12 semi-final matchup, 74-54.

Way to go, Wildcats!

   

Way to go, Henri... and a little Love for Caleb!

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Caleb Love made sure his teammates got the ball tonight.

The senior Wildcats guard dished out six assists, grabbed four rebounds, picked up two steals, and scored 11 points as Arizona reached tomorrow night's Big 12 semi-finals with an 88-77 win over Kansas in the quarterfinals tonight in Kansas City.

The benefactors from some of Love's passes included Henri Veesaar (19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists), KJ Lewis ( 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), and Trey Townsend (16 points, 3 rebounds, one assist).

If that wasn't enough firepower by the Wildcats, Jaden Bradley added seven points, Carter Bryant added seven, Anthony Dell'Orso chipped in five, and Tobe Awaka finished with four points.

Arizona (21-11) shot 53.4 percent from the field (31 of 58) and sank eight 3-pointers (8 of 18). Kansas (21-12) outrebounded the Wildcats by one, 36-35.

Now it's on to the semis and a rubber match Friday with Texas Tech (25-7).

Go, Wildcats!

   

Larry Tagg passes away at 94

 

We lost a fan and a 20-year TOT on January 17, 2025

The article below from 2014...Rest in Peace, Larry!

I admire all the TOTS, past and present. Now that I'm the club historian, I continue to sift through the archives, looking at pictures and faces of men who have come before me. Due to medical issues way beyond their control, a few of the honorary TOTS who are still alive and kicking show up and sit in the bleachers every week to cheer us on.

Take, for instance, 82-year-old Larry Tagg. Larry sustained a brain injury a few years back, and he was forced to retire from the active list. However, he still makes the annual luncheon every year and attends all the "dress out" games (every three months, we play a game in our full uniform—followed by a cookout—all the honorary TOTS and former players are also invited and partake in our yearly Christmas party).

So, like a good historian, I checked up on Mr. Tagg. He was the TOT of the Year 2000 and the team manager in 2001-02. In 2005, at 74, he played in 63 games, collected 30 hits in 127 at-bats, knocked in 11 runs, and batted .236. In 2006, his average slipped to .193, but he did step to the plate 166 times, had 32 hits, walked 25 times, and was hit by a pitch four times.

As for his life before the TOTS, well, that's a story in itself.

Larry was a serviceman...and I mean a military serviceman.

Tagg, born and grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, allowed his early "baseball playing" days to be interrupted by enlisting in the Army in 1948. After his eight-year stint in the Army, he returned home and played for some independent baseball teams, traveling around Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska. It wasn't long before he ended up at a small college in Denver and met Donna Gensler. They married, and he subsequently joined the Air Force and served as a chaplain for 20 years.

While on active duty, Tagg served in Alaska and Germany and was stationed close to home at Davis-Monthan AFB, just to name a few of the bases. He retired from the military in 1976 and eventually made his way to Tucson with his wife, Donna, and his two sons, Philip and Martyn.

And then along came the TOTS.

Photo: Larry Tagg

Dickinson scores 33 to lift Kansas over Arizona, 83-76

 Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Behind a 33-point effort from its big man Hunter Dickinson, the Kansas Jayhawks knocked off the Arizona Wildcats 83-76 today at the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

Arizona ends its regular season with a 20-11 overall record and 14-6 in the Big 12 Conference.

The Wildcats were led by Jaden Bradley with 21 points, while Caleb Love finished with 16. Trey Townsend added 13, and Tobe Awaka finished in double figures with 10 points and nine rebounds.

And now it's on to the postseason and the Big 12 Tournament next week in Kansas City. 

Arizona beats Arizona State, 113-100

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

There was not a lot of defense in this one!

Arizona won its 20th game of the season, outscoring Arizona State 113-100 tonight at McKale Center, and clinched a double-bye for the 16-team Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Five players scored in double figures for the Wildcats, including a career-high 22 points from Henri Veesaar. Caleb Love scored 21, as did KJ Lewis, who tied his career high. Tobe Awaka added 15 points, and Jaden Bradley finished with 12 points.

The Wildcats shot 59.0 percent from the field tonight (36 of 61) and made 10 of 23 from long range while committing just six turnovers. 

Arizona (20-10, 14-5) has one regular-season game remaining at Kansas on Saturday.

And then it's on to postseason play.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Wildcats fall to Iowa State in Ames

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Arizona made only 19 of 57 field goal attempts and lost 84-67 to Iowa State tonight in Ames. The Wildcats made just four 3-pointers, while the Cyclones buried 11 of 20 from long range to put Arizona away.

The Wildcats fall to 19-10 overall and 13-5 in the Big 12 Conference.

Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 18 points, KJ Lewis added 13, and Caleb Love finished with 10 points as Arizona shot a dismal 33 percent from the field, including four of 22 from 3-point land.

Up next: Arizona State at McKale on Tuesday.

Dawson top TOTS hitter in February/2025

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Mike Dawson, 69, was the top hitter on the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers during the month of February. 

Dawson went 22 for 34 in 12 games for a .647 batting average. Mike scored 10 runs and knocked in 11 runs. 

It was another exceptional month for the amateur baseball club as forty-nine players took the field and recorded at-bats at Udall Park. As a club, the TOTS batted 731 times and collected 276 hits for a team batting average of .378.

Finishing second in hits was Joe Opocensky (21 for 43), while Phil Ahern was third with 20 hits in 40 official at-bats. Reed Palmer hit the only home run for the month, and Opocensky led the club in RBI with 18.

On the mound, it was Opocensky leading the way with a 4-0 record in 28 innings. Dawson compiled a 2-2 record and was the strikeout king for the month with 11.