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.

Love's 23 leads Arizona over Utah, 83-66

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Caleb Love scored a game-high 23 points, while Jaden Bradley, Henri Veesaar, and Tobe Awaka chipped in 12 points apiece as #22 Arizona improved to 19-9 overall and 13-4 in the Big 12 Conference tonight at the McKale Center with an 83-66 win over Utah.

Love hit six 3-pointers tonight and dished out seven assists.

Arizona heads for Iowa State (21-7, 11-6) and a Saturday showdown with the 9th-ranked Cyclones.

Way to go, Wildcats.