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Posted 12/20/2008 at 02:29 AM
Saturday, December 20 is unofficially Arizona Day in Las Vegas. The Wildcats basketball team tips off against UNLV at noon after winning on the Thomas & Mack Court last season in a defensive struggle, 52-49. Then the Arizona football team takes on Brigham Young at 5:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Bowl. As an Arizona graduate, I'm going the 'homer' rout and backing the Wildcats +2 1/2 against UNLV in basketball, and laying a field goal against BYU in football.
The basketball matchup figures to be a bit different from last year's defensive struggle. Interim coach Kevin O'Neill was Arizona's answer to UNLV's Rollie Massimino, two coaches who enjoy taking the air out of the ball and grind out wins. However, this year's interim head coach Russ Pennell runs a motion offense that goes back to what Lute Olson preached.
Arizona has three solid players, but little depth. Get center Jordan Hill, forward/guard Chase Budinger or point guard Nic Wise in foul trouble and the Wildcats struggle. Wise fouled out in the Texas A&M loss earlier this year, and Arizona faltered and eventually lost by a point.
As for the football game, Arizona is overjoyed to be playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Wildcats haven't been in a bowl game since beating Nebraska in the 1998 Holiday Bowl, 23-20, finishing the year ranked fourth in the country compliments of a 12-1 record.
Meanwhile, BYU is playing in its fourth straight Las Vegas Bowl after starting the year with expectations of making a Bowl Championship Series game. Both the Wildcats and Cougars have high-octane offenses, but they have played a couple of low-scoring affairs the past two years. Arizona beat BYU two years ago, 16-13, while the Cougars returned the favor last season, 20-7.
BYU has a power running game which Arizona has had difficulty stopping in losses to Stanford and Oregon, but motivated teams usually find a way to win in the postseason. I'm saying Arizona beats BYU in a 34-30 shootout, and the basketball teams knocks off UNLV, 71-68.
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