Saturday’s Open Entry

Please feel free to share comments and information in this thread today.

A few couple items of interest:

If you happen to have some time on your hands tonight, we ask you for a favor.  We’re going to work on feature entry here and we need all of the time-saving help that we can get.  Therefore, if you have the time &/or inclination then do us a favor and share some relevant/interesting links, articles and historical information about the University of Arizona’s Basketball program in our comments section.  I would particularly be interested in numbers and statistics of UofA’s Basketball before Lute Olson arrived and the performance of the program after Olson.  That’s it.  You can’t go wrong.  We just want help compiling research to save some time.

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08-09 Basketball General

38 Responses to Saturday’s Open Entry

  1. Wulfpack 03/28/2009 at 5:50 PM #

    Capel to UVA and Grant to Bama? NO!

    So with uconn’s win, I think it’s safe to say the Big East gets 3 Final Four teams.

    Has anyone else heardb anything about Izzo’s interest in the UK job?

  2. Noah 03/28/2009 at 5:59 PM #

    I would be absolutely stunned if Izzo took the UK job. He’s from Michigan, he was Jud Heathcoate’s boy at Michigan State and he’s 55 years old. Why on earth would he put that aside to go coach at UK?

  3. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 6:03 PM #

    “Has anyone else heardb anything about Izzo’s interest in the UK job?”

    Nothing other than “No comment.” I won’t trot out any of the UK message board stuff.

    As for why Izzo would, some of the talking heads have/had been saying that Izzo has accomplished all he wanted to at Michigan St. and *may* look forward to a new challenge. But that’s what talking heads are good for … speculation.

  4. Noah 03/28/2009 at 6:07 PM #

    In 1947, Arizona went to the NCAA tournament for the first time. They were in the Border Conference.

    Their coach was Fred Enke, who had about 550 career wins over 35 years.

    Enke retired in 1961 and Bruce Larson took over. He didn’t do anything over the next 11 years and Arizona ended up hiring the first black coach in D1 basketball in 1972, Fred Snowden.

    Snowden took them to the NCAA tournament in 1976 and 1977. They made the elite eight in 1976, but lost to UCLA.

    Bob Elliot was their only real star during the early days. He was the first person in school history to score 2000 points and was a third-team all-american.

    There is basically NO history before Snowden.

  5. Noah 03/28/2009 at 6:08 PM #

    BTW, when coaches are looking for a “new challenge,” how come it’s always by taking over a top program?

    If Izzo wants a real challenge, why doesn’t he take over the Cal St. Fullerton program?

  6. BJD95 03/28/2009 at 6:11 PM #

    I didn’t see that Jeff had opened a Saturday thread, so I deleted mine. But here is the text – please take note of the last paragraph below:

    Game one is over – douchebag extraordinaire Jim Calhoun and his band of mongoloids will be in the Final Four – keeping the possibility alive that I might have to pull for the Holes in the final). Pitt and Nova are getting started now, and hopefully this will be good television.

    Please note that this is NOT a Sidney Lowe discussion thread. I closed down the “coaching carousel” thread, as it was getting way (keeping the possibility out of hand and repetitive. Take a timeout, calm down, and let’s discuss something else.

  7. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 6:14 PM #

    Re: Arizona

    Hope this is some of what you’re looking for … apologies if not.

    History:
    http://www.arizonaathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/history.html

    History/Stats:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Wildcats_men%27s_basketball

    Lute Olson:
    http://www.collegeinsider.com/lute/main.html

  8. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 6:19 PM #

    Nova is impressive.

    Hard to believe they lost to N.C. State as recently as last season.

  9. BJD95 03/28/2009 at 6:21 PM #

    I think Pitt’s luck is finally about to run out.

  10. CStanley 03/28/2009 at 6:26 PM #

    Nova looks good, and they may be the team that can beat Carolina.

    That is if OU doesn’t do it first.

  11. TheCOWDOG 03/28/2009 at 6:28 PM #

    I think Pitt’s luck is finally about to run out.

    “Not so soon my friend”

  12. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 6:29 PM #

    “Danger: NOVA!”

    “Pittsburgh disassemble?”

    http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1robots-gal-johnny.jpg

  13. Wulfpack 03/28/2009 at 6:32 PM #

    This game isn’t over yet folks. These teams are very even. If Pitt keeps it close, they roll in the last 3 minutes. They aren’t pretty but that’s how they’ve done it all year long.

    OU/UNC will be a great match-up. But I think UNC has considerable more fire power. Going to be close but the Heels roll into Mo-town.

  14. MrPlywood 03/28/2009 at 6:34 PM #

    I am reduced to calling my kids in to see Tyler’s “Beaker-face”, yelling “he travelled!” or “that’s a foul!” at various times during various games, and to wrestle with needing teams that I don’t like to win so my bracket does well. And so it goes…

  15. BJD95 03/28/2009 at 6:43 PM #

    Oh, I’m not saying it won’t be close. But I think Nova will have enough to hold Pitt off, unlike ETSU/Okie State/Xavier.

    You need to bring it for 40 minutes against Jay Wright’s crew.

  16. TheCOWDOG 03/28/2009 at 6:43 PM #

    “Going to be close but the Heels roll into Mo-town.”

    No.. OK comes from a far distant planet. Not from home here in the ACC.

    Proof of life on other planets.

  17. theTHRILL 03/28/2009 at 6:49 PM #

    Another site is reporting that Curry has narrowed his choices to Clemson, Duke and Wake. Oh well…

  18. BJD95 03/28/2009 at 7:27 PM #

    This is starting to feel like a classic game. Much better basketball than the Sweet Sixteen clunkers!

  19. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 7:29 PM #

    Good game.

    Glad there’s been a couple of pretty good games today (to this point, anyway) … this tournament has been devoid of upsets and there’s been just a few really exciting games.

    And … as I type the satelite signal goes out. NOOOOOO!!

  20. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 7:30 PM #

    ^^You kinda stole my thunder there, BJD …

    I’m about to have to resort to flipping on the radio … drat.

  21. Ed89 03/28/2009 at 7:43 PM #

    SFN, I know it’s not a big deal, but you may want to change your clock. It hasn’t “sprung” ahead for DST. I’ve been meaning to mention it, and figure now’s as good a time as any.

  22. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 7:46 PM #

    Refs are really starting to take control …

  23. wufpup76 03/28/2009 at 8:03 PM #

    Jay Wright certainly cries a lot.

  24. BJD95 03/28/2009 at 8:06 PM #

    Just awesome basketball. Probably the best game of the tournament so far, because both teams are playing really hard and well.

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