Arizona

After Loss to Rams, Cardinals Must Make Changes

Published

1 year ago

December 29, 2024

After Loss to Rams, Cardinals Must Make Changes

Well, that was just about the most heartbreaking ending the Arizona Cardinals have seen all season.

After a failed attempt at a game winning drive to try and sweep the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals emerge out of SoFi Stadium as losers in 13-9 fashion.

Unfortunately, classic mistakes that we’ve seen from the team this year were made and Arizona has another losing record.

This is a loss that should rock the boat a bit – and I have some major criticisms.

But in fairness, there were some things to be happy about in the loss.

With one game remaining for Arizona, the end is in sight and we have most of our takeaways finished for the season’s outlook.

We still learned more about this team following the close loss, and that’s what we’re here to discuss.

Trey McBride is the best weapon on offense

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) catches the ball against Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens (26) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

James Conner has played at a Pro Bowl level this year. Marvin Harrison Jr has shown flashes of brilliance to be the Cards’ top receiver (more on him later). Kyler Murray is an athletic marvel who can make plays with his arm and his legs.

But Trey McBride is the best player on the Cardinals’ offense.

All season long, the third-year tight end has been one of the most reliable pass catchers across the NFL. Following tonight’s game, McBride is within range of the franchise single-season receptions record of 115, set by DeAndre Hopkins in 2020.

Mr. Reliable at his finest.

Although McBride may not be some game-breaking player with SportsCenter Top-10 highlights every week, his consistency and reliability cannot be measured in words.

A struggling Cardinals offense would be lost without McBride out there.

Rumors of Marvin Harrison Jr’s demise have been greatly exaggerated

Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) gestures after catching the ball against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The doomsday parade chanting Harrison Jr is a bust already should’ve been silenced against the Rams. MHJ reeled in six receptions for 96 yards. It was an under the radar performance with far more highs than lows.

And although he didn’t have many plays that will be on his rookie highlights tape on YouTube, it was still a game that should build confidence in him to continue growing.

Harrison’s stat line may not be the historical season we wanted, but it’s still be a good one.

If Harrison can close the season with another game like this, Cardinals fans should be much happier than they were a few weeks ago about his outlook heading into year two.

Cardinals need more playmakers on defense

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) gains a first down before he is stopped by Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills (55) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

I love some of the pieces on this Cardinals defense and several guys have bigger roles ready for the future. Garrett Williams, Dante Stills, Max Melton, and several others have had great seasons and will be the foundation for this defense.

But that being said, they desperately need more playmakers.

Several turnover worthy plays were left off the board, such as Baron Browning unable to strip-sack Matthew Stafford or Budda Baker’s dropped interception in the endzone. These are plays that swing the game in your favor and it’s causing too many close games and losses for Arizona.

When the offseason rolls around, the Cardinals have to prioritize not just adding talent to the defense but adding playmakers. Interceptions, sacks, anything and everything in between.

The Cardinals could’ve won more games this year with someone capable of generating turnovers. That has to be a top priority for this organization.

The Cardinals are a playoff team if this offense showed up every week

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles for a first down in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Speaking of winning more games, the Cardinals wouldn’t have been knocked out of the playoff hunt by now if they had this offense performing week in and week out. And it wasn’t even an elite effort tonight.

But what we saw was the Cardinals move the ball effectively more often than not and occasionally test the defense. You had mixed results, but at least there was life to be found in this game and it made it worth watching.

We didn’t get the result we wanted, but this was a far more competitive game because the Cardinals were willing to do things they didn’t before.

Wins are wins and losses are losses, but you can’t tell me Arizona doesn’t win at least one more game if they play offense like they did tonight.

That being said…

Drew Petzing Needs to Go

Sep 10, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing walks on the sideline before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brent Skeen-Imagn Images / Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

I’m done with watching Drew Petzing at this point. Even in a game that was well called, he found a way to ruin it.

Murray made some mistakes, but there were many questionable calls made by Petzing that had me upset… none more so than the final play of the game for Arizona’s offense where the Cardinals opted to pass inside the five yard line rather than force the Rams to burn their final remaining timeout and drain the clock by running it.

Nope. Instead, we got a foolish decision to throw the ball and it ended in a play that will be remembered as one of the best of the regular season… but not for Arizona.

I’m done. I’m over it. I’m ready for a change.

Sorry, Coach Petzing, but your number’s up.

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Arizona

Michigan overpowers Arizona in NCAA Tournament semifinal

Published

7 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

Michigan overpowers Arizona in NCAA Tournament semifinal

INDIANAPOLIS — All season long, the Arizona Wildcats owned the paint. They made more free throws than their opponents attempted. They were secure with the ball. On the few occasions they trailed, they found a way to “figure it out,” as head coach Tommy Lloyd often put it.

This time, there was no figuring it out.

Michigan overpowered Arizona, 91-73, on April 4 in front of 72,111 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in the second NCAA Tournament semifinal. The win sends the Wolverines (36-3) into the championship game on April 6 against Connecticut (34-5), a 71-62 winner over Illinois earlier in the night.

With 51 seconds left and the Wolverines up by 23, coach Dusty May called a timeout for the opportunity to pull his starters. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd did the same.

Moments later, Arizona players strolled off the court, expressions of disbelief across their faces. Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat walked through the tunnel arm in arm, Peat with a towel draped over his head. The Wildcats weren’t just beaten. They were manhandled, something completely unfamiliar for a team whose only two regular-season losses were by a combined seven points.

Lloyd admitted it will probably take a few days to process.

“I thought we had a chance to win this four-team tournament,” Lloyd said. “Obviously, Michigan had other thoughts today. We’ll get back home and take a breath. But I know, myself, no loss at the end of the season feels great. But I also think that it can be a great learning tool.

“So we’re going to take a breath, probably try to figure out what our roster looks like next year, and like I’ve always said, in this business, as a coach, you’ve got to be tough enough to take disappointment and show back up. And we’re going to show back up. We’re going to try to do this again, but see if we can do it a little bit better.”

The Wildcats (36-3) were making their fifth appearance in the Final Four, but the first since 2001 when they made the title tilt. Their only championship came way back in 1997. Many national pundits thought this was the year the school could break that long drought. The Wildcats defeated 14 nationally ranked teams, the most by a team since rankings started. They were battle-tested, winning both the Big 12 regular-season title and the conference tournament.

But Michigan came in battle-tested, too. It is one of the few teams that has the size to match up with the Wildcats. That made all the difference.

Arizona has a 7-foot-2 behemoth in Mo Krivas, but Michigan countered with 7-3 Aday Mara. Mara, who previously played at UCLA, tallied 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. The Wolverines also started a pair of 6-9 forwards in Morez Johnson and Yaxel Lendeborg, who combined for another 21 points and 10 rebounds. Michigan finished with a 19-12 edge in second-chance points.

Lendeborg sprained an ankle in the first half. He returned in the second but played just 15 minutes in the game, although it was an impactful 15 minutes.

“Their size really impacted the game,” Lloyd said. “I felt that. I see they only have Mara down for two blocks. There’s no way. I could think of three that he tipped, you know what I mean, just right off the top of my head.

“They’re one of those teams — I would say, like, Houston’s like that, or even Iowa State’s like that, teams we played. You have to play them a few times. And after you kind of get used to playing them a few times, you get more comfortable. I wish we had another crack at it, but we don’t. And so they get a ton of credit.”

Michigan came in as a 1.5-point favorite, which indicated the game was a toss-up. But it was never close.

The Wildcats trailed 48-32 at the half, the largest deficit the team has faced at any point this season. That hill to climb got steeper at 23 points just 5 minutes into the second half and was up to 30 at 77-47 with 10:31 left. There was no coming back from that.

Part of the disappointment comes from the fact that next season the team will look a lot different. For many, this was their shot. Three of the top seven are graduating, and freshmen phenoms Koa Peat and Brayden Burries are likely to head to the NBA.

Peat won four state titles at Perry High School, so ending the season with a loss is something unfamiliar. He says he took pride in being a hometown kid and representing the state.

Peat accompanied Lloyd to the postgame interview room along with Burries, Bradley, and Lloyd, but had his head buried in his arm when others were answering questions.

“It means everything to me. Being a kid from Arizona, putting on this jersey, having Arizona across my chest,” he said. “Like I said at the beginning of the season, when I put Arizona across my chest, I’m going to go 110% every game and leave no regrets. I’m just really thankful for the brand and the program for everything they did for me, and these teammates right here. I’m just super blessed. And it was a special year, and I’m just really thankful for everybody in Tucson.”

Players were asked to reflect on their favorite moments of the season. Each said it wasn’t one win, it was more about the time they spent together.

“I would say just, on and off the court,” Bradley said. “I feel like you really get to figure your teammates out, know what they’re like, meet their families. Just stuff beyond basketball. I felt like it brings you closer on the court, and I feel like we did a lot of stuff like that this year.”

Arizona shot just 36.6% (26-for-71), which included a 6-for-17 from deep. Peat had 16 points, but it took a 6-for-18 showing from the field. Burries and Anthony Dell’Orso each had 13, but Burries was only 4-for-16 from the field and 2-for-10 from deep. The Wildcats tallied 14 turnovers, which allowed Michigan to finish with a 26-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

Michigan shot 47.8% (33-for-69), including a 12-for-27 from deep.

“I think a lot of it is simply match-ups,” May said. “When we’ve played this model, this Arizona model this year — and they’re the souped-up version, they’re the steroid version of Gonzaga and these other teams — we just felt like if a team relies on scoring 15 feet and in, with Aday and Morez and Yaxel and Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle, because of our size, length, it’s going to be tough to score enough points 15 feet and in, if we’re making some shots and we’re in a decent rhythm offensively. We matched up well with Arizona better than we have some other teams this year.”

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Arizona

Final Four: Yaxel Lendeborg vows to play vs. UConn after finishing win over Arizona with MCL, ankle injuries — ‘I’m gonna play unless I can’t walk’

Published

19 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

Final Four: Yaxel Lendeborg vows to play vs. UConn after finishing win over Arizona with MCL, ankle injuries — ‘I’m gonna play unless I can’t walk’

Michigan All-American Yaxel Lendeborg returned to Saturday’s Final Four win over Arizona after suffering knee and ankle injuries and vowed after the game to play in Monday’s NCAA title game against UConn.

Lendeborg confirmed postgame that he sprained his left MCL and injured his ankle on a fall in the first half. He missed most of the first half, but returned to play briefly in the second half of Michigan’s runaway win.

He hit two 3s in the opening minutes of the second half to help Michigan extend its lead as the Wolverines cruised to a 91-73 victory.

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Arizona’s Koa Peat has won at all levels, Michigan next in Final Four

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

Arizona’s Koa Peat has won at all levels, Michigan next in Final Four

INDIANAPOLIS – Chandler native Koa Peat has won a lot of big games.

He led Perry High School to four straight state high school championships. He’s been part of gold-medal-winning entries for Team USA. And he’s a star freshman on the No. 1 University of Arizona team, which is on the precipice of the school’s first national championship since 1997.

It should have been hard for him to come up with an answer when asked the last time he actually “lost” a big game, but he did come up with one.

He singled out Arizona’s loss to then-No. 9 Kansas at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in February. That was one of just two games the Wildcats dropped this season. It says a lot that it was the worst loss he can remember.

Peat and the Wildcats (36-2) will square off against Michigan (35-3) in the second of two NCAA semifinals on Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The game is scheduled to tip off at roughly 5:50 p.m. MST, and will be televised on TNT, TBS and truTV.

The first Final Four game will pit Illinois against Connecticut at 4 p.m. and will be televised on TBS and truTV. The winners will compete for the national championship on Monday, April 6.

Arizona has won 13 straight games since back-to-back losses to Kansas and Texas Tech in February. Peat has hardly looked the part of a freshman.

“They call him Mr. Arizona,” said Wildcats’ coach Tommy Lloyd, who agreed to a contract extension on the eve of the team’s semifinal showdown. “Koa is special, and I know you guys hear it, but you got to hear it again. Four state championships at the same high school. Didn’t go to a prep school. Four gold medals with USA Basketball. No one in FIBA history has ever done that. And helped lead Arizona to a Final Four.”

At 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, Peat hardly looks like a freshman physically. He doesn’t play like one either.

Peat is averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. That might sound pedestrian compared to some athletes who have put up video-game-like offensive numbers. But this Arizona team is balanced offensively, with all five starters averaging double figures.

Peat has been at his best in the big moments. He was named the most outstanding player in the West Region, scoring 21 points against Arkansas in the Sweet 16 win and 20 against Purdue in the Elite Eight victory, which earned the Wildcats a berth in Indianapolis.

He came onto the scene with a bang, scoring a season-high 30 against defending national champion Florida on Nov. 3.

Message delivered.

While that game was a long time ago, it was a good indicator that the Wildcats could go the distance because they beat a team like Florida, which is similar to Michigan with size in the front court.

“We always watch our good highlights, so just seeing those (against Florida) definitely gives us confidence for sure,” Peat said.

Michigan coach Dusty May said it takes a certain kind of player to be able to compete at this level as a true freshman, and Peat fits the bill, as does Brayden Burries.

“When we were at Florida (Atlantic) we used to talk about how there are certain prerequisites to be able to play as a freshman at a Power Five level,” May said. “And one of those prerequisites was playing USA Basketball because of the amount of intensity that it takes to compete during the trials, during the practices and also the games and also the sacrifice it takes because you’re playing with 11 of the best players in our country and you have to sacrifice so much just to play.”

Genes and a competitive drive probably help too. Peat grew up in a house full of athletes as the youngest of seven siblings, all of whom played football or basketball. His brother, Andrus Peat, has been in the NFL for 10 years and currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His father, Todd, played for four teams in the NFL, most notably the Cardinals.

“It’s been a blessing to have great people like that around me, a family as I have with so many athletes who played Division I sports,” Peat said, on the eve of the national semifinal. “I would say I am the most competitive just because their competitiveness was passed down to me, seeing how good they were and what it took to compete.”

Lloyd has been impressed, although not necessarily surprised, with how Peat has performed as well as the way he has remained grounded.

“The dude, he’s amazing. His ability to perform the way he did in these moments, you know, he’s been in a lot of them,” Lloyd said. “I told our guys, don’t make too much out of this. It’s like a state championship game. You guys have all played in them. Or a gold medal game or whatever. Let’s just find a way to win the game. Don’t make it more than it is.”

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