Arizona
‘Go in there with confidence’: Oregon men’s basketball takes on No. 6 Arizona in Tucson
Three games remain on the schedule for the Oregon men’s basketball team and while the ultimate goal is finding a way to make the NCAA Tournament later this month, there is a more pressing plan for the Ducks.
The Pac-12 Tournament begins March 13 in Las Vegas. Oregon would prefer to not start play until the next day.
In order to get that first-round bye, the Ducks (19-9, 11-6 Pac-12) need a top-four finish in the regular-season standings. They’re currently in third place — behind Arizona (13-4) and Washington State (13-5), and ahead of Colorado (10-7) — but staying there isn’t going to be easy.
Oregon has a game against the No. 6 Wildcats at 11 a.m. Saturday in Tucson, then play the Buffaloes and Utah at home to end the season next Thursday and Saturday.
The Ducks are 0-3 against those teams this season.
“We’ve got three really tough games but as I told the team, those are three great opportunities,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said Wednesday after Oregon defeated Oregon State at Matthew Knight Arena. “You play for this late in the season, to finish in the top four to try to get a bye, try to make something happen in these three games then try to make something happen in the tournament.”
Tough task awaits Oregon in Tucson
After winning seven straight against the Wildcats from 2018-2021, the Ducks have lost three of the last four matchups, including on Jan. 27 in Matthew Knight Arena when Arizona recorded an opening-tip-to-final-buzzer victory, 87-78.
Oregon had no defense for Arizona guard Caleb Love that afternoon, as the senior guard scored a season-high 36 on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
The Wildcats shot 49% as a team and outrebounded the Ducks by one — 34-33.
“They’ve got great size so we’re really going to have to rebound the ball,” Altman said. “We let Love just get going here and they got off to a fast start and we never did catch them. They scored too many points and we gave up too many easy ones.”
The Wildcats lead the conference with an average attendance of 12,008 and were undefeated at McKale Center through the first 13 home games of this season until losing to Washington State on Feb. 22.
However, under Altman, the Ducks are 6-6 in Tucson.
“It’s always a challenge down there but we’ve had a little success down there,” Altman said. “But you can’t let the crowd get into it. You can’t give up 80, 90 points — and they’re scoring like crazy at home because they get the crowd going and they start running up and down and we don’t necessarily want to do that.”
Arizona has won eight of its last nine and are averaging 90.1 points during that stretch. The one loss came when Washington State held the Wildcats to 71.
“Like coach always says, ‘Swing away,’” Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr. said. “So we have to go in there with the mindset to swing away. We have to knock them off first. We just have to go in there with confidence, not worry about the crowd, play our game, execute offense, get stops on defense.”
Oregon (19-9, 11-6 Pac-12) vs. No. 6 Arizona (22-6, 13-4)
Time/date: 11 a.m., Saturday
Site: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
TV: ESPN. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3).
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
Don’t miss these 5 metro Phoenix hidden gem restaurants
From Ethiopian cuisine to mesquite-grilled chicken, check out these five restaurants in metro Phoenix that have flown under the radar for too long.
A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
Arizona CEO accused of stealing millions
Jeffrey Gottfurcht, the now-former CEO of Mesa startupo Cyber Dive, is accused of stealing at least $1.5 million from the company to buy gifts for his girlfriend. FOX 10’s Brian Webb has more.
PHOENIX – An Arizona chief executive officer is facing major legal trouble after being accused of embezzling money from his company.
What we know:
Cyber Dive is an Arizona startup that sells child-safety smartphones, designed so parents can monitor their children’s online activity. The company is run out of a business complex in Mesa, but the startup is barely hanging on after the CEO allegedly took off with the money to spend on his girlfriend.
Jeffrey Gottfurcht is facing federal embezzlement charges. He stands accused of lying and doctoring documents to trick investors before running off with at least $1.5 million.
On the company Facebook page, Gottfurcht claimed to be the first rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to scale Mount Everest.
Local perspective:
Red flags first popped up at the company on Feb. 13, with strange occurrences coming into the office.
Derek Jackson, who co-founded Cyber Dive, recalled the moment the discrepancies came to light.
“They mentioned to me something about getting routing documentation for funds from an acquisition deal,” Jackson recounted. “They said ‘where are those documents?’ He said he was gonna send him at 3 p.m. today, and my response was what deal are you talking about?”
Dig deeper:
Court documents show Gottfurcht used the money to buy his escort girlfriend a Lamborghini, a four-bedroom house in Miami, and a diamond ring. The girlfriend has posted videos on TikTok, but her identity is hidden because she has not been charged with a crime.
When asked to confirm if Gottfurcht purchased the car, the diamond ring, and the house, Jackson responded, “Yes. So it gets deep. Yes, it gets very deep.”
“It’s a huge gut punch,” Jackson said regarding the impact on the startup. “I think it’s been challenging to stay motivated to keep the company going because when this happened, Jeff drained the account to zero.”
At the Cyber Dive headquarters, half the workforce was let go. Jackson is now serving as the interim chief executive officer, looking for new investors to keep the lights on while coming to grips with the loss of a partner and friend.
Jackson stated that the total amount of money taken is closer to $4 million.
“I was in the army. I was an intelligence officer. I was targeting people in ISIS. I don’t even hate terrorists as much as I hate Jeff right now,” Jackson said.
The other side:
No one answered the door at the Paradise Valley home Gottfurcht shares with his wife and three children. Court paperwork shows that his wife is seeking a divorce, and helped turn her husband in to the authorities.
What’s next:
Gottfurcht was previously arrested in Scottsdale in May over allegations of domestic violence. He remains behind bars on a $250,000 bond.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Derek Jackson, and from court documents.
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