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Pac-12 Basketball Preview: Arizona the Team to Beat

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Pac-12 Basketball Preview: Arizona the Team to Beat


Cal and USC kick off Pac-12 play on Wednesdy with the opposite 10 groups getting underway on Thursday.

The nonconference video games did not inform us a lot apart from Arizona appears like a possible Last 4 group regardless of its vital personnel losses, Washington could be higher than we anticipated, and Cal can have hassle profitable a recreation.

Every group will play 20 convention video games, which implies it should play 9 Pac-12 groups twice and two different groups solely as soon as.

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Here is a fast have a look at all 12 groups heading into Pac-12 motion, listed of their predicted order of end:

1. Arizona (6-0)

Greatest participant(s): Azuolas Tubelis (19.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg); Oumar Ballo (19.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg); Kerr Kriisa (15.3 ppg, 7.5 apg, 51.4% on 3-pointers)

Greatest win: Creighton

Worst loss: None

AP rank: 4th

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Preseason media ballot projected end: Second

Pac-12 groups Arizona performs solely as soon as: Stanford, Colorado

Remark: Regardless of dropping each of their all-conference gamers from final yr (Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko), the Wildcats lead the nation in scoring (97.5 ppg) and field-goal share (60.3%).

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2. UCLA (5-2)

Greatest participant(s): Jaime Jaquez (16.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg); Tyger Campbell (14.0 ppg, 4.9 apg)

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Greatest win: Lengthy Seashore State

Worst loss: Illinois

AP rank: 21st

Preseason media ballot projected end: First

Pac-12 groups UCLA performs solely as soon as: Cal, Oregon State

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Remark: Simply two returning starters from final yr, however freshmen Amari Bailey (10.3 ppg) and Adem Bona (8.7 ppg) are starters who will assist.

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3. Oregon (3-4)

Greatest participant(s): Will Richardson (13.7 ppg, 4.9 apg); N’Faly Dante (13.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Kel’el Ware (11.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg)

Greatest win: Villanova

Worst loss: UC Irvine

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AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: Third

Pac-12 groups Oregon performs solely as soon as: Washington, USC

Remark: 7-foot freshman Kel’el Ware could possibly be one thing particular, however Geese’ early success will rely on when N’Faly Dante will get out of concussion protocol. 

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4. Arizona State (6-1)

Greatest participant(s): DJ Horne (13.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg); Marcus Bagley (12.5 ppg, 4.0)

Greatest win: Michigan

Worst loss: Texas Southern

AP rank: Acquired votes

Preseason media ballot projected end: Seventh

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Pac-12 groups Arizona State performs solely as soon as: Utah, Cal

Remark: Bagley has performed simply two video games due to a suspension, however the Solar Devils beat Michigan by 25 with out him. Was that win an omen or a fluke?

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5. USC (4-3)

Greatest participant(s): Drew Peterson (15.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 6.6 apg); Boogie Ellis (18.0, 45.9% on 3-pointers)

Greatest win: BYU

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Worst loss: Florida Gulf Coast

AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: Fourth

Pac-12 groups USC performs solely as soon as: Stanford, Oregon

Remark: Drew Peterson can do a whole lot of issues and he’ll should do all of them properly for the Trojans to contend.

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6. Washington (6-1)

Greatest participant(s): Keion Brooks Jr. (16.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg); Keyon Menifield (10.4 ppg, 43.5% on 3-pointers)

Greatest win: Saint Mary’s

Worst loss: California Baptist

AP rank: Not ranked

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Preseason media ballot projected end: Ninth

Pac-12 groups Washington performs solely as soon as: Utah, Oregon

Scroll to Proceed

Remark: Two newcomers – Kentucky switch Keion Brooks and freshman Keyon Menifield – have the Huskies off to a powerful begin..

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7. Colorado (4-3)

Greatest participant(s): KJ Simpson (17.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg); Tristan da Silva (12.1 ppg)

Greatest win: Tennessee

Worst loss: Grambling State

AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: Sixth

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Pac-12 groups Colorado performs solely as soon as: Arizona, Washington State

Remark: Bizarre nonconference outcomes: Buffs misplaced to Grambing State then beat Tennessee two days later. They misplaced to Massachusetts and beat Texas A&M the following day. 9 gamers have began video games already.

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8. Stanford (3-4)

Greatest participant(s): Spencer Jones (10.7 ppg); Harrison Ingram (10.4 ppg); Michael Jones (10.3 ppg)

Greatest win: Florida State

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Worst loss: Mississippi

AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: Fifth

Pac-12 groups Stanford performs solely as soon as: Washington State, Arizona

Remark: A uncommon switch to Stanford (Michael Jones, from Davison) will assist, however will or not it’s sufficient for Jerod Haase to maintain his job?

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9. Washington State (3-2)

Greatest participant(s): Mouhamed Gueye (12.2, 7.0 repg)

Greatest win: Texas State

Worst loss: Prairie View A&M

AP rank: Not ranked

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Preseason media ballot projected end: Eighth

Pac-12 groups Washington State performs solely as soon as: Oregon State, Stanford

Remark: TJ Bamba is off to a powerful begin, however the Cougars will relay on two transfers – Jabe Mullins (from Saint Mary’s) and Justin Powell (from Tennessee) – to make them an element this season.

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10. Utah (5-2)

Greatest participant(s): Branden Carlsen (13.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg)

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Greatest win: Georgia Tech

Worst loss: Sam Houston State

AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: tenth

Pac-12 groups Utah performs solely as soon as: Washington, Arizona State

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Remark: Smooth nonconference schedule doesn’t inform us a lot about Utah, though we all know they went 4-16 within the Pac-12 final season with no noticeable enchancment this season.

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11. Oregon State (3-4)

Greatest participant(s): Jordan Pope (15.9 ppg)

Greatest win: Tulsa (though a three-point loss to Duke was one of the best end result)

Worst loss: Portland State (twice)

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AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: twelfth

Pac-12 groups Oregon State performs solely as soon as: Washington State, UCLA

Remark: The Beavers have already got as many wins as that they had all of final season, and it appears like their greatest participant is a freshman (Jordan Pope).

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12. Cal (0-7)

Greatest participant(s): Devin Askew (16.7 ppg)

Greatest win: None

Worst loss: Southern

AP rank: Not ranked

Preseason media ballot projected end: eleventh

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Pac-12 groups Cal performs solely as soon as: UCLA, Arizona State

Remark: The 0-7 begin is the worst in Cal historical past, and the nonconference schedule was pretty tender.

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Cowl photograph of Pelle Larsson by David Cruz, USA TODAY Sports activities



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Arizona

Arizona Diamondbacks Drop the Series Against the Minnesota Twins

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Arizona Diamondbacks Drop the Series Against the Minnesota Twins


The Twins Killing

Following a series loss to the juggernaut Philadelphia Phillies, the Diamondbacks returned home to Chase Field at 38-40 and were tasked with taking on the Minnesota Twins, who came in with a record of 43-35 and sitting in 2nd place in the AL Central.

Game 1 of this series started with Twins ace Joe Ryan on the bump versus the Diamondbacks young stud Brandon Pfaadt aka “The GodPfaadther”. The offense got off to a hot start but Pfaadt still ran into his usual blowup inning troubles, which had the crew discussing if if and when they would have taken Pfaadt out of the game, along with wondering how much longer this Diamondbacks team can rely on Marte to carry this offense,

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The typical June game 2 blowout was disappointing but not unexpected, as Ryne Nelson’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ season continues at home in a 8-3 loss. The fellas each give their own thoughts as to if they think Ryne is an actual MLB caliber pitcher, along with what the possible causes could be to this teams constant game 2 blowouts (5 of their last 6 series).

The matinee rubber match of this series was not much better than the previous game, but what better way to get ourselves introduced to writing game recaps than getting an absolute clunker out of the way first? The 13-6 loss in the finale had plenty of downsides, but nothing more notable than Jordan Montgomery’s 2.2 IP with 8 R (4 ER). Considering Monty was coming off 3 straight efficient starts that resulted in him getting the W, the crew questioned what might have been the biggest factor to his disastrous 2nd inning.

After a short series preview of the upcoming Oakland Athletics matchup, the fellas touched on Zac Gallen’s potential but probable return to the mound this Saturday. They also briefly talked about Alek Thomas finally getting back to rehabbing in Reno, and Ketel Marte moving on and being announced as a finalist for the All-Star Game Starters. MAKE SURE TO SHOW OUT FOR KETEL DBACKS FANS



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Arizona volleyball sets 2024 nonconference schedule

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Arizona volleyball sets 2024 nonconference schedule


Arizona volleyball released its first Big 12 Conference schedule at the beginning of April, but the Wildcats were still finalizing their nonconference schedule at that time. It has now been posted.

The season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30 with the Cactus Classic in McKale Center. The Wildcats start their first home tournament with a matchup against Boise State at 6 p.m. That is followed by a match against VCU on Saturday and Tennessee State on Sunday.

Arizona goes on the road to Montgomery, Ala. for the second week of the season. It plays host Alabama State on Thursday, Sept. 5. Prairie View A&M is on the slate for Friday, Sept. 6 and Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The Wildcats stay on the road to take part in New Mexico State’s tournament during week three. They play both Abilene Christian and Texas Southern on Friday, Sept. 13, and wrap things up with the host Aggies on Saturday, Sept. 14.

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UA finally returns to McKale Center for the Wildcat Classic on Friday, Sept. 20 to finish out the nonconference portion of the schedule. The weekend starts against Southern Utah. UC San Diego is up next on Saturday, and North Dakota State finishes things on Sunday, Sept. 22.

The Wildcats start their first Big 12 season on the road at Baylor on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs gave her team a considerably easier challenge in nonconference play this year. Her first season featured five teams that made the NCAA Tournament, including then-No. 1 Wisconsin on the road. The team then went into the tough Pac-12. The result was an 8-23 overall record and a 3-17 run in the final year of the Pac-12.

This year, the Wildcats will not play a team that made the 2023 tournament until conference play. Their only major conference opponent is Alabama, which went 11-18 overall and 1-17 in the SEC last year.



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Arizona State Football's Camp Tontozona set to kickoff in August

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Arizona State Football's Camp Tontozona set to kickoff in August


Arizona State football will make its return up north to the legendary Camp Tontozona from August 7-10 ahead of this football season.

It will be the second-consecutive year Arizona State is taking the trip to the high country northeast of Payson after a three-year period from 2020-22 included challenges such as Covid-19 and inclement weather, preventing the team from making the trip.

“We had a fantastic experience last year and decided to add a day this year. It is fun and our team loved it,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said in a press release. “It is a fantastic tradition that we embrace.”

Dillingham said shortly after his hiring in 2023 he would bring back the tradition, and his group is poised to make the trip again ahead of his second season.

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Longtime head coach Frank Kush first started the tradition of Camp T in 1959. The camp gives players a chance to experience a lush setting amongst the pines while building a strong team bond amongst each other.

Details regarding practice times and availability have not yet been confirmed. The week will culminate with a practice open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Three weeks later, Arizona State will kickoff their first game of the season as they host Wyoming at Mountain America Stadium on Aug. 31. It will also mark a new beginning for Arizona State, beginning its first school year in the Big 12 Conference.



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