Arizona
Three Keys to Success as Arizona Wildcats Host Texas Tech Red Raiders
It’s been five years since the Arizona Wildcats and the Texas Tech Red Raiders faced each other in a football game. Last time, it was a low-stakes non-conference game.
This time, the Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 in Big 12) and the Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0) are going to square off in Arizona Stadium for the right to remain at the top of the Big 12 Conference standings.
The Wildcats’ 23-10 road upset of then-No. 10 Utah put them in a great position to begin a stretch in which they play three of their next four games at home.
The Red Raiders are coming off a 44-41 win over Cincinnati at home. Texas Tech will play just its second road game of the season when it hits Tucson. The first one, well, did not go as planned. The Red Raiders dropped a double-digit loss to Washington State.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. mountain time on Saturday with Fox handling the broadcast duties.
Here are three keys to success for the Wildcats as they face Texas Tech on Saturday.
Whatever the Wildcats’ defense did to prep for Utah, they should do the same thing for Texas Tech, which has a more explosive offense and has its intended starter, Behren Morton, at quarterback.
Arizona’s defense was impressive against Utah. The Wildcats gave up 280 total yards, held them to 10 points and, probably most important, held the Utes 0-for-4 on fourth down. It was an incredible display of great defensive timing by the Wildcats.
The pass rush created three sacks and eight tackles for loss. The secondary played the best it has all season, picking off two passes and defending eight others.
The unit kept the Utes on its heels all night. Arizona must do the same to Texas Tech on Saturday.
While the fate of Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s eligibility continues to twist in the background, the Wildcats are getting more backs involved in the offense, which is a good thing.
Quali Conley still received more touches out of the backfield, carrying 14 times for 72 yards. But Kedrick Reescano was his equal and gained 73 yards on just seven carries. The Ole Miss transfer had a big night against Northern Arizona in Week 2, gaining 71 yards on six carries and scoring a touchdown. But he disappeared against Kansas State. Frankly so did the entire run game.
Without Croskey-Merritt, Reescano appears to be the back the Wildcats can lean on for explosive plays. Thanks largely to the pair, the run game gained 161 yards to complement quarterback Noah Fifita’s 197 passing yards. That’s the kind of balance coaches love to see.
Texas Tech has scored at least 30 points in four of its five games this season. In fact, the Red Raiders have scored at least 44 points in three of their five games. The Red Raiders have scored points by the bushel this season, which isn’t a real surprise if one follows Texas Tech football.
That makes it imperative that the Wildcat defense limits big plays and the Wildcat offense gets on the board early. No lead is safe. Texas Tech has proved that time and again.
Believe it or not, the 2026 All-Star Game voting process has already begun, as of Wednesday. Fans who want to see their favorite members of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field in the midsummer classic this season can begin voting for their stars.
There are certainly some deserving players on this Diamondbacks club, which is currently 32-28 and occupying the third Wild Card sport in the National League.
Here’s how and where you can vote for your hometown heroes:
How to vote for Diamondbacks players to make All-Star Game
Fans can utilize the following link to vote for members of their team on dbacks.com. Fans are permitted to fill out and submit as many as five ballots per day, selecting as many or as few players as they choose.
This period of the fan vote constitutes Phase 1 of All-Star voting, which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time (12:00 p.m. Eastern time).
Following Phase 1, the two overall top vote-getters will receive automatic berths into the All-Star lineups. If those two are not Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge once again, that would be an upset.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies in Philadelphia. All-Star week begins on June 10, with a full slate of activities, before the game is played on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (5:00 p.m. Arizona time).
The full schedule of events are as follows:
- Friday, July 10: HBCU Swingman Classic
- Saturday, July 11: 2026 MLB Draft
- Sunday, July 12: All-Star Sunday, MLB Futures Game, MLBx All-Star 3-on-3
- Monday, July 13: T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET)
- Tuesday, July 14: All-Star Red Carpet, All-Star Game
Which Diamondbacks are deserving All-Stars?
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, who should Diamondbacks fans vote for? Obviously, you may fill out the ballot however you choose. That can include a full roster of Diamondbacks, regardless of their stats or notoriety this season.
Still, here are some of the top performing D-backs who might have a leg up on an All-Star berth:
OF Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll is having another All-Star worthy season. He’s hitting .289/.380/.545 with a .925 OPS and eight home runs, while playing good right field defense. He has the eighth-most bWAR (2.7) among position players, fifth-most in the National League, and third-most among all pure outfielders.
2B Ketel Marte
If Marte wins the NL second base fan vote, it will be his third straight season starting the All-Star game. Despite such a slow start to the year, that feels possible again. Marte is hitting .259/.315/.456 with 10 homers and is playing the best defense of his career.
3B Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is quietly putting together one of his better seasons of the 2020s, slashing .269/.351/.467 with eight homers and flashing his elite third base glove at nearly as good a pace as ever. His name still carries a lot of weight in third base conversations; he’ll get some votes, no matter what.
1B Ildemaro Vargas
Vargas’ bat has cooled down quite a bit since his historic start to 2026. He’s still hitting a sturdy .290/.318/.454, but feels more likely to be considered as a reserve selection than a leading vote-getter.
Honorable Mention: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Pitchers are not selected by the fan vote. They are selected by player ballots and the All-Star Game managers. The National League’s manager will be Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, again.
The National League has quite a few talented pitchers, but Eduardo Rodriguez currently holds the fifth-best starting pitcher ERA (2.24) among NL hurlers. It’s going to be difficult to dethrone Christopher Sanchez or Jacob Misiorowski, but Rodriguez could find his way into the pitching pool, especially after his WBC heroics for Team Venezuela.
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Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
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