Anatomy of a Loss
The medial collateral ligament or MCL is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It resists forces pushing the knee medially, which would otherwise produce valgus deformity. If strained, it can cause a team to lose to a hated in-state rival for only the 4th time in the previous 44 attempts. It can also create much doubt and displeasure amongst a once eagerly optimistic fanbase.
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This team misses Jerry D.
And that, my friends, is why you visit RauRaur.com... expert analysis.
Tonight's Arizona vs. Memphis game features the nation's top two teams based on RPI rankings. But what exactly does that mean? RauRaur's newest contributor, Brian Semonian, is here to break the formula down for you. [Read Article Now]
In the future, there was a nuclear war. And because of all the radiation, cats developed the ability to shoot lasers out of their mouths. Some will use the cats for good, others for evil. Who will win in a world of laser cats!
Wildcats. Tigers. Which side are you on?
Merry Kerristmas
On this December 25th, let us be thankful for the greatest gift ever given to the Arizona basketball fan... Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve Kerrrrrrrrrrrr!!
RauRaur and Merry Christmas!
RauRaur and Merry Christmas!
Salim Gardner?
After last year's exhibition game against Team Georgia, I infamously wrote some buddies this not-so-expert analysis:
By the way, for a guy who never lost a home game and boasts an overall record of 117-14 with two conference championships, one seldom hears Muehlebach's name mentioned in the Point Guard U discussions. Something should be done about that.
"When,
four years from now, Nic Wise leaves the University of Arizona as the
winningest point guard in school history, nobody in attendance of
today's scrimmage (against Team Georgia) will be surprised. 24 points
in 19 minutes, 8 for 8 from the floor, 4 for 4 from beyond the arch, 4
assists to 1 turnover, and a noticeably high 'Basketball IQ.' Some
folks in town are even starting to call him Salim Gardner..."
Ok, so I got a little carried away. But it's got to be said, this year's team is a whole heck of a lot better with Nic on the court. Will the Houston native ever surpass Matt Muehlebach's .893 winning percentage? Obviously not. But how refreshing is it to talk about a player who is both a major contributor and a lock to be around until his senior year?By the way, for a guy who never lost a home game and boasts an overall record of 117-14 with two conference championships, one seldom hears Muehlebach's name mentioned in the Point Guard U discussions. Something should be done about that.
Push
As metaphors go, Arizona pushing the three point spread against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a pretty good one. The 'Cats didn't leave Vegas flat broke but they certainly weren't invited to stay in the Rainman suite either. The game was, thankfully, a push. Momentum keeps rolling. The team keeps growing.
Still, we imagine there are more than a few 'Zona fans wishing that Nic Wise and/or Jordan Hill could have just hit those late free throws and sent everyone home with a few extra dollars in their pockets.
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For those keeping track, this was supposed to be the greatest week in the history of Arizona fandom. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch but in RauRaur's masterplan, we were supposed to watch Arizona basketball play UNLV tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center. Then we were going to find something to do in Vegas (yawn) until Saturday when Arizona football was supposed to play in their first bowl game since 1998.
Well, not only did the football team crash their end of the bargain into oncoming traffic, now Barrett can't attend the basketball game for reasons not worth boring you with.
Luckily, webmaster Sherrick will be there to gamble away the wealth of advertising money this website has collected over the past few months ("$5 on red, please"). For the rest of us, good luck finding CSTV on your local cable provider (I'm told it's channel 610 on DirectTV, the rest of you are on your own).
Send us a postcard, Sherrick. If you're sober enough to find a stamp...
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RauRaur.com would like to apologize to recently named Pro Bowler Nick Folk who was left out of the "dependable fantasy football player" conversation found below. This omission is especially embarrassing considering that Folk is the kicker on our championship game-bound fantasy football team. Sincere apologies, Nick. And best of luck this Saturday, we'll be watching with vested interest a plenty.
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Pictured above is Dennis Northcutt. You may remember him from such teams as the 1998 Holiday Bowl winning Arizona Wildcats (you know, back when we actually went to bowl games). More recently, he caught a 55 yard touchdown in Jacksonville's 29-22 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he wasn't alone, Brandon Manumaleuna's first half touchdown against the Chargers was enough to put that game out of hand early. And while he may not have found the end zone, Nick Folk was the only Cowboy to score on Sunday. And no, we're not going to include the obligatory Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson joke.
Granted, the U of A isn't exactly an NFL hotbed but that's not to say our players can't go on to have successful professional careers. Whether Arizona has any dependable fantasy football players is another story, all together. I guess that's one reason to look forward to Gronkowski's eventual departure...
More 'Cat Stats here.
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Zeroed InGranted, the U of A isn't exactly an NFL hotbed but that's not to say our players can't go on to have successful professional careers. Whether Arizona has any dependable fantasy football players is another story, all together. I guess that's one reason to look forward to Gronkowski's eventual departure...
More 'Cat Stats here.
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We were worried when Jerryd Bayless chose to wear the number zero. It's hard enough to live up to the hype generated by Point Guard U (cough... cough... Mustafa Shakur cough...). Why add an Agent Zero comparison to the expectations? Well, nine games into his career, it seems Jerryd has earned that 0.
Sure, it's unlikely that he maintains this pace but Bayless is currently averaging just about five points and three assists more than Gilbert's Pac 10 Freshman of the Year statline. And while we once hoped Arizona would loosen their standards on retiring jerseys for Gil's sake, we now hope the number zero at Arizona becomes like #55 for USC or #1 for Michigan.
What do you think, Abdul Gaddy? Can you handle the big 0?
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Zero Wildcats Named in Mitchell ReportSure, it's unlikely that he maintains this pace but Bayless is currently averaging just about five points and three assists more than Gilbert's Pac 10 Freshman of the Year statline. And while we once hoped Arizona would loosen their standards on retiring jerseys for Gil's sake, we now hope the number zero at Arizona becomes like #55 for USC or #1 for Michigan.
What do you think, Abdul Gaddy? Can you handle the big 0?
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Iggy < $12 million?
Gilbert Arenas recently called out his fellow alumnus, Andre Iguodala while discussing NBA contracts:
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Worst Case ScenarioThen Iguodala turned down $12 million ... What is going on in the NBA? Iggy, you're from Arizona, baby. You don't turn down that much money. I don't know who your agent is, but Agent Zero says you don't turn down that $12 million.
Gil went on to say that Andre is more of a Scottie Pippen - a second option guy, thus not deserving of more money. And you know what? We agree! In fact, it's our opinion that Gil and Andre should use their respective free agencies to become teammates, take over the NBA, and let a giant Wildcat flag fly over all things basketball. Discuss in Cat Chat
Ok, RauRaur.com has already looked ahead to see what happens if Bayless, Budinger, and Hill all decide to hang around for the 2008-09 season. But what happens if the three leave? Well, with LLP out of the picture, things are looking pretty shallow. Here's a projected lineup:
PG - Jennings No worries there...
SG - Wise Looked great vs. Illinois but are we ready for a 5'10'' 2-guard?
SF - Horne Ready to be a perimeter player?
PF - Negedu Great 6th man but, like Horne this year, ready to start?
C - Withey Already better than any true center we have
Bench - Onobun Could start in place of Negedu/Horne
Bench - Lavender Can we expect more than LLP provided this year?
Bench - Johnson Pray that he's the spot shooter we need
Bench - Jacobson Who thought we'd miss Bret so much?
Bench - Tangara Yikes
Of course, McClellan could try and get a medical redshirt for that horrific sophomore season but still, Jennings would have to be Iverson-esque to lead this team anywhere in the NCAA tournament. I guess that's what happens when you lose eight contributors from the previous season.
Should've stayed, LLP. Should. Have. Stayed.
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Well, looks like Laval Lucas-Perry - shown above during his all-state high school football days - has decided to transfer from the U of A. Guess we can add him to the likes of J.P. Prince, Jesus Verdejo, Dennis Lattimore, Will Bynum, Ruben Douglas, and Nicole Richie - one-time-Wildcats who went looking for greener pastures.
Good luck, LLP.
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RauRaur RumorGood luck, LLP.
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Although Kevin O'Neill said he doesn't intend to add another bench coach, we're bored (no game until Sunday!) and thought we should have some fun with the situation.
Sources close to RauRaur.com say that Rick Carlisle will join the Wildcats as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. O'Neill served as an assistant under Carlisle on two separate occasions (Detroit Pistons in 2001 and Indiana Pacers in 2004) and Carlisle, a former NBA Coach of the Year, is currently an analyst for ESPN. Other candidates for the position included Jim Rosborough, both Van Gundy's, and RauRaur's own, Barrett Baffert (rats!).
By the way, the "source" close to this website is more like an imaginary friend who looks like a cross between Steve Kerr and the Ooh Ah Man. So take that "inside info" with a grain of salt...
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Sources close to RauRaur.com say that Rick Carlisle will join the Wildcats as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. O'Neill served as an assistant under Carlisle on two separate occasions (Detroit Pistons in 2001 and Indiana Pacers in 2004) and Carlisle, a former NBA Coach of the Year, is currently an analyst for ESPN. Other candidates for the position included Jim Rosborough, both Van Gundy's, and RauRaur's own, Barrett Baffert (rats!).
By the way, the "source" close to this website is more like an imaginary friend who looks like a cross between Steve Kerr and the Ooh Ah Man. So take that "inside info" with a grain of salt...
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