Arizona.
Just the word itself used to send shivers down your spine.
Back in the days of Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby, Gilbert Arenas and others, playing the ‘Cats was something nobody wanted to do. They were the uncontested powerhouse of the Pac-10, and nobody wanted a piece.
Traveling to Tucson for a basketball game was like going to Tijuana for an appendectomy ““ it was going to be painful, and just coming back alive was considered a moral victory.
Not anymore.
With legendary coach Lute Olson absent from the sidelines this season, the Wildcats are just shadows of their former selves.
The team that reached the Elite Eight in 2005 seems like it’s from an era ago, and this season’s squad has thoroughly underperformed.
They started the year at No. 17 but are now out of the polls. They lost to in-state rival Arizona State for only the second time since 1995, albeit with a depleted lineup. And they now sit at fifth place in the conference despite a talented roster with offensive-minded players such as Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger.
Quite a drop-off for a program that usually collects Pac-10 championships the way kids collect bugs. No wonder McCain wanted to run for president ““ I wouldn’t want the sinking of the ‘Cats basketball program to be on my Senate record either.
However, the Wildcats are not the only team in the state of Arizona that has failed to live up to its historical tendencies this season.
In Tempe, about 100 miles away, Arizona State is quietly turning things around.
Second-year coach Herb Sendek has given the historically bad ASU program a huge shot in the arm. For a team that went 2-16 in conference play just one year ago, Sendek has brought in some serious talent and guided the Devils into the national picture.
True freshman and Los Angeles native James Harden has averaged 18.8 points per game and put up at least 16 in the past 11 games. He has quickly become the team’s biggest star since Ike Diogu was drafted ninth overall back in 2005.
The Sun Devils had even started to play like the best team in Arizona for a few games. They got blown out by Nebraska early in the season but bounced back in a big way. They reeled off 10 straight wins over teams with prestigious acronyms like DSU, COPP and IDA, and were looking better than Tom Brady’s girlfriend.
Then they fell back down to Earth.
After getting a whooping by the Cardinal in Palo Alto, ASU dropped both matchups against the Washington schools at home last weekend. Though they were both close games, the fact that they couldn’t beat good teams at home does not bode well for their tournament hopes.
The fact of the matter is that neither team from the Copper State is what it appears to be.
Arizona is not a powerhouse anymore, but the team still poses a legitimate threat with its talent. The ‘Cats will probably make the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around, but the days of rolling over teams into the Elite Eight are over.
Arizona State is not the cupcake it used to be, and its players are young enough to win games they should’ve had no part in. Anytime Herb “Nowhere To Go But Up” Sendek steps on the court, they’ve got a shot.
But make no mistake about it, these are two games the Bruins should win. Because, after all, coming to Pauley should send shivers down the spine of anyone in the country.
E-mail Feder at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you think Giuliani ran for president to get away from the Knicks.