This evening's contest between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins should be exciting for several reasons.  First, the Wildcats will be debuting their new uniforms.  As an Arizona fan, I can't tell you how ready I am to say good-bye to the old duct tape shoulder uniforms.  Take a look at some detailed drawings of the uniforms here, and a good photo of them here.  Nike claims that the shorts, in particular, are much improved from the old uniforms.  They have stated that the shorts are 66% lighter than NBA shorts, and dry 30 percent faster.  The shorts also feature laser-perforated ventilation, a side vent, and a fuller hemline.

Perhaps a more appropriate reason to be excited about the game tonight, is the contest itself.  A battle between two former Pac-10 powerhouses, that are scratching and clawing for second place in the conference.  It will be no easy game for either team.  Arizona will have to account for 6'10, 305 lb. Joshua Smith.  No typical big man, he flashes true athleticism, and has hands that Arizona coach Sean Miller and UCLA coach Ben Howland have described as 'special' and 'phenomenal'.  "They do a phenomenal job of getting him the ball in scoring position, and he just catches everything,"  Said coach Miller.  "His statistics don't really reveal the true impact he has on the game."  "Phenomenal hands. When he gets his hands on the ball, he goes right back up with it and scores."  It will certainly be interesting to see him matched up with Arizona's Derrick Williams, who will be giving up 2 inches and over 60 lbs.

Something that I'll be paying attention to throughout the game though, might surprise you.  The Zona Zoo.  Coach Miller spent some time with the students to emphasize the importance of a rowdy home crowd.  Said coach Miller  "You are the heartbeat of the arena,"  "The louder, more organized, and the more energy the Zona Zoo has, the rest of the arena will follow.  Over Christmas, you could tell that you weren't here."  While plying the students with pizza, coach Miller went through some organized chants with the students.  For more on this, check out 'Miller gives Zona Zoo fans tips on being loud, rowdy' in the links after the jump.

So get ready, Arizona Wildcats Basketball fans, you've got a great game coming up featuring snazzy new uniforms, two former powers attempting to re-assert themselves, and (hopefully) a rowdy student section.

Bear Down, Arizona! Beat the Bruins!

Check out the links after the jump, and join in the conversation!  Comment on the game, the players, the uniforms, and anything else you need to get off of your chest.

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In what is starting to look like a bit of a soap opera, former Rutgers Scarlet Knights QB Tom Savage has been granted permission to speak with the Arizona Wildcats, among other teams, regarding possibly transferring to the old pueblo.  If Savage did decide to transfer to Arizona, he would be required to red-shirt the 2011 season, but would add much needed depth to the 2012 season.

Best case scenario, Arizona will have one QB on hand in 2012 with starting experience.  Matt Scott and the Arizona coaching staff have stated that if he doesn't win the starting job before week 1, it is possible that Scott will red-shirt the 2011 season to keep him around for the 2012 season.  I, would much prefer to see Scott start this coming season, but having him start in 2012 is better than not having him start at all.  That being said, there is the possibility that there will not be a single QB on the roster in 2012 that has started even one game.

There is some hope for recruit Daxx Garman, who recently arrived after enrolling early.  Other than him?  There is the reportedly under-whelming Cam Allerheiligen, and Ohio St. Buckeyes transfer Ross Oltorik.  So let's be clear, the more options that stud QB coach Frank Scelfo has to work with, the better.

More on Rutgers' strange restrictions on Savage, and some stats after the jump.

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Pick the Pac-10 games for week 11, and test your knowledge against other readers and bloggers.  Will the Washington St. fans' reign of terror continue?  Only you can stop them!

Simply fill out the form after the jump.  It's quick and easy!

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As Arizona Wildcats basketball fans, it has been pretty common to expect greatness from the ‘Cats.  We want them to win, and win now.  That was upset a few years ago, as the Lute Olson era sputtered to an end, and the coaching change over seemed to drag on and on.  Thankfully, Arizona landed a top coach and recruiter in Sean Miller.  Hopes are high that he will soon return ‘Zona to prominence.  Of course, we all keep telling each other to temper that hope.  This team is young, and coach Miller will need time to rake in the top recruits and get his system in place. That's fine, and I agree with that.  I am, nevertheless, very excited moving forward this season.  Let's take a look at my biggest pet peeve of the season, poor point guard play, and why I think it will be less of an issue moving forward.

While it is true that the Wildcats lost to the Washington Huskies, and in doing so missed their chance at being the #1 team in the conference, they also had a solid game against the Washington St. Cougars.  In fact, I submit that this split at the Washinton schools was the best possible scenario for the young ‘Zona squad.  Particularly the point guards.

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Another week is in the books.  There were some great games, some that revealed glaring holes on certain teams, and some that flat out shocked me.  The Oregon Ducks defeated the Oregon St. Beavers?  What?  Gotta love those rivalry games.  By now, your team's strengths and weaknesses should be fairly clear.  How do you feel about your team's chances to make the NCAA tournament?  The NIT?  Leave your opinion in the comments, or if you have more to say than can be contained in a measly little comment box, put up a 'fan post' and I'll check it out and comment on it.

Ok, let's get to it.  This week, your Arizona Desert Swarmstaff did ok, putting up a record of 7-3, and finishing tied for 3rd place. 

-Week 10 Winner:  'BruinsNation' (9-1)  Solid week for the UCLA Bruinsblog!  Will there be a mid-season push for the top spot?

-Overall Leader:  'UW Dawgpound' (108-28)  Another week at the top for the Washington Huskiesblog.  Will they be able to keep it up?

-Reader Ballot Winner:  'johnnycougar' (8-1)  Again with this guy!?  In all seriousness, another great week of picks by johnnycougar.  Once again, only one missed pick.  Keep it up.

Full standings, and a link to the spreadsheet with all picks after the jump.

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Today the Arizona Wildcats face off against the Washington St. Cougars.  This will be the second match-up of Pac-10 player of the year candidates in three days for Arizona basketball.  This time, we'll get a look at Derrick Williams and Klay Thompson.  Check out the stats.

The 'Cougs are yet another team that runs the 2-3 zone, the perceived kryptonite of the Arizona offense.  Arizona head coach Sean Miller, however, doesn't seem overly concerned.  "They'll play a lot of 2-3 zone," Said coach Miller.  "They'll mix up, they'll go man, go zone.  A lot of teams have done that against us.  I pretty much anticipate us being able to score and execute against Washington State's zone." 

I certainly hope that coach Miller is proven right.  The 'Cougs are a solid team that will compete for an NCAA tournament slot.  As for the Wildcats, they seem to be improving as the season goes on, but several players need to step up their game in order for Arizona to be able to make it into the NCAA tournament this season.

My suggestions:
Derrick Williams-  There's not a lot that you need to improve.  You are a solid all around player, and one of the best in the nation.  If I could change one thing about you, I'd want you to be more 'selfish'.  Demand the ball more, and use that innate ability to draw the foul while still getting the bucket.

Solomon Hill-  You are, for the moment, the best #2 for Derrick Williams.  While you have had decent numbers so far, you need to be more aggressive, and get to the line more often.

Lamont 'Momo' Jones-  I know that you are a shooting guard that is being forced to play point guard.  I know that you will likely be moving back to being primarily a shooting guard next season.  I don't care.  You are a PG right now, and you need to play like one.  Set up shots for your teammates, specifically Derrick Williams.  Instead of trying to dance through four defenders, pass the damn ball.  You do not need to take over the game.  You need to be the quarterback, and get the ball to guys in a position to score.

Brendon Lavender-  Be more confident.  I don't know why, but you didn't seem willing to pull the trigger against Washington.  You have tremendous range, and will be a valuable asset if you build that confidence up.  Also, better figure it out quick, as coach Miller has said that you'll be playing some PG tonight.

It should be a great game tonight.  Check out the links after the jump, and join in the conversation!  Let us know what you think about the game, the teams and the players.

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If anybody was wondering what the Arizona Wildcats' biggest weakness was going into the game against the Washington Huskies, that should be fairly obvious by now.  Point guard play.  No, I'm not suggesting that Arizona's Lamont 'Momo' Jones and Jordin Mayes should be playing at the level of Washington's Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas was electric, accounting for 22 points and 10 assists.  Say what you will about his flops and his mouth, Thomas understands what makes a good point guard.  To use an old cliche, you must be the 'quarterback' of your team.  You must distribute the ball to your teammates.  You must create shots for your play-makers.  You must make your entire team better when you're on the court.  Thomas was effective in all of these areas.  Which made Arizona's PG play look that much worse.

Momo Jones and Jordin Mayes had just 4 assists.  Combined.  Momo in particular, looked more concerned with getting inside and scoring himself than getting the ball to somebody that was open.  His comments echoed comments that I've heard all season.  Momo is not a point guard.  He is a shooting guard.  "It's a tough transition every game,"  Said Jones.  "It's just tough being a guy that wasn't a point guard and being brought into that. It's tough night in and night out. It wasn't harder or less harder than any other game."

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Finally!  We get to watch and enjoy as the top two teams in the Pac-10 go at it, with first place in the conference on the line.  The coaches and players can talk until they're blue in the face about this game not being Derrick Williams vs. Isaiah Thomas.  I don't want to hear it, and I don't believe you.  Sure, I agree that it is a team sport, and the best overall team will win.  But this game, and the match-up in Tucson later this season, will go a long way in the argument over who will be the Pac-10 player of the year.  It may also have significant draft implications.

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Arizona basketball is looking pretty good right now.  With wins over the Stanford Cardinal and their hated in-state rivals the Arizona St. Sun Devils, there seems to be real hope that the Arizona Wildcats can not only make it into the NCAA tournament, but perhaps make it past the first round or two.  But hold on, Wildcat fans.  Arizona is exactly where they were predicted to finish.  Second in the Pac-10 behind Washington.

While Arizona is one of those elite programs that can weather a few bad seasons and recover elite status, nobody will be willing to give any respect to the 'Cats until they earn it the hard way.  So, it is clear what Arizona needs to do.  Start beating the teams that are perceived to be better than they are, win the Pac-10, and make some serious noise in the NCAA tournament.

This will not be easy, and it may not happen this season.  It is entirely possible that Arizona will hit a losing streak, and miss the NCAA tournament.  Close wins could become close losses in a heartbeat if Arizona doesn't find some more consistent play from players not named Derrick Williams.  I'm looking at you, Momo Jones.

Positives, negatives, and my pick for the game after the jump.

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Who will win this week?  Will the Washington St. fans continue to dominate? Or will a new winner emerge?

Fill out the form after the jump, and test your basketball knowledge against other readers and the Pac-10 blogs!

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This Thursday, the newly ranked Arizona Wildcats (#25) will face off against the Pac-10 leading #20 Washington Huskies.  This game has plenty of hype around it already, without anyone fanning the flames.  A match-up of the only ranked teams in the Pac-10?  A battle, where the winner will leave in sole possession of first place in the Pac-10?  I can promise you that I'll be glued to my couch watching every second of that game.

But now, we have Washington point guard Isaiah Thomas talking smack.  Thomas was asked if he had circled the Arizona game on the calendar.  "I haven't,"  He said.  "they probably have."

Wow.  I'd just like to send a big 'thank you' to Mr. Thomas.  His comment has surely reached the ears of the Arizona players.  And while the coach may down-play it, there is no way that Momo Jones, Derrick Williams, and the rest of the Wildcats will take that lying down.  Thank you, Mr. Thomas, for providing a spark to make the Wildcats train a little harder, focus a little better on beating you.  It is likely that the Wildcats will be playing their best game so far this season, and Washington had better do the same or Isaiah Thomas and Co. will lose in front of their home crowd.

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Another week of Pac-10 Basketball is in the books, and the race for the regular season conference championship is on!  There were one or two upsets this week, and Arizona is just .5 games away from first place.  A big thumbs up to the Stanford squad for pulling off the major upset against Washington, and to the Arizona squad for not letting the media blitz on Tucson get into their heads.

Ok, lets get to it.  This week your Arizona Desert Swarm staff didn't do so hot, going 4-6.  We'll need to step it up if we want to remain in the top 3.

-Week 9 Winner:   ‘AddictedToQuack' (8-2)  Addicted to Quack had a great week, and clawed its way back into the middle of the pack.  another couple of weeks like this, and they could be in the lead...

-Overall Leader:  ‘UW Dawgpound' (101-25)  UW Dawgpound remains atop the pack, and is the first to break 100!  Will somebody catch them, or will they run away with it?

-Reader Ballot Winner:  'GoCougs'  Another win for GoCougs.  Man, these Washington St. fans are dominating so far.  Good job guys, keep it up.

Full standings, and a link to the spreadsheet with all picks after the jump.

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Today, the Arizona Wildcats will have a chance to accomplish two great feats. They will have the opportunity to defeat their hated rivals, the Arizona St. Sun Devils, and to once again lift the spirits of the people of Tucson and the surrounding community. You can be sure the McKale Center will be packed with Tucsonans ready to watch a Wildcat victory, and for a while, forget the stress of the past week.

The 'Cats will get another taste of zone defense when they take on ASU's 1-2-2 zone. Arizona has struggled this season against the zone, but this one should be much less of a challenge than previous contests. ASU is ranked 247th in the nation in field goal percentage, 287th in scoring, 260th in rebounding, 280th in free throw percentage, 245th in three point percentage, and 210th in steals.

Did those stats make you feel better, Wildcat fans? Well, they shouldn't. The only stat that you should remember is that the last three times Arizona and ASU have faced off in McKale, those dirty Sun Devils won. Stats are meaningless in rivalry games of this magnitude. Anything can and will happen. Especially when the already high emotions of a rivalry game are compounded by a local and national tragedy, as the people of Tucson have been struggling with recently.

This game could be a powder-keg of highs and lows. Are you ready, Wildcat nation? I, for one, can barely wait to see my beloved Wildcats face and hopefully defeat the Sun Devils. Lets all come together once again, Tucson. Lets raise our voices and cheer for our Wildcats. Let's make it a loud and rowdy environment for the visiting Sun Devils. And lets all take some time to smile and feel better for a while.

Bear Down, Arizona! Beat the Sun Devils!

Ok, so we all knew that the Arizona Wildcats were superior in basketball to the lowly Arizona St. Sun Devils.  But check out the amazing graphics and stats after the jump.

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With all the uncertainty over who Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops will hire, I'd like to turn the focus to the players for a bit.  Heading into the 2011 season, there are positives and negatives with regard to players leaving and staying.  In the past week or so, there have been announcements that were exciting, and deflating.  So let's take a look at what we think we know so far.

Positives:
QB Nick Foles will return.  While for me this is a negative, it is a positive for the Wildcats to have him on the roster next season.  I personally would have liked to see  Nick Foles enter the draft, and let Matt Scott take the QB1 slot uncontested.  More on this in the 'negatives' section.

WR Juron Criner will return.  This is the best news of the post-season so far.  With Dan Buckner joining the WR corps, he and Juron Criner look to be among the best 1-2 WR combos in the nation.  Coach stoops has already stated that he will be pushing the offense more towards a pass-friendly spread, so this offense could be prolific.

P Kyle Dugandzic signed a letter of intent to play for Arizona.  Yes, Arizona has a new punter.  I don't need to say a lot here.  We all know the situation with the kickers.  And yes, coach Stoops has stated that it is possible that another kicker will be signed.  The only Arizona kicker that appears to be safe is John Bonano, who Stoops apparently likes as a kickoff specialist.  Then again, if Kyle Dugandzic and a potential second recruit perform well enough, it is likely that none of the kickers from 2010 will see any time in 2011.  Breathe a sigh of relief, Wildcat fans.  Coach Stoops is addressing the horrible kicking situation.

Check out the negatives after the jump.

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Well, my worst fear has been confirmed.  Arizona Wildcats head coach Mike Stoops announced that Seth Littrell will be calling the plays next season.  Coach Robert Anae will be the offensive line coach and 'running game coordinator'.  Seriously?  Ok, let me take a breath here.  Maybe count to ten....  Nope, still don't get it.  In what world did coach Littrell's play calling warrant him keeping the job in the 2011 season?  You have the luxury of having a proven play caller and offensive coordinator in coach Anae, and he won't be calling the plays.  Huh?

I truly believe that coach Stoops has a much better understanding of football and coaching than I will ever possess.  I'm just going to have to have faith that he has made the correct decision here.  There is one fact that is inarguable, however.  Every time that Arizona loses a game next season there will be open criticism of Littrell's play calling, and justifiably so.

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It's easier than ever to test your basketball I.Q. with our new checkbox format.  Simply click your picks after the jump, and click 'submit'.  Will you be the week 9 winner?

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What can I say about the week that was?  There were good games, upsets, and a game delayed by a tragedy.  The upsets of the week, were Stanford and Oregon St. winning their games on Sunday.  Not a single blog picked them to win.  The game of the week, in my opinion, has to be the emotional Stanford vs. Arizona game.  More on that here, and here.

Ok, lets get to it.  This week your Arizona Desert Swarm staff did pretty good, barely hanging on to the #2 spot.  Can we rally this week and jump to #1, or will we fall to the middle of the pack?

-Week 8 Winner:  This week, it's a three way tie between 'AddictedToQuack', 'California Golden Blogs', and 'CougCenter'.

-Overall Leader:  'UWDawgpound' (95-21)  Another week at the top of the pack for our Washington Huskies blog!  Can they keep it up?

-Fan Submission Winner:  'johnnycougar' (7-1)  Nice, only one bad pick.  Keep it up.

Full standings, and a link to the spreadsheet with all picks after the jump.

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When the Arizona Wildcats defeated the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday, they did more than just win a game.  They, for a moment at least, lifted the spirits of a city mourning a tragedy.  Tucson, Arizona is one of those cities that you would call a "big little city".  Despite its size, Tucson has maintained the feel of a small college town.  It has an open and inviting feeling, while being surrounded and seemingly protected by the mountains that appear to set fire in a beautiful display during sunrise and sunset.

I am a citizen of the great city of Tucson.  I love this city.  While my life may one day take me other places, I'll always return to my real home in the desert of southern Arizona.  And while Tucson has its fair share of crime, it has always felt like a safe place to live.  So I when I heard the news that someone had murdered and injured more than a dozen people in Tucson, among them a congresswoman, a judge, and a child, I wasn't sure how to react or even how to feel.  I suspect that I was not alone in my uncertainty.  I found myself at times confused, sad and angry.  How could this happen in our city, in broad daylight?  How do the citizens of Tucson react to this tragedy? How dare this monster commit such a heinous act?  What can be done for the families of the victims?

With all of this emotion, the people of Tucson need an outlet.  A way to publicly mourn.  Perhaps more importantly, they need something to cheer for, and a reason to smile.  The Arizona Wildcats gave them just that.  The moment of silence before the game, gave everyone a chance to stand together and reflect on the events of the prior day, and the game itself gave fans across the city and state a reason to smile.  Was it a dominating victory? No, but that's ok.  It was an exciting game, fueled by sadness that gave way to local pride, and the desire to lift the spirits of the city.

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Join in on the fun and comment on the game!  Will the Wildcats be able to return to form and improve their free throw shooting from the horrible effort against Oregon St.?  Will the loss of Gary Franklin have a noticeable impact on the California Golden Bears?  I can't wait to see how the 'Cats perform in this one.

So post your comments on the game, the players, and the program.

-'Pre-Game Q&A: California vs. Arizona'

-'Cal Basketball:  Arizona Wildcats Preview with AZ Desert Swarm'

-'Harper Kamp is Cal's main man'

-"Miller says he 'won't throw Momo under the bus'"

-'Conjuring up McKale's Mystique'