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!