Arizona Desert Swarm - All PostsYour No. 1 free source for all things Arizona Wildcatshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46873/ds-fave.png2024-03-28T23:35:39-07:00http://www.azdesertswarm.com/rss/current/2024-03-28T23:35:39-07:002024-03-28T23:35:39-07:00Arizona baseball walks off UCLA on Brendan Summerhill homer in 10th to open series
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<p id="3Qhs2H"><strong>Brendan Summerhill’s </strong>two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted Arizona baseball over UCLA 5-3 on Thursday night at Hi Corbett Field </p>
<p id="bh7Azd">It was the third straight hand with a home run for Summerhill to help the Wildcats (11-13) improve to 5-5 in Pac-12 play.</p>
<p id="jIZom3">“To win these close games we have to want guys to want to be in a situation," UA coach<strong> Chip Hale </strong>said. “It’s exciting, three in three games. He’s been a RBI machine.”</p>
<p id="RaFxGd">After UA didn’t allow any damage in the top of the tenth, Summerhill came up to bat with <strong>Richie Morales</strong> on first base. Summerhill hit a 2-run shot to right field that traveled 416 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 miles per hour. </p>
<p id="wwubh0">The Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a sacrifice fly brought home the first run in the first inning and another two came home in the fourth. </p>
<p id="FF7zuk">Arizona started to cut into UCLA’s lead in the fourth after<strong> Emilio Corona </strong>hit a sac fly and a single by <strong>Tommy Splaine</strong> drove in another to make it 3-2.</p>
<p id="rQWerw">In the bottom of the eighth, <strong>Garen Caulfield</strong> hit a solo shot to tie the game. Caufield has homered in two straight.</p>
<p id="zr9fp7"><strong>Jackson Kent </strong>made his seventh start of the season and went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts on 102 pitches. </p>
<p id="OUESOW">UA had lost six games by one run and two games by two.</p>
<p id="YkdfPn">“I don’t think we’ve ever really doubted that we’re a great team because we lose a lot of close games,” Summerhill said. “But we’re always getting a guy over or getting one more guy in and getting one more guy on. That’s all it is. And I think today we did that and it’s a great team win.”</p>
<p id="KLLLOn">The quartet of <strong>Tony Pluta</strong>, <strong>Dawson Netz</strong>, <strong>Eric Orloff </strong>and<strong> Casey Hintz</strong> pitched a combined 4.1 innings of scoreless relief </p>
<p id="Qn0kVs">“The reason why our bullpen has been so effective is because our starting pitchers have pitched so well,” Hale said. “And now they’re rested. They feel good about. They can pitch twice on the weekend. So, Jackson Kent set the tone. I thought all of them threw the ball well. Casey Hintz did a wonderful job of keeping us in a tie game and let us win the game.”</p>
<p id="j6mB8N">UA plays the second game of its three-game series with UCLA Friday at 7 p.m. MST. </p>
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https://www.azdesertswarm.com/arizona-baseball/2024/3/28/24115297/brendan-summerhill-arizona-baseball-ucla-pac-12-chip-hale-jackson-kent-garen-caulfieldDHomer2024-03-28T20:55:37-07:002024-03-28T20:55:37-07:00No. 7 Stanford breaks out the bats in run-rule victory over No. 21 Arizona softball
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<figcaption>Arizona pitcher Miranda Stoddard | Photo by Catherine Regan / Arizona Athletics</figcaption>
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<p id="CZWI0I">Of the nine Pac-12 softball programs, the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal have one of the worst offenses across the board. Stats don’t play games, though. Players do—and the Stanford players looked like a top offense in their 9-0 win in five innings over No. 21 Arizona on Thursday night.</p>
<p id="zClw8b">“I thought quite a few of our hitters got better as they went, which is what I wanted to see,” said Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe. “And they wanted way more at-bats than that, and that’s the only thing I’m really upset about right now is that we couldn’t extend it two more innings and they get more at-bats. I just thought they were ready for the challenge and really focused in batting practice today to get ready for the game. We just didn’t execute on the other side of the ball.”</p>
<p id="d1hfS5">The Cardinal came into the game ranked eighth in the league in team batting average, tied for seventh in runs scored, seventh in runs batted in, seventh (i.e. third-worst) in strikeouts, seventh in on-base percentage, and seventh in slugging percentage. In the third inning, they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs. Even if they did nothing else, it was likely going to be more than enough with NiJaree Canaday and her minuscule ERA.</p>
<p id="Iw6UOA">“They’re scrappy hitters and they just play good softball.” Lowe said. “So being able to get people on base and manufacture runs is what they’re good at. And we just have to be able to—one, match that—and play good softball, but be able to make the outs when we get them.”</p>
<p id="gJ9NVW">Miranda Stoddard started the game in the circle for Arizona. She gave up six hits and four earned runs in two innings of work. She ended the day with an ERA of 3.72.</p>
<p id="BNlPsU">Stoddard gave up a two-out single in the top of the first, but there was no damage done. In the second, she got two quick outs before an error on third baseman Blaise Biringer put a runner on. A bunt for a base hit gave the Cardinal two on with two outs, but Canady came in to hit and grounded out to end the inning.</p>
<p id="5B4Okd">“I thought we were a little bit on our heels defensively, which is unlike us,” Lowe said. “So just being able to be as aggressive as we were offensively on the other side of the ball. We just let a couple of hits turn into too many runs and extended innings for them, which we didn’t have to do. Against a good team like that every single out matters and and being hungry for those outs mattered.”</p>
<p id="ziwumw">The third is when things went sideways. The Cardinal got three runs on four straight hits to start the inning. That ended things for Stoddard. Stoddard was also still responsible for one of the runners on base.</p>
<p id="uoh5wX">Ali Blanchard came in to relieve Stoddard facing one on with no outs. Blanchard gave up a single—the fifth straight hit for the Cardinal—to put runners on the corners. </p>
<p id="PHOr05">In the next at-bat, Emily Jones hit a grounder to second baseman Allie Skaggs. Skaggs appeared to tag the runner going from first to second before throwing on to first base. The umpire ruled that she missed the tag and the call was upheld upon review. </p>
<p id="42NIAy">Regardless of whether the runner was out or safe, another run came across the plate to put Stanford up 4-0 and close the book on Stoddard’s day. It didn’t close the book on the inning.</p>
<p id="rNH9Bt">Blanchard gave up one more hit in the inning as well as walking Canady. By the time the third out was secured, the Cardinal led 5-0.</p>
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<p id="8u2JB1">Considering that Canady’s ERA was 0.59 coming into the game, hoping for six runs off her was hoping for a lot. It was much more than Arizona could muster.</p>
<p id="zbedm1">The Wildcats started the game with a one-out single by Regan Shockey and a walk to Olivia DiNardo. That gave them a runner in scoring position with one out. With a pitcher like Canaday in the circle, taking advantage of every opportunity is critical, but Arizona couldn’t do it. A foul out and a strikeout ended the inning with Shockey and DiNardo still on base.</p>
<p id="b5eG8K">Arizona got another chance in the bottom of the fourth. Once again, the Wildcats put runners on first and second with one out. A pop-up and a fielder’s choice ended that.</p>
<p id="hHC3Zo">Stanford tacked two runs on in the fourth inning to go ahead 7-0, sitting on the edge of run-ruling Arizona. They pushed over that edge in the top of the fifth, scoring two more runs off Blanchard to lead 9-0. </p>
<p id="snLRJs">The nine runs were the most by the Cardinal since a 10-2 win over San Jose State on Mar. 9. They had only scored nine or more runs twice all season coming into Thursday’s game.</p>
<p id="XIx39Z">Blanchard gave up five earned runs on six hits and a walk in three IP. Her ERA increased to 5.00.</p>
<p id="hoRk4X">The Wildcats put a runner in scoring position for just the third time all night in the bottom of the fifth as they tried to stave off the run rule. Kennedy reached on a one-out single. DiNardo moved her into scoring position with a two-out walk. Canady put an end to it all with her seventh strikeout of the night.</p>
<p id="0TmRjV">The biggest news of the fifth was new Arizona player Krista Martinez getting in to pinch run for DiNardo. The former Salpointe Catholic infielder and teammate of sophomore Logan Cole was added to the roster on Thursday. Lowe said they needed another pinch runner off the bench because she’s been forced to use her pitchers again this year as injuries stacked up.</p>
<p id="E7ZEoW">“Just excited to get her feet wet in this game today,” Lowe said.</p>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/softball/2024/3/28/24115162/arizona-softball-stanford-recap-stats-analysis-run-rule-canady-stoddard-blanchardK Doss2024-03-28T19:45:46-07:002024-03-28T19:45:46-07:00NCAA Tournament: What Tommy Lloyd, Arizona players said after Sweet 16 loss to Clemson
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<p id="oXsaep">LOS ANGELES—Arizona has reached the Sweet 16 twice in the first three year under <strong>Tommy Lloyd</strong>, but both times it has lost in that round to a lower-seeded team. Does that make the 2023-24 season a disappointment?</p>
<p id="hROq7q">“We’ll analyze all that after the season,” Lloyd said shortly after the 77-72 loss to Clemson. “I’m proud of these guys. These guys did an amazing job this year. They’re a great team. They’re a team that we had the ability to get to a Final Four and we didn’t. And that happens. It’s nothing to look down upon. There’s probably eight or 10 teams that can say that this year, and only three or four of them will probably actually get to the Final Four.”</p>
<p id="rJxj1u">Our game recap can be found <a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/28/24115140/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-ncaa-tournament-recap-clemson-tigers-sweet-16-stats-highlights-2024"><strong>here</strong></a><strong>.</strong> Below is what Lloyd and Arizona’s players said afterward, both in the postgame press conference and the locker room: </p>
<p id="kWKIHN"><strong>Lloyd on the season as a whole: </strong>“I’m proud of these guys. They dug deep all season we worked really hard on taking the next steps of our culture with Arizona basketball, really hard, and we’re very intentional with it. These guys are great … and they really allowed me to kind of continue to build on the foundation of what we started at Arizona and what was there before us. </p>
<p id="hcXAXj">So I’m thankful for that, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re just going to continue to build on that foundation. We’re going to continue to get teams that are this competitive, and our day in the sun will come.”</p>
<p id="zGgUiX"><strong>On Clemson: </strong>“They were the deserving team today. They kind of have a little formula now. They’re kind of jumping people in the games, three games in a row they got up and forced teams to play from behind.”</p>
<p id="lOV01j"><strong>On coming back from down 13 to lead in the 2</strong><sup><strong>nd</strong></sup><strong> half: </strong>“We dug deep and we got ourselves back in the game but we were just never able to take that next step. (Clemson) executed a few really good plays down the stretch that they got us on. They banked in a 3. And those things make it tough to overcome.”</p>
<p id="xfv7Wx"><strong>On the slow start: </strong>“I thought Clemson did a good job and kind of got us on our heels offensively early in the game. And we settled for a lot of tough shots. And then that’s what kind of allowed them to get out. Because I think our defense was actually okay early, low scoring early and we were right there. And then they got it going offensively a little bit and we just never quite did until later in the first half.</p>
<p id="V3CwgZ"><strong>On the halftime adjustments: </strong>“The second half we made a more concerted effort. We wanted to attack their guys, move the ball, attack, drive closeouts, play with our feet on the ground in the paint. And our guys did a much better job of that in the second half.”</p>
<p id="up6KeC"><strong>On being down 8 at the half despite the poor start: </strong>“I thought we were fine. I mean, we didn’t play well the start of the game. We were only down eight at the half. As you guys who have followed us know, we had other games we were down 19 or 20 and been able to come back and win them. So I thought we were fine. I thought we were well-positioned for how we started the game.”</p>
<p id="5VS38T"><strong>On Clemson responding after Arizona took the lead: W</strong>e made that first run in the second half, which was great. And from there, they’re going to probably make a little run. But then hopefully it’s a little one and we make the next run and we can kind of eventually build a four-, six-, eight-point lead. And we were never able to do that. So Clemson gets a ton of credit for that.”</p>
<p id="IpBL5V"><strong>On the shooting performance: </strong>“I think our starting guys that shoot 3s were 2 for 23, which is a lot to overcome, and I feel like some of them were good looks and shots we’ve made all season, and today they just didn’t go in. </p>
<p id="clP1lj"><strong>On being in the game late despite the shooting: </strong>“I think our guys deserve a ton of credit. To have that sort of shooting night and get yourself in the game where you have a position to win, and I think it’s incredible. And it just shows the resiliency and toughness of these guys. We kind of had to adjust plans and our guys were willing participants in that. So I’m really proud of them for giving themselves a chance to win.</p>
<p id="K6vXcK"><strong>On Jaden Bradley: </strong>“Without JB playing the way he did, maybe we lose by 14, 16 points. But JB got in there and we were down to the last minute and gave ourselves a chance. On a night where we didn’t shoot the ball well.”</p>
<p id="F3sRuU"><strong>On not having Oumar Ballo in late and the defensive breakdowns that came in his absence: </strong>“We were just trying to give it a different look, pick our pressure up the court a little bit. At that point you’re hoping you get opportunistic with a loose pass and someone can break on that, just things of that nature. We were probably in a bit more of a pressing mode and get a switch at all five positions instead of the four positions. (Clemson) found an answer down the stretch and they were able to get, like, I think, maybe three baskets off slips versus switches, which we just didn’t execute well enough and they get credit for executing.”</p>
<p id="bdn8zD"><strong>On the season when he has a chance to reflect: </strong>“Love. I love these guys. I love the culture we’re starting to really build at Arizona. I feel like I’m real big on eventually getting some compound return on our investment. I think we’re going to do that. I think we’re doing all the right things. Obviously we’re not perfect and no one is, and we don’t ever want to be perfect. We just want to be making progress. So I love where we’re at. I think I wasn’t ready to take a breath but I’m going to take a breath and we’ll re-evaluate, and we’re going to have another really good offseason and continue to build.”</p>
<p id="cIF8Dc"><strong>On Keshad Johnson and Caleb Love’s leadership and experience: </strong>“They’re incredible guys. I’m so thankful that they took a chance on coming to Arizona and playing for our staff. I mean, it was an incredible experience, all offseason and season long. I’m just thankful. It reinforces to me that you can do the things the right way, run the right culture and put your team in position to compete at the highest levels. So we’re just going to double down on all that. Those guys reaffirmed my belief we need to continue to do it with great, high-character guys. </p>
<p id="ZOfZkA"><strong>Jaden Bradley on his 16-point 2</strong><sup><strong>nd</strong></sup><strong> half: </strong>“We got to a little slow start in the beginning. So halftime we harped on dig deep, dig deep, get stops and do whatever it takes to help my team. </p>
<p id="OVHett"><strong>Bradley on Arizona coming back multiple times: </strong>“ We harp on toughness. In the beginning we weren’t so tough, but I feel at the end we did a great job battling and trying to get stops. But Clemson did a great job with their plays and their shot making, and we couldn’t really get over the hump. We had the lead a couple times but they kept battling as well.”</p>
<p id="FD4rg4"><strong>Bradley on being the last Pac-12 team standing: </strong>“I’d just say that being the last Pac-12 team, proud of the guys and proud of our coaches and our culture. We’ve been harping on that all year. We were able to achieve the goal we wanted to achieve, but still a tight group. Still love each other. Still love each other off the court. So it’s good.</p>
<p id="jqkBI2"><strong>Bradley on his play this season after transferring from Alabama: </strong>“Shout out to the coaches and players for taking me in and helping me develop my game. I was familiar with Coach Lloyd and the culture. And just have a fresh start, kind of seemed like. He did a great job of helping me achieve my goals.”</p>
<p id="xXKQlX"><strong>Oumar Ballo on rebounding: </strong>“Rebounding wins games. And I wish we did a little bit better job of that on the offensive glass and also on the defensive end because (Clemson scored off) two offensive rebounds in a row. It was kind of, like, killers. I wish we did a little bit better job boxing them out.”</p>
<p id="IhPU5p"><strong>Caleb Love on his performance: </strong>“Obviously I couldn’t make shots. I should have been there for my team. We had a lot of good looks, we just couldn’t finish it. I felt like they were all good shots, the majority that I took. I should have gotten more downhill.”</p>
<p id="esetyl"><strong>On making a comeback but not getting over the hump: </strong>“Credit to Clemson, they came out to play. We fought back multiple times. They were the better team today. We thought we had them. We pushed through, we had the momentum. Down the stretch we couldn’t get stops. We were getting stops, the momentum shifted for us and we were on our run. Towards the end of the game we had some defensive breakdowns that were crucial.”</p>
<p id="ujB0kT"><strong>On his time with Arizona: </strong>“I love these guys. We’ve been through so much. I’m sad we couldn’t finish it. I feel like I learned true brotherhood. I’m grateful to be on this team. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”</p>
<p id="SFVxiG"><strong>On playing against the zone in 2</strong><sup><strong>nd</strong></sup><strong> half: </strong>“We knew they were going to play zone, we knew they were going to switch things. The zone, we tried to get the ball inside as much as we could, but it was difficult.”</p>
<p id="PvyKjw"><strong>KJ Lewis on building off this season: </strong>“For me, I’ve always been a guy … I don’t dwell on it too much. I loved this team, loved the seniors we had, but I’ll use this for motivation to prepare for the time. I never really rest. I’m not going to lie, I’ll probably be in the gym this week. That’s how my mind operates. It’s just unfortunate, we had a special group.”</p>
<p id="k9WhKf"><strong>Kylan Boswell on his season: </strong>“A rollercoaster would probably be the word I’d say. Highs and lows, it’s part of basketball. This summer I’ve got to change a lot of habits. Get more locked in on my mental (side) and body, for sure, and just prepare for whatever comes next in my life.”</p>
<p id="0A7jaw"><strong>Keshad Johnson on if he felt things had turned for Arizona after the comeback: </strong>“Things did turn, we were able to take a lead, and the momentum was on our side. Basketball is a game a runs, we came out the second half and made our run.”</p>
<p id="BKYeq5"><strong>On if it was frustrating to see Clemson keep punching back: </strong>“It’s not frustrating, it’s just basketball, you gotta just try to get it out. We made our run, they made their run, we made our run, they made their run. They just came out on top. We tried what we had to do, we tried to switch some things up. There was able to capitalize off our mistakes.”</p>
<p id="rjgJAb"><strong>On his time at Arizona: </strong>“All glory to God, I prayed about where I was going to be at after the national championship game and he brought me here. I felt like I did a good job leading my team.”</p>
<p id="hqrRUo"><strong>Pelle Larsson on his Arizona career: </strong>“It’s been the biggest joy in my life. I’m gonna miss everyone I’ve worked with.”</p>
<p id="WEJx13"><strong>On the shooting performance: </strong>“There was a lot of just that we just missed that were open. We didn’t do as good a job crashing as we’ve done in other games. I’m pretty sure we won the rebounding (battle) but we could have done way more.”</p>
<p id="700S4C"><strong>On Clemson jumping out to a big lead: </strong>“They made a lot of shots in the first half, it felt like they couldn’t miss.”</p>
<p id="XR2Z0K"><strong>On the start of the 2</strong><sup><strong>nd</strong></sup><strong> half: </strong>“We said at halftime we were going to punch them the first four minutes and we did. Credit to them they responded and made some changes and kept it tough from there.”</p>
<p id="gYmVQS"><strong>On if so many missed shots can lead to being tentative: </strong>“At this time of year you can’t second guess anything. You know what type of player you are, you know what’s open and you have a feel for what you can make, what’s a good or bad shot. I thought we had a lot of good shots, they just didn’t go in.”</p>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/28/24115222/arizona-wildcats-ncaa-tournament-clemson-tommy-lloyd-boswell-bradley-kj-keshad-love-pelle-ballo-2024Brian J. Pedersen2024-03-28T18:29:10-07:002024-03-28T18:29:10-07:00NCAA Tournament: Arizona men’s basketball falls to Clemson in Sweet 16
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<p id="ww9ywt">LOS ANGELES—Another year, another dose of what might have been for Arizona.</p>
<p id="4xMugo">The second-seeded Wildcats built themselves a big hole in the first half against No. 6 Clemson, managed to climb out of it but then kept giving the Tigers back the shovel in a 77-72 loss in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Los Angeles.</p>
<p id="M25O4w">The UA (27-9) lost its third straight Sweet 16 appearance by having an epicly bad performance from the 3-point line, going 5 of 28 with leading scorer <strong>Caleb Love </strong>missing all nine triples in a 5-of-18 effort from the field. The Wildcats shot 37.3 percent and had only three players score in double figures, dropping to 0-6 when fewer than four got to 10 points.</p>
<p id="vEtoPa"><strong>Jaden Bradley </strong>led the UA with 18 points off the bench, including 16 in the second half, while <strong>Oumar Ballo </strong>had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Love added 13. Starters <strong>Kylan Boswell, Keshad Johnson </strong>and <strong>Pelle Larsson </strong>combined to go 6 of 23 from the field.</p>
<p id="pjUy2H">Down 39-31 at the half, Arizona went on a 12-4 run to tie it at 43 by making five of six shots and forcing three Clemson turnovers. The Wildcats took their first lead, at 46-45, on a Love layup, and that woke the Tigers up.</p>
<p id="gEwv4M">A 3 by <strong>Jack Clark Jr.</strong> gave them back the lead, which they extended to 53-48 not long after. The UA chipped away, tying it at 56 with 9:55 remaining on back-to-back trips to the line by<strong> </strong>Bradley, but then Clemson ran off five in a row again including a banked-in 3 by <strong>Ian Schieffelin</strong>.</p>
<p id="1iKyv0">The line was the only placed Arizona was scoring after the hot start, with the Wildcats missing 18 of 19 shots. Yet Clemson’s lead was only seven when<strong> </strong>Johnson hit a 3 to end the field goal drought and get the UA within 65-61 with 4:21 left. </p>
<p id="d2xMuc">A Bradley dunk off a steal cut it to 66-63 with 3:26 remaining as Clemson matched the UA’s cold shooting, missing seven in a row. Larsson had a 3 to tie it with 2:47 to go but it was off, and after <strong>PJ Hall </strong>made two free throws the teams traded baskets inside with the Tigers scoring off a back-cut after a timeout to make it 72-67 with 1:05 to go.</p>
<p id="dSxWmQ">Bradley drained his second 3 to cut it to 72-70 with 49.4 seconds left, but Clemson had one final answer when <strong>Chase Hunter</strong> drove, laid up a reverse and was fouled. He made the free throw to get it back to five, and after Love scored on a runner the Wildcats botched the inbounds and allowed <strong>Dillon Hunter</strong> to get free for a clinching score.</p>
<p id="OlCtK8">Arizona had about as bad a start as possible, missing its first six shots and turning it over three times before scoring. Clemson took advantage to get out to a double-digit lead with 11:18 in the first half, extending it to 13 on a <strong>Chauncey Wiggins</strong> 3 (off a UA turnover) and prompting <strong>Tommy Lloyd </strong>to call timeout down 27-14 with 7:19 go in the half.</p>
<p id="BTbTg9">The Wildcats started to click, briefly, going on a 6-0 run by driving and drawing fouls, and within 31-24 with 5:10 remaining only to see the Tigers score twice in a row to get it back to 11. Another UA push, highlighted by a pair of Ballo dunks, cut the deficit to six in the final minute before Clemson made its first foul shots of the game and Love airballed a long 3 before the half ended.</p>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/28/24115140/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-ncaa-tournament-recap-clemson-tigers-sweet-16-stats-highlights-2024Brian J. Pedersen2024-03-28T15:30:00-07:002024-03-28T15:30:00-07:00NCAA Tournament: Arizona vs. Clemson game thread
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<img alt="arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-clemson-tigers-thread-chat-ncaa-tournament-live-stats-updates-2024" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3qprnodtQAJNFI-xj9cyuySsVv4=/0x107:5679x3893/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73240189/2118155488.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Come chat with us!</p> <p id="VnJ0WT">It’s Game Day!</p>
<p id="Hl0mRf">The 2nd-seeded <a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com">Arizona Wildcats</a>, in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years, take on the 6th-seeded <a href="https://www.shakinthesouthland.com">Clemson Tigers</a> in the NCAA Tournament West Region semifinals.</p>
<p id="kcKrjn">Here’s all the info you need to watch, listen to or follow the game online. Come chat with us!</p>
<h2 id="xHZZlD"><strong>Arizona-Clemson game time, details:</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li id="eF1RPa">
<strong>Date:</strong> Thursday, March 28, 2023</li>
<li id="hOuNnW">
<strong>Time:</strong> 4:09 p.m. PT</li>
<li id="8NV9t8">
<strong>Location:</strong> <a href="http://Crytpo.com">Crytpo.com</a> Arena; Los Angeles, Calif. </li>
<li id="Snticy">
<strong>Line: </strong>According to <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/ncaab?referrer=singular_click_id%3d9b9ce4c0-adb3-4227-9d91-dda8bea755ad&wpcid=166791&wpcn=Inartcile&wpcrid=CBB&wpsrc=Vox"><strong>DraftKings SportsBook</strong></a>, Arizona is a 7-point favorite and the over/under is 152.5. <a href="http://KenPom.com">KenPom.com</a> gives the Wildcats a 70 percent chance of winning.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="pidO2h"><strong>Which TV channel is Arizona-Clemson on?</strong></h2>
<p id="a9ca7z">Arizona-Clemson will be televised on CBS.<strong> Brian Anderson </strong>(play-by-play), <strong>Jim Jackson </strong>(analyst) and <strong>Allie LaForce </strong>(reporter) will be calling the game.</p>
<h2 id="O5g945"><strong>How can I watch Arizona-Clemson online?</strong></h2>
<p id="ELOFPe">The stream of Arizona-Clemson can be viewed at <a href="https://www.Pac-12.com"><strong>NCAA.com</strong></a>.</p>
<h2 id="gxqQLe"><strong>How can I listen to Arizona-Clemson on the radio?</strong></h2>
<p id="NBZ1Ry">You can listen to Arizona-Clemson on the <a href="https://tunein.com/radio/Arizona-IMG-Sports-Network-s206504/"><strong>Arizona IMG Sports Network</strong></a>.</p>
<h2 id="GpOZpd"><strong>How can I follow Arizona-Clemson?</strong></h2>
<p id="e4rgyM">By following us on Twitter (X) at <a href="http://twitter.com/azdesertswarm"><strong>@AZDesertSwarm</strong></a><strong> </strong>and our editor Brian Pedersen (<a href="http://twitter.com/realBJP"><strong>@realBJP</strong></a>).</p>
<p id="L9cign"><em>Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See </em><a href="http://draftkings.com/sportsbook"><em>draftkings.com/sportsbook</em></a><em> for details.</em></p>
<h2 id="UoX3p6"><strong>Arizona-Clemson pregame coverage:</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li id="9ejyDw"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/27/24112937/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-preview-commentary-opinion-clemson-tigers-evan-miyakawa-2024"><strong>Arizona’s depth, and that depth’s dependability, is central to its Final Four chances</strong></a></li>
<li id="nW3hgW"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/27/24114071/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-notebook-clemson-tigers-tommy-lloyd-brad-brownell-sweet16-2024"><strong>NCAA Tournament notebook: Sweet 16 win would tie Tommy Lloyd for most victories in 1st 3 seasons</strong></a></li>
<li id="4Dk1hS"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/27/24114012/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-preview-clemson-tigers-sweet16-rest-experience-west-ncaa-tournament"><strong>NCAA Tournament: Rested, experienced Arizona ready to roll in Sweet 16 against Clemson </strong></a></li>
<li id="TPgSLh"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/27/24113933/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-ncaa-tournament-clemson-tigers-sweet16-keys-victory-draftkings-2024"><strong>NCAA Tournament: 3 keys to an Arizona win over Clemson</strong></a></li>
<li id="DacCv5"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/27/24113223/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-clemson-tigers-interview-preview-ncaa-tournament-sweet16-la-2024"><strong>NCAA Tournament: Clemson expert previews the Arizona game, makes a score prediction</strong></a></li>
<li id="gmt4tx"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/26/24112646/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-ncaa-tournament-final-four-odds-draftkings-2024-clemson-alabama-unc"><strong>Why Arizona will (or will not) make the Final Four</strong></a></li>
<li id="ndQi47"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/25/24111679/2024-ncaa-tournament-betting-odds-for-arizona-vs-clemson-sweet-16-draftkings-sportsbook"><strong>2024 NCAA Tournament: Betting odds for Arizona vs. Clemson Sweet 16 matchup</strong></a></li>
<li id="mNF1df"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/2024/3/23/24109903/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-ncaa-tournament-notebook-bench-bradley-lewis-krivas-caleb-love-2024"><strong>NCAA Tournament notebook: Arizona’s bench stepping up when Wildcats need it most</strong></a></li>
<li id="CtBh3Q"><a href="https://www.azdesertswarm.com/2024/3/23/24109868/arizona-wildcats-ncaa-tournament-dayton-tommy-lloyd-caleb-love-jaden-bradley-keshad-pelle-kj-kylan"><strong>NCAA Tournament: What Tommy Lloyd, Arizona players said after 2nd round win over Dayton</strong></a></li>
</ul>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/28/24114913/arizona-wildcats-mens-basketball-clemson-tigers-thread-chat-ncaa-tournament-live-stats-updates-2024Brian Pedersen2024-03-28T13:00:00-07:002024-03-28T13:00:00-07:00Arizona football’s back end is bonded and together after an offseason of uncertainty
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<img alt="arizona-football-brent-brennan-pac-12-big-12-tacario-davis-treydan-stukes-duane-akina-dalton-johnson" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vt4elsAsiSY2T0hs_3OMi0FaTlc=/0x0:4347x2898/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73239838/usa_today_21971769.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="AaFQtW">Arizona knew the secondary trio of <strong>Gunner Maldonado</strong>, <strong>Treydan Stukes </strong>and <strong>Dalton Johnson </strong>was staying for 2024, but there were questions on if junior cornerback <strong>Tacario Davis </strong>would join them on the back end after entering the transfer portal.</p>
<p id="AgQgmb">Davis was back with the team for the first day of spring practice. He said he decided to stay to continue something special with the team. </p>
<p id="U9T0HN">“Just to give the new coaches a shot to see, like I don’t want to just hop in there not knowing,” Davis said. “It was really giving them a chance because everybody stayed together for the team and stuff. So, I just wanted to be a part of something special and stay together and stick around and see how the coaches. Give him a shot and see what it’s about.”</p>
<p id="ZKYdap">Davis showed tremendous growth over last season for UA. He appeared in all 13 games, started 11 and led the conference in pass breakups (15) and passes defended (16). </p>
<p id="IatUu4">“It was huge,” Stukes said. “Tacario might have had the most growth last season from the first game to the last game. He’s got all the physical tools and he’s just getting smarter as a football player. And it’s gonna be a great help to have a dominant corner like that out there.”</p>
<p id="Kxgrvf">Johnson, Maldonado and Stukes decided together that they were going to go up to the media room and shoot a video for their announcement, which was played in McKale Center during an Arizona-UCLA men’s basketball game on the big screen.</p>
<p id="5FccIV">“That was great,” Johnson said. “I’ve never heard McKale that loud. Super exciting and a lot of emotions. But it definitely showed us that the whole UA community, school, students, they have our back. So that felt nice.”</p>
<p id="WZOWmD">After the departure of former head coach <strong>Jedd Fisch </strong>the team bonded together and had internal conversations on keeping the band together.</p>
<p id="lJzWrp">“It was like a weird couple of days when it all first happened but us three wanted to stay together a lot,” Maldonado said. “And when you got guys like<strong> Noah (Fifita)</strong> and T-Mac <strong>(Tetairoa McMillian)</strong>, who come up to you and say let’s keep at home. It’s very encouraging.”</p>
<p id="6o4mDh">What also showed UA’s veteran DBs a sign of trust with new head coach <strong>Brent Brennan</strong> was the retaining and promoting <strong>Duane Akina</strong> to defensive coordinator. Retaining Akina left a familiarity factor for the players. </p>
<p id="vNcxRn">“Definitely a huge role for us,” Stukes said. “We talked about it a lot that the growth we had was no secret and we dedicate a lot of that to the way coach Akina coaches and what he demands from us every day in practice. So when coach Brennan hired him as DC, that definitely swayed our decision.”</p>
<p id="8QtcF5">Brennan has seen how close this back end of the defense is to each other and how the freeness and trust they play together with. </p>
<p id="nPX2Uf">“Those guys are so close,” Brennan said. “I think the level that he wants to play at and the consistency that he wants to perform at, being in the back end with people you’ve done it with before, and that you know where they’re going to be and trust each other is a huge part of it.”</p>
<aside id="7KLpKY"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Arizona football’s spring practices under new coach Brent Brennan are about opportunity and competition","url":"https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/2024/3/26/24113233/arizona-football-spring-practice-brent-brennan-noah-fifta-pac-12-big-12-tacario-davis-treydan-stukes"},{"title":"What to watch for as Arizona football begins spring practice ","url":"https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball/2024/3/26/24111841/arizona-wildcats-football-spring-practice-preview-brent-brennan-position-battles-schemes-newcomers"}]}'></div></aside><p id="UgnERN"></p>
<p id="vywdWY"></p>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/football/2024/3/28/24114795/arizona-football-brent-brennan-pac-12-big-12-tacario-davis-treydan-stukes-duane-akina-dalton-johnsonDHomer2024-03-28T07:52:00-07:002024-03-28T07:52:00-07:00How the numbers stack up for No. 21 Arizona softball and No. 7 Stanford
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<img alt="2023 Women’s College World Series" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1imCzD0JDysL2-iPtzMa3jQZKyQ=/0x577:4945x3874/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73238819/1258711705.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Which team can exploit the weakness of the other?</p> <p id="GHYedO">The No. 21 Arizona Wildcats are a team that appears to be in search of an identity. They are pitching at a much higher level than last season, but they are seeing some offensive struggles from players who normally produce a great deal. What do the numbers say about what they have and how they improve?</p>
<p id="193mHk">Arizona softball heads into an early week against the best pitching it has seen this season. The No. 21 Wildcats have improved in the circle by a considerable margin, but they still have some ground to make up to be on the same level as the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal.</p>
<p id="VKTkWi">NiJaree Canady and Regan Krause give this week’s opponent two of the top seven ERA in the Pac-12. Canady’s 0.59 leads the league, as does her 0.53 WHIP. Krause is sporting an ERA of 2.46, ranking seventh. Her WHIP of 1.40 is well behind her teammate, though. It’s also behind Arizona’s two primary pitchers.</p>
<p id="hhEtON">Arizona isn’t a slouch in the circle. Sophomore Aissa Silva ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with a 2.22 ERA. Silva and teammate Miranda Stoddard give the Wildcats two of the best WHIP in the league with Silva’s 1.10 ranked fourth and Stoddard’s 1.21 ranked ninth.</p>
<p id="ojc19a">The major difference between the two teams is how they have done in conference play. The Wildcats have seen their pitching numbers balloon since Pac-12 competition started. </p>
<p id="dVUhen">In Pac-12 play, Arizona has been without the services of freshman Brooke Mannon for most of its games. Her appearance against California on Sunday was her first Pac-12 game. She was medically cleared to play after Saturday’s game and only for a specified number of pitches. </p>
<p id="7TEe8j">That has meant its pitching staff consisted of Silva, Stoddard, and Ali Blanchard for most of conference play. Blanchard got into one game, but a combination of walks and errors committed in the field led to her getting shelled. </p>
<p id="OIVEXF">Silva’s overall ERA of 2.22 turns into 3.88 against the Pac-12. Stoddard’s jumps from 3.22 to 5.68 while Blanchard’s increases from 2.33 to 4.50. Mannon’s appearance last Sunday gave her a 12.60 league ERA compared to 2.96 overall.</p>
<p id="wbc9Wk">The problem for the Arizona bullpen is the same this year as it was last: home runs. Stoddard and Silva are first and tied for fourth in home runs surrendered this year. Stoddard has allowed 17 in 82.2 IP. Stoddard is allowing a round-tripper 0.21 times per inning. Silva has given up 10 in 82 innings of work, amounting to 0.12 HR per IP. Blanchard has given up five in just 15 innings pitched this season, so opponents are hitting 0.33 HR per inning when they face the 5th year pitcher.</p>
<p id="1hhBsT">Krause has some issues with the long ball, but it is not as severe as the challenges faced by the Arizona pitchers. The senior hurler is tied for tenth in the league with seven home runs in 68.1 IP. That works out to 0.10 per inning.</p>
<p id="Kd2y6O">On the offensive side, the Cardinal aren’t on the same level as the Wildcats. Whether it’s contact hitting, hitting the ball out of the park, or driving in runs, Arizona has the upper hand. </p>
<p id="xPQf2f">Arizona freshman Regan Shockey ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with a .426 batting average. Her sophomore teammate Dakota Kennedy is right behind in sixth, averaging .406 this season. </p>
<p id="WVkFPr">The Cardinal does not have a player show up in the batting average rankings until No. 24 River Mahler. The sophomore is hitting .351 this year.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><div id="8iJ6cP"><div data-anthem-component="aside:12291760"></div></div></div>
<p id="5OcZkG">The difference isn’t just at the top, either. The Wildcats have seven players in the top 50 of the league’s batting average rankings. An eighth would be included but Arizona has been swapping Jasmine Perezchica and Kaiah Altmeyer in and out of the lineup in right field.</p>
<p id="JViOa7">Altmeyer is only hitting .273, which is just outside the top 50. However, Perezchica is simply not getting enough plate appearances to qualify. She has 52 plate appearances in Arizona’s 31 games this season, which amounts to 1.7 PA per game played by the Wildcats. To qualify, players must have at least 2 PA per game. She is hitting .400, which would place her in the top 10 if she qualified.</p>
<p id="rCSLTV">In addition to Altmeyer, Tayler Biehl is the only other Wildcat who qualifies for ranking but falls outside the top 50 in the conference. Biehl started very slowly this season and is hitting just .176. However, she had a strong series at California last week, going 4 for 12 with two home runs, a double, and five RBI.</p>
<p id="bET5Wr">On the power front, Arizona has two players in the top 10 for home runs, Allie Skaggs (T2 with 9) and Carlie Scupin (T9 with 7). Sophomore designated player Olivia DiNardo is tied for 11th with six and freshman catcher Emily Schepp is tied for 19th with four.</p>
<p id="fjvuFC">The Cardinal do not go out of the park very often. Their two top HR hitters are Ava Gall and Aly Kaneshiro, who have five each. That puts them in a group of three tied at 16th in the Pac-12. Taryn Kern and Caelan Koch have four each, putting them with Schepp in a group of 10 players tied at 19th.</p>
<p id="5HPnb2">Arizona has two other players in the top 50. Biehl is tied at 29th with three and Dakota Kennedy is tied at 39th with two. Stanford has one more in the group of 50 with Jade Berry’s two long balls putting her in the same group as Kennedy. </p>
<p id="I8mEh0">As a team, Arizona has hit 33 home runs compared to Stanford’s 24. The Cardinal have made up for that by limiting the number of home runs they allow their opponents to hit. The Stanford pitching staff has only surrendered 13 home runs this year while Arizona has given up 33.</p>
<p id="4oqa4E">Scoring runs is not all about hitting the ball out of the park, though. Arizona will probably need to manufacture runs against Stanford. That makes every hit, every RBI opportunity, crucial. The Wildcats may have a frustrating number of runners left on base, but they are also doing a comparatively good job of getting those runners in to score.</p>
<p id="n3eAnH">Carlie Scupin is tied for the league lead with 36 RBI. Skaggs has 25, placing her seventh in the Pac-12. In conference play, it is Skaggs who leads. She is tied for first with 12 of her 25 RBI coming since league play kicked off. Biehl’s seven in Pac-12 competition is tied for eighth. Scupin falls to a 12th-place tie with six.</p>
<p id="DNad7K">Mahler has been Stanford’s run producer since Pac-12 competition started. She has driven in seven runs in league play, placing her in a tie for eighth. She has 17 overall this season, putting her in a four-way tie for 27th. </p>
<p id="aLQTfY">No one else on the team has more than four against Pac-12 competition. Berry’s four puts her in a tie for 29th in Pac-12 play. </p>
<p id="QABCsw">Last season, the series between these two teams was decided by Stanford’s ability to manufacture runs. The Cardinal swept with the three games decided by a total of seven runs. The Wildcats will need to take advantage of the few opportunities they get if they hope to return the favor this season.</p>
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https://www.azdesertswarm.com/softball/2024/3/28/24114436/arizona-wildcats-softball-stanford-battle-strengths-hitting-vs-pitching-stats-previewK Doss2024-03-28T06:00:00-07:002024-03-28T06:00:00-07:00Early weekend series vs. UCLA gives Arizona baseball chance to bounce back quickly
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<img alt="arizona-wildcats-baseball-ucla-bruins-preview-pac12-play-2024-hicorbett" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QS1GCrS8HtD-mUCKPNRtR1pkRPg=/3x0:1542x1026/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73238478/Screenshot_2024_03_27_at_5.38.45_PM.0.png" />
<figcaption>Arizona Athletics</figcaption>
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<p id="Fx3EJq">Arizona had arguably its worst performance of the season on Tuesday night, losing 12-9 at home to a New Mexico State team that hadn’t won a game away from home in nearly a year. But the beauty of baseball is there’s almost always another game right around the corner, and this week the break is weekend comes even quicker.</p>
<p id="vdIsTx">The UA hosts UCLA in a 3-game series beginning Thursday night at Hi Corbett Field, the series moved up to avoid playing on Easter Sunday. </p>
<p id="1JfaR9">The Wildcats (10-13, 4-5 Pac-12) are still searching for consistency across the board, which has resulted in seven losses in the last 10 games and no win streak longer than three. At home they’re just 5-4, including 1-2 in the league after dropping a series to ASU two weeks ago.</p>
<p id="OrriOv">In Pac-12 play the issues have mostly been with hitting, as Arizona’s .266 batting average in league games is sixth. The 3.79 ERA is second only to Oregon State, and could be where the UA has an edge over UCLA (10-12, 4-5) and its 6.20 ERA in conference play.</p>
<p id="Y6S9HU">The key will be continuing to get strong starting pitching, which has been the case through league play. The trio of left-hander <strong>Jackson Kent</strong> and righties <strong>Clark Candiotti</strong> and <strong>Cam Walty </strong>have gone 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA in nine Pac-12 starts, striking out 57 with 18 walks in 50.2 innings.</p>
<p id="g8ppnj">UCLA, which swept Arizona in Los Angeles last March and took two of three at Hi Corbett in 2022, is 0-7 on the road this season. That includes going 0-3 at TCU, the weekend before Arizona played a single game at the Horned Frogs, as well as opening Pac-12 play by getting swept at Cal.</p>
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/arizona-baseball/2024/3/28/24114161/arizona-wildcats-baseball-ucla-bruins-preview-pac12-play-2024-hicorbettBrian J. Pedersen