Cats take advantage of Oregon St., continue in the Pac-12 torney with win 72-61

The Cats were extremely fortunate as they were matched up against Oregon State. The Beavs pulled off a remarkable first round Pac 12 tourney upset by taking down the top seeded Huskies 86-84, but their run would be short lived. The Cats would initially have a 34-27 halftime deficit to work with, but they opened the second half hot on defense and offense. The Cats would pull away with the help of Foggy's 22 points. This will send Arizona into the conference tournament finale, against either Cal or Colorado.

Cats top the Bruins on Senior Day, 65-63

This picture shows why Arizona is better than UCLA: Nike vs. Adidas

The Cats could ill-afford another loss in the regular season. They showed off their unconventional grey unis on CBS as they played a close game against UCLA in a red-out Mckale Center. It was a rugged game that did not have many outstanding offensive performances as both teams went hard to the rack. Joshua Smith, one of UCLA's big men continued committing fouls, which kept him off of the court. Arizona was then able to take adavantage of the size match-up and the two-starting seniors, Kyle Fogg and Jesse Perry combined for a good inside and outside threat on offense. Foggy would hit a key 3-pointer to put the Cats up by three late in the game, a lead they would not let up.

Cats survive the Cougars in Pullman, 76-72

The Cats have been playing well by winning games, however they had to avoid another disastrous upset as they pulled away from the Washington State Cougars late in the game on Thursday night. The Cats would be closely followed by the Cougs for a majority of the game as the double-digit scoring efforts of Kyle Fogg, Solomon Hill, Jesse Perry, and Brendan Lavender were countered by a 21 point performance by Reggie Moore and a 28 point performance from the Pac 12's most improved player, Brock Motum. It took the enter game, but Jesse Perry would score two key buckets near the end of the game as the Cats hung on for a win in Pullman.

Cats squeak by the Utes, 70-61

The Cats came into the game playing for a Pac 12 lead, but left the game holding their breaths. The Utes really gave them a scare as they started shooting lights out in the first half while the Cats were still trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes.After facing a 33-25 deficit at halftime, the Cats would slowly claw at the Utes lead by shooting treys. Brendan Lavender, Nick Johnson, and Kyle Fogg combined for a hot 11-22 beyond the arc. The Cats eventually would take the lead and hold onto it as a sigh of relief left the McKale Center.

Cats top the Buffs on ESPN, 71-57

Foggy the Frog drives in the lane against Colorado

The Cats got a crucial win against the Buffaloes of Colorado on Thursday night on ESPN. The Cats came off an emotional high in the bay area last week, making it extremely important to ride that momentum for the next few games. The only true obstacle in their way was a winnable game against the 3rd place Buffs on ESPN. The Cats went up by 6 at the half, but viewers missed the first five minutes of the second half. By then,the Buffs had gone on a little run and narrowed the margin. The Cats would then take over as Jesse Perry scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. The Cats are now tied with the Buffs for third place in the PAC 12. They should look to capitalize on this with their next game against the Utah Utes at the McKale on Saturday.

Cats top Cal at Haas Pavilion, 78-74

The Cats finally won a game in their red Nike Hyper Elite unis as they upset the Pac 12 leading Golden Bears. The Cats were down early by a growing deficit as the crowd at Haas began chanting "over-rated", but they clawed back as they went on a scoring tear to pull ahead by 11 at the half. However, the Golden Bears would wake up from their shooting hibernation as they slew together a series of possessions for three-point plays and eventually tied the game. With the game knotted up down the stretch, Kyle Fogg would nail a key three-pointer with about a minute to go. Cal would then foul to get the ball back, but it wasn't enough as the Cats earned a key Pac12 victory. Also, to Jorge Gutierrez, flopping and shooting free throws doesn't count as balling hard and knocking down J's.

Cats rout the Cougs, 85-61

Thumbs up to Sean Miller for preparing his team against the Cougars after a close loss at Colorado. The Cats were challenged with the task of silencing a potent Cougar three-point offense and they answered the bell. The guards for Arizona played a solid game as Kyle Fogg finished with a game-high 20 points as the Wildcats offense was firing on all cylinders. A convincing win is just what this team and coaching staff needed as a starting off point, especially since this was a trap game and the White-out game is on Saturday.

Cats fall short to the Buffs, 64-63

This game shows exactly what the Cats need and what they lack: a dynamic scorer. Last year, Derrick Williams would've stepped up and take all the key shots (even 3-pointers), but our senior leadership is lacking. The Cats battled the Buffs for the entirety of the game as both teams had slight leads, but the Cats were cold for about 5 minutes and Colorado took a 5 point lead. The Cats came back, but Carlon Brown nailed a huge three-pointer, giving Colorado a one point lead. The Cats had the last possession, but Kevin Parrom missed a game-winning three-pointer. The guard play was lacking as Foggy missed some key free-throws, but Jesse Perry stepped up with 20 points. However it wasn't enough as the Cats drop to 4-3 in the conference and 6th place in the Pac 12.

Cats fall to the Ducks at home, 59-57

I can not stress how important it is to win at home in the Pac 12. Going 9-0 at home then splitting games on the road can set you up with a decent record and possibly a spot in the NCAA Tournament; however, losing to a team like Oregon after you beating their more explosive rival school will get you nowhere in such a weak conference. Oregon dominated early offensively and their zone defense left the Cats scratching their heads. By the time Arizona could get something going, Oregon had jumped out to a 34-22 halftime lead. Though Arizona has always been a victim to sluggish starts but the benefactor of explosive second halves, something wasn't quite right. The Cats did end up having that great 2nd half run that we've grown accustomed to and they even took a one point lead, but the Ducks wouldn't stay flat-footed for much longer. Down the stretch, their guards and team leaders stepped up more that Kyle Fogg did for Arizona. Solo pushed the Cats within striking distance and the frosh took advantage, but the game boiled down to a late trey by Oregon and a missed buzzer-beater by Kyle Fogg.

Arizona survives against Oregon State in OT, 81-73

Thursday's game featured some stellar guard play from the top players in the conference. OSU was led by their dynamic scorer, Jared Cunningham, as they came to the McKale Center looking for a win. The Beavs gave everything the Cats could handle as they toojk a 28-26 halftime lead by quieting Arizona's top two leading scorers in Jesse Perry and Solomon Hill, but the guards stepped up big time for the Cats. Arizona went 12-22 beyond the arc as Nick Johnson, Kyle Fogg, and Brendan Lavender scored 19, 23, and 18 points to tie the game and send it to OT. The Beavers nearly won in regulation as Ahmad Starks went on a scoring rampage, but his buzzer beater rimmed out and the game went to OT at the McKale Center. Arizona would outscore OSU 9-1 in the five minute period, but a lot happened in the short time period other than scoring. Foggy just made a great lay-up over Cunningham and was fouled, which essentially iced the game. However, the two got in a scuffle and four technicals were handed out, two for each team. The Cats would hang on to win and improve to 12-5.

Arizona starts quick, hold off Oakland, 85-73

Laval Lucas-Perry's return to the McKale center did not go as he wished for two reasons: the Cats ran away with the game and Reggie Hamilton stole the show with a stellar shooting performance for the Oakland Grizzlies. Solomon Hill had a career high 23 points while Kyle Fogg had his 1000th career point. The achievement by Foggy came with his 17 point performance and in doing so, he has become the 46th Wildcat to score 1000 points in a collegiate career. The Cats were previously plagued with slow starts, but got off to q quick start tonight. The Grizzlies tried to crawl back but their sharpshooting only brought them within 4 at the half. Key buckets by Solo, Foggy, Perry, and Johnson put Oakland away for the ninth Arizona basketball win of the season.

New-look Cats push past Valpo, 73-64

Kyle Fogg had 16 points and Jesse Perry had a double-double as the Cats took the first step forward into the post-Derrick Williams era. Sean Miller's new squad of young talent must depend on the two seniors if they want to continue the success Miller established last season. Valparaiso closed within two at half-time but the Cats played great basketball coming into the second half. The Cats finished the game weak but the outcome was inevitable.