All is not well in Arizona Basketball at the moment.  Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson has taken a leave of absence for the entire 2007-2008 season, and Kevin O'Neill has since stepped in as substitute teacher for the young Wildcat hoopsters.  Going one step further, Mr O'Neill has been named as Lute's successor when the living legend decides to retire.

Coach Olson has expressed the desire to return for the 2008-2009 season, but it looks very su####iously like a fairwell tour more than anything - particularly with AD Jim Livengood having already removed the interim tag from O'Neill and slapped him with the "head coach in waiting" title.

That smells of Lute's impending retirement after next season, which in all honesty, most of us UofA fans and alumni realized was in the very near future anyways.  Eventually at some point there will be a transition to a new era of Arizona basketball, and that transition will probably be a bumpy ride.

All of that aside, the current team has fallen on tough times as of late.  Early in the season, the 'Cats handled all of the uncertainty surrounding Coach Olson's sudden departure and the subsequent shift required to adapt to Coach O'Neill's style of game with amazing resolve.  The early season was marked by some gritty wins and a valiant effort against the Kansas Jayhawks at Phogg-Allen Fieldhouse.

Then came the injury to point guard Jerryd Bayless.

It doesn't seem like much when written as a line item like that, but in reality that injury truly changed the dynamic of this team.  Swingman Chase Budinger is a tremendous player with loads of talent, but he just doesn't seem to be a team leader.  We wondered about his toughness last year, and we're still wondering this year.  That's not an accusation, that's just an observation.

Some dudes are comfortable being "the man", while others don't possess that sort of personality.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Chase, and he most definitely comes across as a "team comes first" type of player.  For a team to win consistently and build valuable team chemistry, it's pretty much a requirement that the players are unselfish.

To some extent playing point guard makes Jerryd Bayless a team leader by default, it's just the nature of the position, but there's more to it than that.  Even as a freshman, in critical situations, Jerryd has shown incredible toughness.  Arizona is a different team with JB on the court, and while Nic Wise has filled in admirably at the point, again, he's just not quite on the same level as JB.

And it shows.

The Pac-10 is loaded this season, from top to bottom.  There will be no easy games at all during the conference schedule, and with back to back losses to Oregon and ASU, the 'Cats have stumbled out to a 1-2 start in Pac-10 play.  Now, it's not time to push the panic button just yet, but there's certainly alot of cause for concern.  Washington State, UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, and Oregon are all capable of making a Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA tourney, and ASU, Oregon State, and Washington have also proven that they will make noise if a spot in the Big Dance is in their future.

That's my point.

From what I've seen so far, every team in the Pac-10 is actually capable of getting into the NCAA tournament, although of course that won't happen.  Teams will knock each other off as the season goes along, and only the strong will survive.

But that's a good thing.  The teams that do emerge will definitely be battle tested.

Here's our history lesson for the day: Back in the 1996-97 season, Arizona struggled mightily with inconsistency and key injuries and limped to a fifth place finish in the Pac-10.  Then (at the right time) everything seemed to come together.  A blitzkrieg thru the tail end of the Pac-10 schedule was followed by one of the most impressive marches thru the NCAA tournament as Arizona defeated Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky (all No.1 seeds) to claim the National Championship.

There are some similarities between this current team and that '97 squad, such as a tough freshman point guard and an undermanned frontline and the struggles with injuries.  It's early in conference play, and only time will tell if this version of Arizona basketball has what it takes to regroup.

The final weekend brings some great matchups in the Pacific 10 Conference ("the conference of champions"), and some BCS bowl implications as well.  No national title hopes, but certainly foundations have been made for the future.  With the final week highlighted by fierce rivalry games, the theme shall be "You gotta love the hate."

So embrace your hate.  Hate can be healthy, and hate can be good.  Have fun with your hate this Saturday!

Arizona vs Arizona State

USC recently exposed the Sun Devils as a national title pretender.  ASU had remained below the radar on the national title scene for a reason - the Sun Devils just weren't ready for the big stage.  Thanksgiving Day and a Thursday Night nationally televised clash with the hated Trojans, and the Sun Devils proceeded to lay an egg.  USC was finally getting healthy and fighting to make a statement, but if ASU wished to be considered among the elite, it was a great chance for them to prove to the fans (and the media) that they belonged.

They did not, and they do not.  But a BCS bowl is still possible, and likely another beatdown on national tv.

Arizona is so far from elite, they have no place in a discussion of even conference titles (the Wildcats find themselves solidly in the lower tier of the Pac-10  ....  again).  I will say that I believe Coacher Stoops is making noticeable strides in a positive direction with the program.  A bowl game would be a huge boost, and possibly help turn the corner.  Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.  The Wildcats do not possess the talent that ASU does, and Dennis Erickson has taken full advantage of that.  However, if the Sun Devils believe they can simply show up and this rivalry game is theirs - well - those Sun Devils would be in for a rude awakening.

I would love to see the Wildcats pin a loss on the Sparkies.  If the Sun Devils come to play, an upset is not likely, but if Erickson does not have his team ready for a brawl, bitter rivals have a way of pulling the upset.

Bear Down 'Cats!!

UCLA vs USC

Am I the only one that severely hates the Trojans?  I mean, I really hate the Trojans.  Of course my hatred is entirely born of jealousy, because the Trojans have what every Pac-10 team wants.  A seemingly iron stranglehold on the conference title.  If USC takes care of business against the schizophrenic UCLA Bruins, then yet another Pac-10 crown will belong to the Men of Troy and Petey the Boy.

I hate that.

For the record, I like parity.  I like seeing new teams step up and bring down the reigning champs.  That's what I like most about college sports (and this football season particularly).  Pac-10 football appeared close this year, but it really wasn't.  Don't be fooled, USC is as dominant as ever - only by a great quantity of injuries were the Trojans made to look human.  And arrogance possibly played a role in the loss to Stanford, because to be blunt, USC second stringers really should not lose to the Cardinal.  But they did, and everyone across the Pac-10 landscape cheered.

As for the UCLA Bruins ....  meh, I don't know.  I guess I just don't care.  All I know is that Utah beat the Bruins and Notre dame beat the Bruins and Arizona beat the Bruins, and what I've seen of the Bruins has been pretty dull.  If UCLA defeats USC, it will be because the football gods have decreed that the Bruins shall be burdened with Coach Dorrell for another season.  In some ways as an Arizona alum, I can relate to Bruin fans because it seems lately we've had that common question - "Is it basketball season yet?"

Oregon State vs Oregon

What the hell happened to the Oregon Ducks?  I don't follow the Ducks closely enough to know for sure, but the struggles simply can't be entirely because of the injury to Dennis Dixon.  Can't be.  No way, no how.  The explanation must involve multiple injuries and/or a lack of depth at key positions.  Injuries are the nature of football, and if they accumulate in great number they can ruin a very promising season.  For example, look at the massive injuries that USC and LSU have dealt with - and look at the impact they've had on their title hopes.

After the calamity of the UCLA game, I doubt the Ducks have any shot at a bowl game greater than the Holiday Bowl.  But the Civil War is upon them, and time for crying about Dennis Dixon is over.  Can the Ducks revitalize their season?  We shall see.

The Beavers have quietly been playing good football as the season has neared the finish.  OSU has also suffered a loss at the quarterback position, but they have handled it much better than their feathered counterparts from Eugene.  Oregon State currently sits in a respectable fourth place, and if things fall right they might possibly inherit the Holiday Bowl invitation.  It should be noted that the home team has dominated the Civil War as of late, and the Beavers are looking to break that trend in what promises to be a very intense game.

Cal vs Stanford

What the hell happened to the Cal Bears?  Refer to ramblings above regarding the Oregon Ducks.  I realize that Nate Longshore was dinged for a while (and may still be hurting for all I know), but as with the Ducks, there has to be more to this late season plummet by the Bears than their QB got hurt.  I don't get to watch many Cal games, but I wonder what has become of DeSean Jackson?  In the Cal games that I have seen he was as exciting a player as there is in college football this season, and it would be a crime for Coach Telford to not find ways to get the ball in Jackson's hands.

Mid-season, Cal looked to be a lock for a BCS bowl game, and now at season's end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Stanford hangs an L on the Bears.  This game could be a study in futility, and fans of "good" football probably should not watch this game.  Turnovers will likely be the order of the day.

An ugly game favors Stanford, just ask USC fans.  Coach Harbaugh has done an admirable job at the helm of a program that has a tree for its mascot, but keep in mind that Jimmy H is in Palo Alto to make a name - like Denny Green and Ty Willingham have successfully done before him.  Time will tell if he deserves to be mentioned with those coaches.

I feel hate when I write about Stanford, but I don't really know why.  Might be that stupid tree mascot of theirs.  Or their goofy band.  Some part of me hopes to see a Cal player run over a Stanford trombone player again, that would be enjoyable.

Washington vs Hawaii

Yah brah, play this game in the islands and the Rainbows are like in the spiritworld.  Number 15 be like the Big Kahuna with some hot sauce, yah know brah.  Like real fierce.  And there's plenty of cold brew and wahinis in bikinis to go with the action on the field.  Rainbow Warriors hang like fitty on everyone that ventures out to the islands, and who they get now?

Ah yah brah, like some dogs or something.  Seattle got no tasty waves, and definitely got no babes in bikinis.  That's a real pity for the pale dudes from the mainland.  Shameful it is.

Washington State

Thankfully the Cougars season is complete, and Coach Doba has been put out of his misery.  Wazzou has much work to do.

Predictions on the final week of the Pac-10 schedule, and the hate shall flow ....

Arizona-28  Ariz State-26    ....  I could never ever live with myself if I ever ever picked ASU in this game.

UCLA -3   USC -38    ....  Trojans out to prove something, and Bruins play like a team that wears pastel blue.

Oregon St-14  Oregon-16    ....  Possibly an ugly and sinister game.  Rated R for Violence; Strong Language; Nudity.

Cal-24  Stanford-17    ....  Basically who cares now, too little too late.

Washington-27  Hawaii-31    ....  Should be an entertaining game, and Colt Brennan and Jake Locker shouldn't disappoint.  And the Rainbow Warriors qualify for a BCS bowl.

Wash State-0  Idle-2    ....  Somehow Wazzou forfeits to Idle, and somewhere Drew Bledsoe is not smiling.

There it is.  Have a good weekend bloggers, and remember to get your hate on.  Oh, and of course,   Go Army!  Beat Navy!!