Google Image Search: Word & Picture #156

Today's Word:
Arizona Wildcat Basketball

Today's Picture:

This is a great Sports Illustrated cover, featuring two of my all time favorite Arizona Wildcats: Jason Gardner and Luke Walton.

I am a huge Arizona Wildcats basketball fan. The reason: I was Wilbur the Wildcat from 1995-1998. In 1997, I was Wilbur when Arizona won the National Championship in basketball. I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated:

I am blurry, furry, wearing a cat costume in the background... but that is the closest I will ever get to the cover of Sports Illustrated, so I will take it. Thank you, Arizona Wildcats, for giving me my best sporting memory ever.

I mention this because my Arizona Wildcats have made a surprising run to the Sweet 16. Tonight, they play against the #1 seed Louisville. Arizona is a #12 seed. Las Vegas has put the line at 10 points... they believe that Louisville will win by 10 points. The odds of the Arizona Wildcats winning are about the same as the odds of them winning in the Sweet 16 in 1997 when we played KU.

The big difference between 2009 Louisville and 1997 KU: Louisville plays in a really tough conference. The Big East is, by far, the best basketball conference of 2009. In 1997, there were no other Big 12 teams in the Sweet 16. That is not to say that Kansas was not a great team, but they did not have other tough teams to prepare them for tough competition. KU won the national championship in 2008 partly due to the success of teams like Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Missouri. Tough competition is better preparation for March Madness.

I am not crazy enough to predict an Arizona victory tonight, but I will be cheering for them in front of the TV (or the web... because they are likely to show the Oklahoma game in my region).

Bear Down, Arizona.

In Summary: Wilbur is blurry, the Big East is good, Arizona plays tonight.