Alkins rests foot

Just when UA forward Rawle Alkins appeared to be hitting his groove, he was sidelined again.

But at least this time, it may be only for a game or two.

Alkins experienced soreness in his right foot after practicing Tuesday – the same foot that kept him out the first nine games this season – but Arizona said X-rays taken afterward came back negative.

Still, he was held out for precautionary reasons, UA trainer Justin Kokoskie said. It was unclear if he’ll be able to play Saturday at Stanford.

'A subtle cult following'

Wildcats back at Haas Pavilion tonight. Last time Arizona was here? The #EMOYsalute from @Zona_Briggs was born... 🐻🔽 pic.twitter.com/KAgEFw1fIE

— Matt Ensor (@Ensor) January 18, 2018

Sneakerheads and diehard Arizona fans alike might recognize a well-exposed GIF of UA equipment manager Brian Brigger fist-bumping and screaming after a play. They call it the “EMOY Salute,” referencing the “Equipment Manager of the Year.”

That moment actually happened at Haas Pavilion last season, following a second-half 3-pointer the UA made in its 67-62 win over the Bears, and it made Brigger, well, somewhat famous. Kokoskie says sometimes fans will recognize Brigger and ask him for an autograph or photo, the same way they do for UA players.

“It’s a cult following,” Kokoskie said. “A subtle cult following.”

The (Insert Color Here) Out

Cal is hosting No. 14 Arizona tonight at Haas Pavilion, which is already decked out for the “Gold Out.” pic.twitter.com/IF3amRgYBS

— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) January 18, 2018

Whenever the Wildcats travel in the Pac-12, it’s always a decent bet the host team will encourage fans to wear the same school color in an effort to create an intimidating environment.

Cal was apparently so intent on this that the Bears even gave out celebratory gold T-shirts to the entire crowd … but the promo ultimately didn’t work too well.

One reason: A little under half of the 11,877 seats in Haas Pavilion were unoccupied, leaving lots of empty blue seats.

Another reason: About 1,000 or so of the fans on hand were wearing Arizona red.

So it was a Gold, Blue — and Red — Out.

Cancer awareness

Actually, Cal’s Gold Out was about more than just basketball. Gold is also the official color of pediatric cancer awareness, and the school was supporting the cause.

Several in-game promotions were held in support of pediatric cancer, and Bears forward Marcus Lee has been in support after meeting a six-year-old boy with cancer while playing for Kentucky.

New-old look

Cal’s new apparel sponsorship with Under Armour resulted in the Bears bringing back some classic looks.

Instead of the “Growling Bear” logo, the Bears now use their classic “Walking Bear” wrapped around a block “C.”

The Bears’ uniforms also feature double thin stripes known as “Sather Stripes” that were inspired by the vertical lines in the Cal campus’ iconic “Sather Tower” (commonly known as The Campanile). The baselines at Haas Pavilion have the stripes in gold on a blue background, too.

McSnubbed

Arizona’s six-year streak of placing recruits in the McDonald’s All-American Game appears likely to end, since UA recruits Brandon Williams and Shareef O’Neal were not named on its rosters this week.

Williams missed a year on the recruiting circuit because of a knee injury he has recently recovered from, while O’Neal is rated a four-star recruit by 24/7 Sports and thus was on the border for the McDonald’s game.

O’Neal tried to stay upbeat in a Twitter post after the announcement.

Everything can’t go perfect ! I just gotta move on.. this hurt me but it ain’t stopping me #SAIYANMOVEMENTACTIVATED

— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) January 16, 2018

“Everything can’t go perfect!" he said. “I just gotta move on ... this hurt me but it ain’t stopping me.”

‘Reef has some pretty big-time support. Both his famous father and none other than LeBron James posted encouragement on Instagram.

“Nephew listen,” James wrote. “Even though we all know you should have made that McDonald’s game, use it as motivation to prove not to those who didn’t vote you, not to those who is (sic) actually in the game but more importantly to yourself that you belong.”

 

Nephew listen, Even though we all know you should have made that McDonalds game use it as motivation to prove not to those who didn’t vote you in, not to those who is actually in the game but more importantly to yourself that u belong! Keep grinding, studying and working daily! The light is always brighter at the end of the tunnel. #striveforgreatness🚀 #familyties✊🏾 @shareefoneal

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Jan 17, 2018 at 7:22am PST

Shaq noted that only one player from the West made the game – Mater Dei center Bol Bol – and said “That’s cool son, no more mr nice guy it’s on now.”

FBI influence

The McDonald’s announcement also served as a reminder to the Wildcats about the impact of the FBI investigation.

The rosters included several five-star prospects who dropped Arizona in the wake of the federal investigation along with Jahvon Quinerly, the New Jersey guard who decommitted three weeks after the federal complaint quoted a sports agent saying he took $15,000 to play for the Wildcats.

The other might-have-been Wildcats scheduled to play in the McDonald’s game include Bol (now an Oregon commit), forward Nassir Little (North Carolina) and forward Simi Shittu (Vanderbilt).

Quotable

At least we got @cate_reese to represent the Wildcats🐻⬇️😂🤷🏽‍♂️Congrats!

— Brandon Williams (@TheeBWill) January 17, 2018

— Brandon Williams, referring to UA women’s basketball signee Cate Reese, who will become the first McDonald’s All-American for the UA women’s team.

The big number

21

Arizona turnovers, surpassing its previous season-high of 20 in a loss to SMU in the Battle 4 Atlantis.