Seen and heard in Phoenix: On shoe drinkers, Bayless' appearance, Arnold's scholarship, Stanford's challenge

PHOENIX — Already with a sellout crowd to root against the Arizona Wildcats last month , UConn turned up the volume by selling domestic beers for $2 each.

Already with a filled lower-bowl rooting for the Wildcats at Mortgage Matchup Center, Arizona... watched its fans do something completely different.

"The only thing I saw all night when I looked up there and people were drinking beer out of their shoes," UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. "I was like `Wow, it's just not real. UConn's $2 beer night has nothing on us.' "

Not @TylerJWorden drinking a beer to get everyone pumped up here in the arena😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/vprzWFslLh

— Saul Bookman (@Saul_Bookman) December 21, 2025

While the shoe-drinking was not really that widespread, the Mortgage Matchup Center video board did show two fans drinking beer out of their shoe, including Scottsdale's Tyler Worden. Also, a tweet from AZ12's Mike Luke showed a young fan in a Kevin Durant jersey holding some sort of can up next to a New Balance shoe.

. @TylerJWorden inspiring the youth ! pic.twitter.com/BA31QSzOMw

— Michael Luke (@ironmikeluke) December 21, 2025

Long time coming

During his fifth season associated with the Arizona men's basketball program, Addison Arnold’s career is taking off.

Literally.

First, Arnold dunked over former NFL star Rob Gronkowski during the Red-Blue Showcase in October. Then he established himself as the first walk-on off the Wildcats’ bench, playing in seven of their first 10 games.

Leading up to Arizona's game Saturday, Arnold was given a scholarship from UA associate head coach Jack Murphy, as shown in video of a team meeting UA posted to social media on Friday.

“There’s only one guy in your chairs who has been with us since Day 1,” Murphy said. “Addison Arnold gives it up for you guys each and every day. This dude has had each of our backs.”

Teammates then mobbed Arnold, who addressed them later, saying “I've been working for this for a long time so it’s pretty cool to see it come to fruition but I couldn’t do it without you guys.”

The son of former Hawaii coach Gib Arnold, Addison Arnold redshirted in 2021-22, then went on a Latter-day Saints mission to Argentina during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before returning to play in 11 games last season.

Home cooking

While the Wildcats’ game in Phoenix was the first chance UA freshman Koa Peat had to return home as a collegian, he hasn’t had a problem coming home. Because it comes to him.

Peat’s parents are regulars at McKale Center games, making the commute from their home in Chandler, while other relatives often join. Peat said his mother often cooks for him on visits to Tucson, too.

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“She makes this granny soup my granny used to make,” Peat said of a potato-based dish. “I enjoy that when she comes out.”

Bayless cheers on Cats

Though he played for Arizona only during the strained 2007-08 season, when Kevin O'Neill served as interim head coach while Lute Olson took a leave of absence that essentially became permanent, former UA and NBA standout guard Jerryd Bayless said he’s continued to follow the Wildcats. He showed up Saturday to take a seat just behind the baseline.

Bayless said he met briefly with UA players and coaches, having gotten to know UA coach Tommy Lloyd.

“We have a great relationship,” Bayless said.

Other notables on hand Saturday included Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo and college basketball analyst Casey Jacobsen, who wore a Stanford shirt during its opening-game win over Colorado in support of his college team.

Calm before storm

The Cardinal came back from a two-point halftime deficit in the first game to beat Colorado 77-68 and improve to 10-2.

It was the kind of momentum Stanford probably needs after going 1-8 away from home during its first run through the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. 

Stanford is scheduled to make four trips to the Eastern time zone this season, playing two games on each of those swings. Not surprisingly, Saturday’s game was the first one the Cardinal has played outside of California during the nonconference season.

“We don't want to travel a lot in the fall for obvious reasons, and we're still kind of an emerging group of young guys,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said. Last year “it was hard, and we had the really hard draw on the road — Louisville, Clemson, Duke, Carolina — it was a little bit of a gauntlet on the road. But I just think we'll all be a little more adjusted to it, and hopefully we'll be able to find a way to get some wins on the road.”

The big number 

3: Coaching challenges UA's Tommy Lloyd has won in three tries so far this season, after challenging an out-of-bounds call against Tobe Awaka in the second half that was reversed after replays indicated the ball did not touch Awaka.

Quotable 

"Maybe I made him mad 16 years ago. I don't know." -- SDSU coach Brian Dutcher, when told the official who called him for a technical in the first half hadn't worked one of his games in 16 seasons.