Fun fact: I wasn’t born and raised in Tucson. Just raised. My roots are in Huntington Beach, California.
But before you scoff and roll your eyes, my family moved to the Old Pueblo — not the “Dirty T” — in 1997. You know, the year every follower of the University of Arizona cherishes.
So, I’m a Tucsonan through and through. I prefer my hot dogs bacon-wrapped with salsa, mayo, beans and onions, the eegee’s down the street from my house knows me by name, and I’m always willing to brave the lengthy wait at Mi Nidito.
But if there’s anything I’ve learned over the years, it’s this city’s passion for the Arizona Wildcats.
Thursday was an Arizona sports mega day — and it had nothing to do with Super Bowl 57, the Waste Management Phoenix Open or the Suns’ blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant.
UA softball played its season opener against Long Beach State at Hillenbrand Stadium in the second game of the Candrea Classic; the 17th-ranked Arizona women’s basketball team battled No. 6 Stanford at McKale Center; and the fourth-ranked Arizona men’s basketball routed the Cal Golden Bears in Berkeley.
I took in all three games and jotted down takeaways as the evening progressed. Here’s how those several hours on Thursday went down:
6:10 p.m.: As I walked into Hillenbrand Stadium, Arizona catcher Izzy Pacho smacked a grand slam for the Wildcats’ first runs of Caitlin Lowe’s second season at the helm. Thursday was my first time ever attending a game at Hillenbrand (please don’t take my Tucson card away). The stands were full, but not filled to the brim; I wasn’t expecting an NCAA Super Regional type of atmosphere. But is there a better-smelling duo than stadium popcorn and freshly cut grass?
6:14 p.m.: Arizona pitcher Devyn Netz hit her first career home run to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead in the first inning. Netz’s home run went to “Candrea’s Corner” in left field.
6:26 p.m.: Long Beach got on the board with an RBI single in the top of the second inning.
Arizona third baseman Izzy Pacho takes a ball to her backhand during a drill at the team's softball practice session at Hillenbrand Stadium on Jan. 26, 2023.
6:34 p.m.: Pacho continued her impressive batting with an RBI single to take a 6-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Pacho finished the game 3 for 3 at the plate with five RBIs.
6:56 p.m.: UA designated hitter Olivia DiNardo hit an RBI single; Kaiah Altmeyer scored.
7:06 p.m.: I got up from my seat to walk over to McKale Center in the middle of the fourth inning. Other Arizona fans had the same idea. UA first baseman Carlie Scupin’s home run added two more runs to give the Wildcats a 9-1 run-rule win over Long Beach to win the season opener.
7:16 p.m.: The cars parked on the UA Mall suggest a big-game feel. As I walked into McKale Center, the entire lower bowl was a sea of red. Official attendance for Arizona-Stanford was announced at 9,868.
7:39 p.m.: The Arizona pep band played a certain pregame tune akin to the one it always played during the Lute Olson era. Now the pregame hype-up song the pep band performs before men’s games is “Narco” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet.
7:45 p.m.: After Stanford took a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, Arizona reserve guard Helena Pueyo swatted Haley Jones’ entry pass to Cameron Brink and took it to the other end for a layup, scoring Arizona’s first points of the night.
Arizona guard Shaina Pellington fakes out Stanford guard Indya Nivar to score on a fastbreak in the early going at McKale Center on Feb. 9, 2023.
7:52 p.m.: UA point guard Shaina Pellington got another steal, stopped on a dime and pump-faked the layup as Indya Nivar sailed past her.
7:55 p.m.: Amid rumors of the Pac-12 zeroing in on adding San Diego State and SMU to the conference, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff was shown on the McKale Center video screen sitting next to UA athletic director Dave Heeke. The McKale Center PA announcer accidentally pronounced the commissioner’s name “Kliavkloff.” Kliavkoff was met with mild cheers and a few boos from nearby Arizona and Stanford fans.
8:14 p.m.: Former Wildcat great and Phoenix Mercury wing Sam Thomas was spotted sitting courtside.
Arizona forward Cate Reese, middle, and guard Shaina Pellington try to defend Stanford center Lauren Betts as she works her way into the paint in a Pac-12 regular-season matchup at McKale Center on Feb. 9.
8:18 p.m.: Stanford led Arizona 38-27 at halftime.
8:20 p.m.: Since YouTubeTV doesn’t carry Pac-12 Networks, I have to leave McKale Center and drive to the ESPN Tucson studio to watch Arizona-Cal in Berkeley. The UA women’s basketball team lost to Stanford 84-60.
9:07 p.m.: Just before Arizona tipped off against Cal, I noticed Golden Bears head coach Mark Fox donning a three-piece suit. Only Fox and UCLA’s Mick Cronin wear suits in the Pac-12 while pacing the sidelines.
9:12 p.m.: How come so few people attended the game at Haas Pavilion? What could students at an institution like UC-Berkeley possibly be doing on a Thursday night in February? Oh, that’s right…
9:14 p.m.: Pac-12 Networks analyst and former UCLA star Don MacLean said Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis “is the best running big man this league has ever seen.”
Arizona guard Pelle Larsson, left, shoots over Cal guard Marsalis Roberson during the second half their Pac-12 game in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.
9:18 p.m.: Cal made its first field goal at the 14:54 mark in the first half after trailing Arizona 11-1. Four of Arizona’s five starters scored before the first media timeout. The only Wildcat who didn’t score was Kerr Kriisa; the Pac-12’s assists leader had two assists and a rebound at that point.
9:44 p.m.: An 8-0 run by the Golden Bears keeps them alive, but Arizona’s frontcourt of Tubelis and Oumar Ballo helped the Wildcats score 20 second-chance points to Cal’s one in the first half. Arizona led 44-32 at halftime. UA sixth man Pelle Larsson had 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range in the first half; he finished the night with 16 points.
10:28 p.m.: Tubelis recorded his 11th double-double of the season — eighth in the last 11 games — and ended the night with 23 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes.
11:02 p.m.: Arizona beat Cal 85-62, albeit shooting 6 for 17 from the free-throw line.
11:23 p.m.: How do people on the East Coast stay up to watch these games? If yawning were a basketball stat, I would’ve had more double-doubles this season than Tubelis.
Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd answers questions from local media during a scheduled media session on Feb. 7, 2023. Lloyd discusses his decision-making on bringing Filip Borovicanin and Adama Bal into games this past weekend off the bench, and how that impacts the team's rotation. Video by Ryan Wohl/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
