Seen and heard in Corvallis: Tommy Lloyd not sentimental (yet) about Pac-12, sneakers showcased

CORVALLIS, Ore. — If there's any consolation for the Wildcats in their 83-80 loss at Oregon State, it's that the Wildcats might not have to face Gill Coliseum and the Beavers ever again in Pac-12 play.

But UA coach Tommy Lloyd indicated that he wasn't looking it that way. For now, at least.

Not only was Arizona playing its last scheduled Pac-12 game at Gill Coliseum on Thursday, but the Wildcats will not host OSU at McKale Center this season because of the Pac-12's unbalanced schedule. A chance meetup in the Pac-12 Tournament is possible, but less than likely.

As of now, UA and OSU have played 93 as members of the Pac-12 and for Lloyd, a native of Kelso, Washington, just two hours up the road, playing a game like Thursday's could have been emotional, win or lose.

But Lloyd won't go there.

“You have to separate those two things,” Lloyd said earlier this week. “I’ve got a job to do and help this team win basketball games and compete for a conference championship for the University of Arizona.

“There’s another side, of course. You’re like, man, we all grew up with the Pac-8, Pac-10, Pac-12, and to see it go away is something sad. But I’m also excited for new horizons. So we’re not going to get sentimental about it. 

“You and I can get sentimental at the end of the year and shed a tear, but now it’s business.”

Surpressing sadness

For ESPN and Pac-12 Networks analyst Roxy Bernstein, suppressing feelings is something of a must.

A native and resident of the Bay area, Bernstein said he’s been sad about the Pac-12’s impending breakup but has tried not to let it affect his broadcasting work.

“I haven’t wanted to think about it,” said Bernstein, who broadcasted Thursday's game along with Bill Walton on Pac-12 Networks. “I’m just trying to dive in and focus on the game I’m doing that night, the two programs, the players, their families, their fanbases. In football season, I didn’t want to think about `OK, there’s only three games left.’ “

But Bernstein likely will still be doing games in a lot of the same places next season. It's just a matter of what conference the games are in.

Since he’s an ESPN employee, Bernstein will likely be doing ACC games, and it would make geographic sense to put him on those involving Cal and Stanford. Bernstein said he’s already been given some Big 12 assignments this season, so he’s likely to cover some Arizona games, too.

“I’m curious to see where it’s gonna put me,” Bernstein said. “Wherever they want to send me, I’m ready to go. ESPN has been great to me. No complaints.”

Custom sneaks

Because so many college basketball coaches already have a more casual look these days, having coaches wear sneakers for the annual Coaches vs Cancer sneaker promo sometimes doesn’t create much of a contrast.

But Arizona has an answer for that this week. All UA coaches and staffers are wearing white Nikes that were custom-painted or drawn on by pediatric patients at the Diamond Children’s Medical Center last week. They wore them Thursday and will at Oregon on Saturday, as well as possibly on Feb. 1 against California at McKale.

Special assistant coach TJ Benson wore arguably the splashiest pair of shoes, with scribbles of seven different colors, while conditioning coach Chris Rounds wore a pair that notably captured Wildcat spirit: Decorated part in red and part in blue, the pair had a Block A on the top of each shoe.

Also, somebody made sure that the pair worn by equipment manager Brian Brigger had the acronym EMOY on it, in addition to a confetti look around the sole and a yellow Nike strip. (Brigger is often referred to as “EMOY,” or Equipment Manager of the Year, on social media.)

Is it Gill … or Costco?

As crowds filed into Gill on Thursday, a bottleneck formed just to the left of the “Gary Payton Player of the Year” mural, but not to get any of the usual free swag.

Nope, it was all about the free gyoza.

A food truck pulled up outside Gill to heat up the Ajinmoto “Japanese Style” gyozas, which were then given to anybody who stopped by.

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There were also plenty of other giveaway items you see around many Pac-12 schools. Students received well-decorated black Beaver bandanas, which featured an orange tree ring in the center, while there were also posters, foam sticks and even Mt. Bachelor-branded beer koozies.

Good guess

OSU players took part in a guessing game that was shown on the video board in the second half.

Beaver guard Dexter Akanno was shown a picture of Wilbur and Wilma on an iPad, then went through a few guesses before asking “Girl Wildcat? Arizona Wildcats?

Beaver break

If the sort of tension that filled Gill Coliseum on Thursday — or maybe just that resulting from classwork — gets to be too much, OSU students have a retreat just a few blocks away.

The OSU Memorial Union, opened about 90 years ago to honor students who died in World War I, features all the usual student union games, workspaces and food venues. But it also has a large gala-worthy ballroom it calls “illustrious” and an atmospheric Main Lounge that, in the hours before Thursday’s game, featured a piano player and crackling fireplace.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day

By hitting a variety of shots that included a halfcourt shot that bounced on the rim and then fell in, an Oregon State student picked up a free pair of diamond stud earrings.

The student also received a warm arms-out gesture from broadcaster Bill Walton, pointing at Walton in return.

Not supposed to be a big deal

The only advance mention of the OSU-UA game in Thursday’s edition of the Corvallis Gazette-Times came near the bottom of page B4 in the sports section, a one-sentence mention in a listing called simply “area schedule."

“College men’s basketball: Arizona at Oregon State; 8 p.m.” It said, then went on to list high school boys and girls basketball and wrestling events on Thursday.

The lead story in the Gazette-Times sports section Thursday was a feature on Raegan Beers of the Oregon State women’s basketball team, which is 15-3 and ranked 25th nationally.

As it turned out, Gill Coliseum drew a crowd of 4,239 that only picked up intensity once it sensed an upset in the second half. 

The big number

12: Three-pointers made by Oregon State on 20 tries, the second-highest 3-point percentage by a UA opponent this season behind only Stanford (16 of 25 on Dec. 31)

Quotable

"Yeah. Yeah. Definitely." — OSU guard Jordan Pope, when asked if his game winning 3-pointer at the buzzer was the biggest he's ever made in his life.

A final Gill Coliseum nightmare for Arizona: Jordan Pope hits buzzer-beating 3 to shock No. 9 Wildcats

Oregon State guard Jordan Pope hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the hot-shooting Beavers an 83-80 upset over No. 9 Arizona before about 3,000 shocked fans at Gill Coliseum.

Photos: Oregon State buzzer 3 drops No. 9 Arizona, 83-80, men's college basketball