Unacceptable.
No. 2 Arizona can’t lose to No. 15 Princeton.
Not after what Princeton virtually did to Georgetown in 1989. Not after what Princeton did to UCLA in 1996. Not after what Arizona State did to Nevada on Wednesday!
That is dangerous for Arizona followers, who should take prank cellphone calls from ASU followers and endure taunts from now till eternity. That is dangerous for Tommy Lloyd, who should cope with unflattering comparisons with Sean Miller. This for the Pac-12, which is combating for relevance like buggy whip producers within the age of the Mannequin T. And it’s dangerous for the nation, with President Joe Biden having picked UA to win all of it!
In contrast to Solar Satan followers, Wildcats boosters plan their lives round Arizona males’s basketball. Within the Phoenix space, ASU basketball is an afterthought. Down in Tucson, UA hoops is life.
Arizona went scoreless over the ultimate 5 minutes, proving that nerves come into play at even the best ranges of basketball. Blueblood groups merely can’t enable plucky contenders to maintain the rating shut in video games like this. It appeared like UA had issues underneath management after halftime, however the Wildcats couldn’t match the depth of the Tigers when it mattered most.
Brackets are busted. Playing cash has been misplaced. And satisfaction has been shattered.
Tommy Lloyd was on prime of the world only a week in the past after profitable the Pac-12 for the second yr in a row. Now? He in all probability doesn’t wish to get off a airplane in southern Arizona for a few weeks.
He’s going to should reply whether or not this loss was worse than Sean Miller falling to Buffalo in 2018.
From right here, it wasn’t. Miller had the No. 1 draft choose in Deandre Ayton, plus a slew of blue chippers. On prime of that, Buffalo’s coach on the time, Nate Oats, now leads Alabama, which earned the highest total seed on this yr’s match.
However possibly … Nobody thought a lot of Buffalo on the time. And although Princeton’s massive moments within the Huge Dance got here 1,000,000 years in the past, the Tigers are recognized to backcut and elementary their approach into stunning massive faculties.
No matter which loss you assume was worse, who desires to even have that dialog?!
Particularly after Arizona State and the Flyin’ Bobby Hurleys appeared like they may qualify for the NBA playoffs only a day earlier. That is the form of factor little-brother fanbases, like ASU males’s basketball supporters, dwell to carry over their in-state rivals, which have nationwide title aspirations yearly, like UA.
The Pac-12 is combating for relevance. This doesn’t assist. In any respect.
If the convention disintegrates within the subsequent 5 years, analysts shall be trying again to this loss to ask whether or not it was the start of the tip.
And poor Joe Biden. The president is making an attempt to convey collectively a divided nation and picked UA in a play that would have gained him help in an important swing state. As a substitute, he appears to be like like a bandwagoner kissing as much as earn brownie factors. And if it feels unfair, powerful cookies. That is what comes with custom and expectation.
ASU followers have been trying ahead to having their weekends free. UA followers have been budgeting for flights and accommodations in Houston for the Ultimate 4.
That is utterly unacceptable.
It may occur to any workforce in any match, but it surely’s Lloyd’s job to verify it doesn’t occur to his squad or to his followers.
He had higher win some video games in March subsequent season or the dialog round his program, his convention and even his nation are going to sound loads completely different.
Attain Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Comply with him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.
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This text initially appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona one-and-done in NCAAs, losing to Princeton, is unacceptable
