Arizona's Loss to UCLA

I've decided to work on my writing. And what do you know, the best forum in the world is right here in the blogger's paradise. So I'm committing myself to writing a daily blog on whatever I feel like writing. I am giving a warning now however. Most of my blogs will be about the sporting world. Also, I hold the University of Arizona Wildcats near and dear to my heart, so they will find some time on here as well. But I will throw in some curve balls here and there about local, national, or world news that I feel pertinent to give a "Monson Memo" time to. So without further ado, let's hop right into the first memo concerning Arizona's loss to #4 UCLA this weekend.


LUTE IN THE HOUSE!!! For those who don't know, Lute Olson is on a leave of absence this season, and is a legend at the University of Arizona. If Arizona makes a trip to the NCAA Tournament this year, it will be for a record 23 years in a row. Something that schools like Duke, North Carolina and Kansas don't have the pleasure of saying. But it was senior day at McKale Center on Sunday, and Lute graced us with his presence to honor the lone senior on the team, Jawann McLellan. It will be interesting to see what happens next season, and if Lute returns. I'm open to conversation as to what you all may think.


These two players were under the spotlight. I don't think anyone can argue the fact that both of these guys can get to the next level, and will. It will only be a matter of time. Currently Jarryd Bayless is projected to go in the top 10 of this year's NBA Draft. Kevin Love of UCLA isn't listed as a top 10 pick, but I wouldn't be surprised if he went in the first round. Kevin Love is an ideal big man. He can do it all. Get points in the paint, play defense, get up and down the court, and amazingly enough, shoot the 3. Some would argue that his 24 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday carried the load to the Bruins' 68-66 victory. Bayless ended the night with 15, disappointingly under his 20.4 ppg season average. The talk of the night and who I say is the most inconsistent player this season on the Arizona squad: Chase Budinger. To clear up the confusion that you all may have, it is pronounced BUD-ing-grr. The kid can score. I'm just hoping he flips the switch come tourney time.



To wrap things up, I'm pleased with the way the Wildcats played. Although I despise and hate to agree with Duke graduate Jay Bilas, he's for once right. The Pac-10 is the hardest conference in the country to play in this year. So a loss by 2 to the #4 team in the country is somewhat bearable. I think that as Arizona heads to play the schools in the state of Oregon this week, they should be able to walk away with 2 wins to finish the regular season at 19-12. Arizona is said to have the hardest schedule in the country this season, and that alone should get you into the tournament with a few key wins. Ladies and gents "March Madness" has begun. Get your TiVo's ready and be prepared to head to the hardwood. This week's game to watch is Saturday's matchup between Duke and North Carolina at 6 p.m. PST on ESPN. Since I despise everything about Duke, go Tarheels. My question to you is does North Carolina deserve a #1 seed in the tournament with a loss to Duke this weekend? Hmm. Until tomorrow.