I know we're all disappointed by the result of the Territorial Cup football game last weekend, but I don't want that game, regardless of how important it is to all of us, to take the focus off the improvement we are seeing in our football program. I know that we have a bright future under Rich Rodriguez's leadership and we hope you can see that as well.
There have been a number of positives. First, we'll be making our second consecutive bowl appearance and have a shot at our second consecutive eight-win season. In order for us to reach our long-term goals of playing in Rose Bowls and contending for National Championships, we have to build from a strong foundation that includes making a bowl game each and every season.
Second, we can see the development of our current players under this staff. It's one thing to have talented players and another thing to bring the best out of them. I believe Coach Rodriguez and his staff have the coaching acumen to get the most out of our guys, which will go a long way in the program's progression.
Third, we're seeing an influx of talent come into the program thanks to the strong recruiting efforts of Coach Rodriguez and his staff. Combined with a group of 21 returnees from our depth chart on offense and 19 on defense, we have a core group that will continue to grow in the system and serve as leaders for our talented newcomers. That doesn't even take into account the young men who have been sitting out this season either as a transfer or redshirt.
The development of a year-in, year-out competitive football team is a marathon, not a sprint, and I think we're off to an excellent start. I find it very similar to the growth we've seen in our men's basketball program under Sean Miller. Step-by-step, he's returned the Wildcats to national prominence and I believe our football program will follow that same trajectory.
I've said it many times, but it's going to take all of us, coaches, student-athletes, staff and fans, to get where we want to go. You can continue to show your support by purchasing bowl game tickets this year, which is extremely important as we've explained in this space previously. We'll find out Sunday where we'll be playing in the postseason, so if you haven't already, visitArizonaWildcats.com/bowlgame for more information. We'll have complete info there when the official announcement is made.
Things are headed in the right direction and I hope you are as excited as I am about the potential of this football program with Coach Rodriguez as its leader. Only time will tell, but I'm extremely pleased about the progress we've made and the foundation that's been laid. Good things are yet to come.
TIME TO WHITEOUT MCKALE
The annual men's basketball whiteout game is this Saturday vs. UNLV. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. MST. The whiteout game has become one of the most popular home games for Arizona basketball fans and this year is no different. Tickets for this game were almost gone the moment they went on sale (the game is now sold out). The UA Bookstore has once again produced an official whiteout t-shirt. You can get the shirt (pictured below) at the UA Bookstore and all A-Store locations. I'm looking forward to seeing a full house on Saturday and everyone dressed in white!
VOLLEYBALL TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
Congratulations are in order for head coach Dave Rubio and the Arizona volleyball team, which earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, after finishing the regular season 20-12. The Wildcats will travel to San Diego to take on New Mexico State on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m. MST in the opening round. The University of San Diego, the No. 9 overall seed in the tournament, will host UC Santa Barbara in the other first-round match at the site. With a victory, Arizona would play the winner of USD-UCSB on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. MST. If you're in San Diego or are traveling to that area, you can purchase tickets through San Diego's ticket office by clicking here.
WILDCAT CLUB: COMPETITION FROM OUR RIVALS
One of our Wildcat Club donors alerted us to the following challenge that was sent by our rival's administration this week.
We have been working diligently the past four years to increase the Wildcat Club to 12,000 members. Two years ago, we finished the year with 11,220 members and last year we took a step back, finishing with 10,417 members. You'll notice that we were transparent and up-front with our actual numbers throughout the process.
So, I would like to once again challenge our generous supporters to strive for 12,000 members, which to our knowledge would be the largest group of any Pac-12 institution. Wildcat Club memberships make great gifts. I recently celebrated my birthday and both my parents and mother-in-law joined the Wildcat Club for my present. It's a great holiday gift idea for that hard to shop for Wildcat.
Each person can make a difference by becoming a Wildcat Club member starting at just $100 (or $9 a month). The more Wildcat Club members we have, the stronger we become as a department and a University. We hope that you'll consider becoming a member to help our department provide a positive experience for our student-athletes! Thanks for making a difference.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
As the postseason for many of our fall programs has either just concluded (congrats again to Women's Cross Country) or is very near, this is a perfect time to mention postseason awards and rules student-athletes must follow. There are many different awards student-athletes receive throughout the year. These awards come from sources such as our institution, the conference, and outside groups such as bowl committees. Regardless of the source, student-athletes cannot sell their awards and memorabilia for other goods, services, cash, etc., while they have remaining eligibility.
ARIZONA NUGGETS
Men's Basketball won a record-tying fourth NIT Season Tip-Off title behind Nick Johnson, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and Aaron Gordon, who was named to the All-Tournament team along with Johnson … Volleyball's Madi Kingdon was named All-Pac-12 this week, while Penina Snuka earned All-Freshman honors … Football's Ka'Deem Carey was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in a vote by the league's coaches, making him the first Wildcat to win the award ... With the holiday season just around the corner, be sure to visit the Arizona Wildcats Shop for all your gift needs.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Here is a look at this week's Arizona Athletics events (Home events in BOLD). All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time. To purchase tickets for home events, click here. To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visit ArizonaLiveStats.com.
Thursday
All Day: Swimming & Diving at Texas Invite (at Austin, Texas)
6:00 p.m.: Women's Basketball at UAB
Friday
All Day: Swimming & Diving at Texas Invite (at Austin, Texas)
6:00 p.m.: Volleyball vs. New Mexico St. (at San Diego, Calif.) (NCAA First Round: Live Stream)
Saturday
All Day: Swimming & Diving at Texas Invite (at Austin, Texas)
3:15 p.m.: Men's Basketball vs. UNLV (TV: ESPN2) (Radio: TuneIn)
Sunday
No Events Scheduled
Monday
No Events Scheduled
Tuesday
No Events Scheduled
Wednesday
7:00 p.m.: Men's Basketball vs. New Mexico St. (TV: Pac-12 Network) (Radio:
TuneIn
)
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
NOTE: When submitting photos for Wildcat Wednesday, please ensure they are clear and properly lit. Also, please make sure to identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly. Thanks for your help.
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