UA sports: The good, the bad, the ugly

MAUI INVITATIONAL: Arizona’s trip to the Maui Invitational hasn’t always been pretty, but it sure has been exciting.

The young Wildcats shook off an ugly 65-61 defeat at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers on Monday night to take down the fired-up Colorado Buffaloes in overtime on Tuesday.

I’d start talking about the Wisconsin game, but I don’t want to get whistled for a foul.

It’s bad enough that the game tipped off at 10 p.m. our time, but the officials seemed to blow the whistle anytime someone breathed too heavily. There were 54 fouls called in that game (30 on Arizona, 24 on Wisconsin) with three Wildcats fouling out and Nic Wise playing most of the game in serious foul trouble.

Even though the Cats struggled to get into any sort of offensive rhythm, they had many chances to pull out the win, even taking the lead in the second half. However, Arizona simply had no answer for Wisconsin’s terrific Trevon Hughes (24 points, seven rebounds, five steals, three assists).

The Cats hit only 16 shots, but 26 free throws helped make up the difference. Derrick Williams had his best game as a Wildcat, tallying 25 points and shooting an Arizona-record 21 foul shots (making 13).

Arizona only had 11 hours and change to rest up before taking on a Colorado squad that gave Gonzaga everything it could handle on Monday.

This wasn’t a work of art, either, but Wise saved the day with 30 points and a mind-boggling array of clutch shots to steal a 91-87 overtime win.

The Cats shot a much more respectable 53 percent from the floor, but still couldn’t stay out of foul trouble. Wise picked up two quick ones and played most of the game with four, and the Wildcats were whistled for a total of 28 infractions.

Jamelle Horne added 17 shots and six key blocks, but Sean Miller needs to teach Horne to block the ball toward his teammates instead of volleyball spiking those shots out of bounds.

The Wildcats will be back in action at 5 p.m. (2 p.m. Hawaii time) on ESPNU to take on Vanderbilt in a consolation game.

OREGON FALLOUT: Corky Simpson covered everything you need to know about the background of the “Duel in the Desert,” and we all know how important the Territorial Cup is to this area.

Let’s discuss for a minute the behavior of those boorish clods who threw stuff onto the field on Saturday.

Our tight deadline ruined my Sunday column. That entire day, there was an electric atmosphere in Tucson that I really hoped to capture. Up until roughly 10 p.m., that atmosphere was still intact.

Sadly, after my column had been sent to the printers, a handful of idiots at Arizona Stadium reacted to Oregon’s stellar play in the worst way possible. It was ugly, and completely uncalled for. I wrote a full follow-up on www.gvnews.com covering just how disappointing it was to see that happen firsthand.

Mike Stoops and Ron Shelton have already publicly apologized for what happened. They were mortified, as well.

Tucson has always put forth some of the most fantastic basketball crowds in the Lute Olson era. Let’s hope as this football program continues to climb up the Pac-10 ladder that the football crowds start to step it up, too.

College football is perhaps America’s most enjoyable spectator sport. Southern Arizona deserves a fantastic atmosphere.

Ninety-eight percent of those in attendance each week get it. Sadly, those two percent are vocal, and destructive.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747