No March Madness. No College World Series in Omaha. No Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. No spring sports.
No fun. For a while.
The sports world came to a halt last week in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Games have been postponed indefinitely or canceled, and leagues are on hold. Locally, the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Roadrunners’ season was paused, the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Sugar Skulls and FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ seasons were delayed and high school sports have been put on hold for two weeks — and possibly longer.
For ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sports fans, nothing stings like losing the Wildcats. March is traditionally a time for Final Four-hungry ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans to lock in, fill out brackets and hope the UA can put together a tournament run. When the basketball tournaments end, UA fans typically turn their attention to baseball and softball.
Losing sports, for now, leaves all of us wondering what if. For instance:
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What if ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s men made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament?
Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji try to rip the ball away from Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle. The Wildcats and Beavers split their season series, with each team winning big at home.
One could make an argument the 2019-20 UA men’s basketball team is the most mercurial ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ squad in program history. Sean Miller added eight newcomers between transfers, McDonald’s All-Americans and newcomers, a mix that many believed would lead to quick success.
But just like any other freshman-led team in college basketball, hurdles stood in the way. The Wildcats started the season ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 and hopped in and out of the rankings after routing opponents, but then failing to close out tight games against quality opponents.
After the Wildcats nearly frittered away a 20-point lead at home against USC, Miller said “It’s kind of like that jockey coming down the stretch. You’ve got to pick and choose, but you can only hit it so hard. … Sometimes the best way to learn is just failing. We’ve done that a number of times, but we have a very young group.â€
But ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had reason to hope. A number of close losses to quality teams kept the Wildcats in the top 15 of the NCAA’s NET Ratings.
And a win over Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament gave UA fans a reason to dream big.
Freshman Josh Green played arguably his best game as a Wildcat in the 77-70 win over the Huskies, scoring 19 points while converting 3 of 4 from 3-point range, which both were his highest since the Pepperdine game back in November.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s three standout freshmen — Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion and Green — combined to score 44 points against the Huskies. Senior Dylan Smith scored 33 combined points in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s final two games of the season after scoring just 35 in the previous five games.
Was it all finally starting to come together for the Wildcats?
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was projected as a No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9 seed for the NCAA Tournament, and who knows how the bracket would’ve been set up for the Wildcats to possibly make a memorable run?. What we do know is that this mysterious UA team ended its season with a win on a neutral-site court. If you told ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans that at the start of the season, they would’ve guessed it was because a freshman point guard from Phoenix led the Cats to a national title.
What if Aari McDonald led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight or Final Four?
The legend of Aari McDonald at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ couldn’t possibly end in a loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament, could it?
This season was trending to be one of the most memorable seasons in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history. The Wildcats boasted their highest AP ranking since 1998, posted 24 victories, three wins over top 10 teams and their first-ever win over a top-five team.
By beating Cal in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ most likely secured a bid to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Who knows how far they could’ve gone?
“For us, we had this amazing run. We overachieved (above) what anyone thought we’d do,†UA coach Adia Barnes told the Star after the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus. “We had an opportunity to write our own story, in McKale, hosting a sellout. It was just so devastating.â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ showed it could compete at the highest level. Even in losses, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ took Final Four favorite Oregon and a veteran Oregon State team down to the wire.
The Wildcats were stacked with talent. McDonald was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and on Thursday was named a second-team All-American by the AP. Sam Thomas was named to the Pac-12’s all-defensive team. McDonald and forward Cate Reese were named to the All-Pac-12 team.
McDonald will soon decide whether to return for one more season or go pro. Regardless, the Wildcats are left with what could’ve been.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet and things are happening so fast,†said Barnes. “It’s kind of chaotic and there is so much uncertainty. I think it’s just hard for people.â€
What if Jessie Harper became the NCAA’s all-time home run leader?
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Jessie Harper might still get a shot at breaking the NCAA record for home runs in a career if she comes back next season. She was just 19 homers short of the record when the 2020 season was called off.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s softball team was ranked No. 4 nationally when the lights went out on college sports, boasting a 22-3 record with two wins over No. 8 Alabama to go with victories over No. 12 Tennessee and No. 18 Missouri. The Wildcats were favorites to return to the Women’s College World Series.
“The 2020 team will always hold a special place in my heart, not because of what we accomplished or what I believed we may have accomplished in the future, but because every day I was able to coach them was an honor and privilege,†coach Mike Candrea said after the season was canceled.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans won’t get to see — at least not now; more on that below — Jessie Harper take a run at the NCAA career home run record. Harper hit 10 in the early part of the 2020 season, giving her 76 over her ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ career. She could’ve made a run at the NCAA record of 95, set by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain.
Fortunately for the UA, the NCAA agreed to allow senior student-athletes in spring sports to receive eligibility relief and return next season. That means Harper’s quest, should she return, is still on. Pitchers Alyssa Denham and Mariah Lopez, second baseman Reyna Carranco, third baseman Malia Martinez and outfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza could all come back for one more season.
“This will allow our seniors the opportunity to regain their eligibility. I’m so happy for not only our six seniors, but all seniors around the country who didn’t deserve to see their careers end this way,†Candrea said. “I know the NCAA has a lot to figure out between now and then, but I’m very thankful they did the right thing and moved quickly and definitively on this.â€
What if the UA baseball team returned to the NCAA Tournament?
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s entire pitching operation has been entrusted to Nate Yeskie, who was hired away from Oregon State after spending 11 seasons with the Pac-12’s flagship program.
In 2018 and 2019, Jay Johnson’s club made late-season pushes for NCAA Tournament bids only to fall short. The common problem for the Wildcats: pitching. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ especially struggled last season, posting a 6.21 team ERA and surrendering up double-digit runs in 15 games, including a 17-16 loss to rival ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State in Tempe.
During the offseason, Johnson hired Nate Yeskie, one of the top collegiate baseball pitching coaches, from Oregon State. Yeskie inherited a staff that included junior college transfer Garrett Irvin, Quinn Flanagan, Vince Vannelle, Preston Price, Gil Luna, Dawson Netz, Blake Peyton and others.
At the time of the season’s cancellation, Irvin was tied for first in the Pac-12 with four wins. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 3.87 team ERA was seventh in the league. A chunk of the credit goes to Vannelle and Price, both of whom moved to the bullpen and found some success. Vannelle threw a career-high 85 pitches and struck out six batters in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s win over No. 22 Texas in Austin. He finishes the season with a 1.35 ERA over 13â…“ innings pitched.
“Vince is a real story to the season right now,†Johnson said in early March. “He’s not expecting to be in the game in the second inning. He’s gotta do all his warm-ups on the game mound right in front of the other team. We needed somebody with poise … and that’s what he gives us.â€
It wasn’t just the pitching. UA catcher Austin Wells was poised for an impressive sophomore campaign after being named a preseason All-American. Wells was hitting .375 with 21 hits, 14 RBIs and two home runs in 56 at-bats at the time the season was called.
After starting the season 10-5, were the Wildcats destined to have a College World Series run similar to Johnson’s first year at the helm in 2016? They certainly had the tools to at least get to the tournament.
What if both Wildcats golf programs won it all?
The UA women’s golf team had most of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ tuned into the Golf Channel two years ago, when Haley Moore and Bianca Pagdanganan led the Wildcats to a national championship. Moore and Pagdanganan are now pros, which left head coach Laura Ianello with Yu-Sang Hou, Vivian Hou and Ya Chun Chang as UA leaders.
They had reinforcements in the most recent Wildcat Invitational at Sewailo Golf Club.
Freshman Kailie Vongsaga edged Hou for first on the individual leaderboard, while Lithuanian freshman Gile Bite Starkute finished third.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥’s women were ranked 10th in the nation in the final team rankings before the season was called. The Wildcat men were 18th.
Who knows how far they could have gone?
UA men’s golf coach Jim Anderson said earlier in the season that “this team shows composure like no other team I’ve ever coached.â€
What the Wildcats would’ve accomplished not only in the Pac-12 championship but in the NCAA championship remains one of the biggest mysteries of the spring.
