Raur-ithmetic

Around fifty-one weeks ago, I did some math. First, I took a twenty-win team and subtracted a cancerous self-proclaimed gladiator. In his place, I added a point guard who finished his high school career with more wins than any other player in Texas Class 5A history. So far, so very, very good.

Then - in place of a bagel-thieving, post-playing jalopy - I inserted the definition of the word upside. Oh, oh!! And you know that ridiculously athletic dude who always seemed on the brink of proving himself, yet never surpassed the role of "best third option in college basketball"? Yeah, I replaced him with the highest rated recruit in the Lute Olson Era. You with me so far? Things add up pretty nicely, huh?

Now, let's look back and check my math. Ok, here we go... carry the one... count on my fingers a bit... please excuse my dear Aunt Sally. Hmm, looks like we got a... hold on... that can’t be right...

Twenty wins? A one game regular season improvement?!? Chase did come, right? Marcus did return, correct? Am I being Punk'd?

At the surface, this year looks only slightly different than 2006-both in terms of wins and DUI arrests. Ok, so we didn't experience that return to dominance we all expected. But, to me, there's something infinitely more likable about the 2007 team. Mustafa, Ivan, Jawann, Jordan, Chase, even Marcus - despite his sometimes not-so-subtle signs of a me-first mentality - all bring a smile to my face. For better or worse, they each seem to be the kind of guys you want hanging out with your kid brother. I don't know if you can say that about Fox, Adams, or Rodgers. Actually, I'm almost positive that if my kid brother were hanging with that crowd, I'd arrange for an intervention.

So when the broken record "experts" question Arizona's heart, I (perhaps undeservedly) get pretty defensive. When I hear Doug Gottlieb say that "The next time (Chase Budinger) gets in a defensive stance will be the first", my knuckles clench off-white. Heck, the fact that Nevada, Indiana, Boston College, and UNLV all got seven seeds over Arizona makes me want to punt Pomeranians. Maybe some view me as the last passenger on a sinking ship but I see nothing gained from saying it's over and being right. I'll Bear Down and Believe, regardless if the team ends in New Orleans or Atlanta. And when it does end, I guess then it'll be time to do the equation all over again.

Chase plus Jarryd, minus 'Staf equals...

Bear Down and Beat the Boilermakers