👋 GOOD MORNING – There’s no more football to be had in this state for the time being (unless you were at the Fiesta Bowl last night — that may have been the fullest State Farm Stadium has been since Week 7 against the Packers).

By the way, if you’re wondering how the 2026 NFL Draft might shake out, check out ALLCITY Draft Analyst Fran Duffy’s mock draft here.

Anyway, with no playoffs for the Cardinals, Sun Devils or Wildcats, that means it’s basketball season, and the NCAA games are starting to mean something. If you’re a Wildcat fan, it’s been a fun start. The Sun Devils, on the other hand…

We’re a couple games into the young conference season, so let’s take a look at how our programs are doing!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Wildcats Stay Hot to Open Big 12 Play

Well, the Wildcats have certainly got off to quite the start. After an unreal 13-0 non-conference schedule, with wins over the likes of Alabama, UConn and Florida, Arizona basketball is in a very strong spot.

The strongest spot, in fact: No. 1 in the country. No matter how many times the national media tries to put Michigan ahead of them, the Wildcats just continue to force the issue.

We’re used to seeing some quality Wildcats teams play in Tucson, but this might be one of the better ones in recent memory.

The schedule has cooled off a bit for Tommy Lloyd’s team, as the Wildcats faced Utah to open conference play and Kansas State on Wednesday. These aren’t exactly blue blood programs, but it’s worth noting Arizona took home respective 97-78 and 101-71 wins to start 2-0 in conference play. The Wildcats currently sit 15-0 on the season and atop the Big 12 next to Iowa State (also 15-0), BYU (14-1) and Houston (14-1).

This is quite the conference.

Some Wildcats stats:

Arizona has won 10 straight by 19 or more points. They’ve put up 100-plus points in a game three times, and 90-plus points in all but four of their matchups.

Freshman Brayden Burries (after a slow start) leads the Cats in scoring with 15.1 points per game. Senior Tobe Awaka leads the team in rebounds (10.3 per game – third in the Big 12) and senior Jaden Bradley leads the team in assists (4.6 per game)

The Wildcats will face off against 11-4 TCU (1-1 in conference) tomorrow afternoon — a 2:00 p.m. game on the road in Fort Worth, TX.

Sun Devils Have Rocky Conference Start

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, had a pretty solid start to their non-conference season, going 9-4 ahead of Big 12 play and putting forward an exciting effort in the Maui Invitational, advancing all the way to the final with wins over Hawaii, Texas and WSU. Unfortunately, they’ve struggled a bit since, losing each of their last four games.

ASU is 0-2 to begin conference play, losing 95-89 to Colorado at home before running into a buzzsaw in the form of No. 9 BYU for a 104-76 loss.

The Devils have certainly had some positive moments, and it’s hard to fault them for losing to teams like BYU or UCLA, but they’ve fallen to the aforementioned Colorado and Oregon State, as well.

Hurley’s team will take on Kansas State tomorrow — a 1:00 p.m. matchup in Tempe.

Some Sun Devil Stats:

Senior Moe Odum has been the engine of ASU’s offense, leading the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game. Senior Anthony Johnson (14.7) and seven-footer Massamba Diop (14.2) have been serious offensive threats as well, but Odum has been the guy for big-time buckets.

Sophomore Santiago Trouet leads ASU in rebounds with 5.4 per game, while Odum also has the assist title with 6.6 per game.

Quick Hits

Another Name in the Mix: It was reported yesterday that the Arizona Cardinals have requested an interview with Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Hafley is well-regarded in Green Bay and has been operating a high-end defense in his two seasons, though it’s taken a step back after the loss of Micah Parsons.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have fired head coach Mike McDaniel. No interview requests from Arizona have been reported, but that’s quite the interesting name to watch.

If you’re looking to keep a close eye on every name, interview request and rumor, follow along with PHNX Cardinals’ coaching tracker at the link below — updated daily by yours truly.

Arizona Cardinals 2026 Coaching Search Tracker

No-Arb: The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with all eight of their arbitration-eligible players yesterday, avoiding arbitration hearings and settling on their salaries for the upcoming season.

The list includes C Gabriel Moreno, OF Alek Thomas, OF Jake McCarthy, 1B/DH Pavin Smith, RHP Ryne Nelson, RHP Ryan Thompson, RHP Kevin Ginkel and LHP A.J. Puk.

In total, the D-backs committed $22.4 million in payroll to these eight players (who were already under contract to begin with), coming in about $1.36 million below their estimated total. Is that money enough for a reliever?

New York, New York: The Suns take on the New York Knicks at home tonight, with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Mortgage Matchup Center. Phoenix is fresh off an impressive 117-98 win over the Grizzlies and looking to improve to 23-15, while the Knicks sit second in the Eastern Conference at 24-13.