👋 GOOD MORNING – If you’re reading this, there’s a pretty solid chance the Arizona Cardinals, somehow, still don’t have a head coach. Sigh. How much longer is this going to go?
But for now, we’ll press on, and take a look at one of the most inspiring teams in our state — the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats basketball program. They’re fresh off a big-time road win, and still have yet to lose their first game.
Let’s go!
— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor
Wildcats Pull Off Tough Win at BYU
It came down to the wire (and it probably shouldn’t have…), but the Wildcats held off No. 13-ranked BYU in Provo on Monday night. A double-digit lead began to evaporate thanks to some sloppy play (and the ever-wonderful Tony Padilla), but Brayden Burries saved the day for Arizona.
The point is, the Wildcats are now 21-0. They may be the unanimous No. 1 team, but beating a tough Big 12 team like BYU on their home court is still an impressive, quality win.
In fact, the white-knuckling might have been good for the Wildcats. Sometimes it’s best to get a bit of wake-up call, even if it wasn’t ultimately a loss.
In this conference, games are always losable. But it’s getting tougher to find teams that have a serious, realistic chance of taking down the Wildcats.
They took down Florida, UCLA, UConn and Alabama in their non-conference slate, and with the win over BYU, they’re now 8-0 in Big 12 play. There are 10 conference games remaining, and five of those are ranked matchups.
They are, as follows:
@ No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) – Monday, February 9
vs No. 11 Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) – Saturday, February 14
vs No. 13 BYU again (17-3, 5-2 Big 12) – Wednesday, February 18
@ No. 10 Houston (17-2, 5-1 Big 12) – Saturday, February 21
vs No. 14 Kansas (again) – Saturday, February 28
vs No. 8 Iowa State (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) – Monday, March 2
And then, the madness begins.
As has been the case, this conference is brutal — but in a good way. Iron sharpens iron.
Kansas might not be quite as powerful as they have been in the past, but they’re still a tough out. Texas Tech just took down Houston and BYU (the latter of whom will be out for revenge in their McKale Center rematch, by the way)
On paper, Iowa State is probably the toughest team of all listed, but the Wildcats have had success against the Cyclones at home in recent years (thinking of a particular Caleb Love shot…).
And yet, the Wildcats still don’t have the luxury of ignoring their unranked opponents. After all, their next matchup is with ASU on Saturday in Tempe, and the Sun Devils sure gave the Wildcats a run for their money in their last matchup…
Look, an undefeated season is genuinely a near-impossibility. But it’s not impossible. I’m not going to tell you 31-0 is going to happen, but this team is more capable of it than pretty much any of Arizona’s recent iterations.
Only time will tell, I guess. But this has certainly been fun to watch.
Quick Hits
HURRY UP: The Cardinals’ coaching search continues to drag on. It was reported that Rams OC Mike LaFleur took a multi-day interview that was supposed to have concluded yesterday, but nothing has been reported yet as to that status. LaFleur is considered the front-runner, but as of this writing nothing is official.
Meanwhile, Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile reached an agreement to return to Jacksonville, so it looks like Arizona’s No. 2 option won’t be available if they can’t land the plane with LaFleur. Buckle up.
It was also revealed that the Cardinals had former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers HC Ron Rivera in for an interview in-person, although that is believed to have been some time ago.
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
Net-worked: The Suns, missing Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie, managed to take down the Nets by a score of 106-102 last night. Mark Williams had a brilliant game, leading the scoring effort with 27 points on 13-for-16 shooting. Phoenix will have a pair of tough matchups lying ahead, but improves to 28-19 on the season.
PHNX CARDINALS IS GOD’S COUNTRY.
