👋 GOOD MORNING

Happy Friday! We made it through another week, and I’m sure grateful that we spent it together. Yesterday was a busy sports day — the Wildcats and D-backs commanded most of the headlines, but things in The Valley are just starting to heat up. The Suns and Roadrunners continue their respective playoff chases in tightly contested races, offering plenty of high-stake showdowns in the coming days.

In case you need a joke to get you through to the weekend: Have you heard the rumor about butter? No? Well I’m not going to spread it.

Let’s run it back next week. On to the show!

Wildcats Have Plenty to Build Upon Heading Into Next Season

Tough way to end a season.

The Arizona Wildcats saw their season end with a 100-93 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16, missing out on the chance to advance to their first Elite Eight since 2015. Even with the loss, though, the Wildcats capped a memorable 2024-25 season in which they finished as the runner-up at the Big 12 Tournament, and the future is even brighter with the news earlier in the day that blue-chip prospect Koa Peat committed to U of A over offers from countless other programs.

Wildcats Rally, Come Up Just Short: Arizona was down by as many as 19 points in the second half, but rallied to keep the game close in the waning moments. In the end, there just wasn’t enough time left to cap the comeback over the top-seeded Blue Devils. Coupled with Peat’s recent commitment to UA, coach Tommy Lloyd is in prime position to eventually lead UA to its first Final Four appearance since 2001.

• Caleb Love finished with 35 points in the loss, ending his collegiate career. He’s projected as a second-round pick in the NBA Draft.
• Duke standout Cooper Flagg shined with 30 points and six rebounds.
• Tommy Lloyd has 112 total wins over his first four seasons, the second most in NCAA history over that span.
• Arizona is now 6-6 all-time against the Blue Devils.

My take: Unless you win the last game of the season, the loss always stings. But the Wildcats have nothing to hang their heads about, especially considering they have made two consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, and have incredibly promising talent such as Peat entering the fold next season. It may be a bitter pill to swallow right now, but the best is yet to come for Arizona.

Take a deeper dive: Hear instant reaction from the PHNX Wildcats team ​from last night’s defeat​.

D-backs Drop Opening Day Matchup

Not the start the Diamondbacks were looking for, but so it goes in a 162 game season. The D-backs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Cubs responded with seven runs over the next four innings to grab control of the game before ultimately winning 10-6.

• Zac Gallen allowed four earned runs over four innings while striking out four and walking four.
• Geraldo Perdomo stood out by going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
• Josh Naylor was 1-for-4 with an RBI in his D-backs debut.
• Eugenio Suarez and Jake McCarthy both added an RBI, as well.

Get instant reaction from Derek following Arizona’s Opening Day defeat.

Musings From Around (and Sometimes Beyond) The Valley

Peat Stays in State 48: Blue-chip recruit Koa Peat formally committed to Arizona yesterday, choosing the Wildcats over Arizona State, Baylor, Houston and Texas. The Gilbert native (Perry High School) broke it down quite simply after announcing his decision on the “Pat McAfee Show” yesterday morning — “All I want to do is win.”

Sun Starting to Set: The Suns hit the road for a quick game against the 41-32 Timberwolves tonight, and with nine games left in the season, they need every possible win in their chase for the final postseason play-in spot. Phoenix returns home for a matchup against the 47-26 Rockets on Sunday before hitting the road for three more.

Runnin’ Toward the Playoffs: The Tucson Roadrunners wrap up their March schedule this weekend, with games against San Diego (Friday) and Bakersfield (Saturday). The tilt against the Condors holds even more weight considering Tucson holds a three-point advantage over them for the Pacific Division’s final playoff spot.

🧢 Tip of the Hat

Someone check on our friends Erik and Anthony, please. Yesterday was not the announcement they envisioned 😅