Only for Guild Members » Arizona could take the first loss of the season

Arizona could take the first loss of the season. Derwin James Chargers Jersey . Since no team had gone undefeated in more than three decades, it felt almost inevitable. Falling out of the top spot in the poll wasnt bad, either; the goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season, not the middle. Losing Brandon Ashley, thats going to be a little tougher for the second-ranked Wildcats to take, a development that will force them to shuffle things around and potentially put a dent in their national championship aspirations. "Its a huge loss for us not to have Brandon for the rest of the season," Arizona centre Kaleb Tarczewski said. "But we still feel that even without him, we still have a great team." With Ashley, Arizona hummed along to the best start in program history, beating teams like Duke, Michigan, UCLA and San Diego State while winning its first 21 games. The Wildcats fortunes took a bad turn Saturday night in Berkeley, when they lost the game 60-58 on Justin Cobbs last-second shot and lost Ashley to an awkward landing while going up for a rebound in the first half. Ashley injured his right foot on the play and faces the possibility of surgery. Arizona (21-1, 8-1 Pac-12) now faces playing the rest of the season without one of its best, most versatile players. "No one expected us to do as well as we have this year; we kind of just let our play do the talking," Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell said. "People can write what they want and say that were not a national championship team, but were going to work hard every day and they cant take that away from us." A 6-foot-8 sophomore, Ashley was a difficult matchup for opposing teams on offence, an athletic player who could score in the post, driving to the basket and, after spending countless hours working on his shot during the summer, from the 3-point line. Ashley is Arizonas third-leading scorer at 11.5 points and in rebounding at 5.8 per game. He shot 47 per cent from the floor, including 36 per cent from the arc and often gave opposing teams fits with his ability to keep offensive rebounds alive with his long arms. Ashley also is one of the Wildcats most versatile defensive players, a long, mobile defender who has the reach to block shots inside and out, the agility to keep smaller players in front of him. "Are we going to miss Brandon Ashley? No doubt about it," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "But we still can be an excellent team." The loss of Ashley will force some shuffling for the Wildcats. Defensively, Arizona should be OK without him. Freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, whos expected to slide into Ashleys starting spot, is an active and willing defender. At 6-7, hes just an inch shorter and may be better at defending perimeter players than Ashley, playing that end of the floor more like an upperclassman than a first-year player. Replacing Ashleys offence may be a little tougher. Hollis-Jefferson isnt quite as polished as Ashley on offence and doesnt have the same range, hitting 1 of his 6 attempts from 3-point range this season while scoring most of his points on drives and putbacks. With Hollis-Jefferson in the starting lineup, 3-point specialist Gabe York moves into the sixth man role and the rest of the roster moves up a spot. Miller has kept a fairly tight rotation this season, so now players who hadnt seen many minutes outside of mop-up duty will be counted on more. Guard Jordin Mayes was a regular contributor the past two seasons, but has seen his minutes decrease this season. Matt Korcheck, who redshirted last season, is an active player with a solid build at 6-10, 230 pounds, though he has played in just 10 games this season. Freshman Elliot Pitts, whos appeared in eight games, will likely see more minutes as well. Miller said forward Zach Peters, a transfer from Kansas whos battled concussion issues, isnt ready for consistent minutes yet. Playing time among the players vying for minutes will likely be based on circumstance, depending on how well theyre playing, the opponent and what the Wildcats need during specific points in games. "If we did nothing different other than just give the players who have played, minus Brandon, more of an opportunity, thats part of our solution," Miller said. "With that in mind, we know foul trouble and fatigue can certainly weigh against you, but we dont have to do this for 30 games, just nine regular-season games and then were in the post-season." Arizonas stretch run without Ashley starts Thursday night at home against Oregon. Virgil Green Chargers Jersey . The Raptors had an early deadline Sunday, a dreaded afternoon game, and they left the bulk of their work until the last minute, as theyve done so many times before. Derwin James Jersey . With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-justin-jones-jersey.html . The Durban-based Sharks withstood a furious second-half fightback to beat the Queensland Reds 35-20 for a fourth straight win which gave them a five-point lead atop the championship table. The Hamilton-based Chiefs scored two late tries to beat the Cape Town-based Stormers 36-20 for their third win, after the Stormers rallied from 24-6 down to 24-20 with six minutes remaining.1) Im about to read your mind. You want to pick the Los Angeles Kings to win the Stanley Cup, but you think theyre tired and you know the New York Rangers are well-rested, so youre not sure. But I am. Im right, arent I? 2) When Steve Ballmer told his friends he was investing two billion dollars in a sports venture, do you assume they asked him which league he was buying? 3) Do you know what FIFA stands for? Im starting to think that one or both "Fs" stand for "Fix". 4) Would it jinx Mark Buehrle if I told you that Roy Halladay was 7-2 on this day 11 years ago and went on to set the Blue Jays record with 22 wins? Thus, jinx or not, Buehrle is well ahead of Halladays 2003 pace with his 10-1 record. 5) For all the times you might have said you couldnt cheer for LeBron James, did you ever think that would be as easy as Lance Stephenson made it during the Heat-Pacers series? 6) I dont root for the Chicago Blackhawks or for any other team, but can you understand that Chicagos 7th-game loss to the Kings saddens me because it means anthem singer Jim Cornelison is off for the summer? 7) And speaking of big voices, wouldnt you drive to work with more enthusiasm if Bob Cole was describing the trip from the passenger seat? 8) If Steve (Basket)-Ballmer has another two billion dollars, which he does, do you think he might like to buy the Buffalo Bills, move them to Los Angeles and become Steve (Foot)-Ballmer? 9) Are we getting ahead of ourselves if we watch this weeks Blue Jays-Tigers series and imagine that its a playoff series? 10) I know its pro sports and theres no room for sentiment when tough decisions have to be made, so its clear we shouldnt feel sorry for Peter Budaj. But how do you ignore the fact that Carey Price called him "one of the nicest people Ive ever met"? 11) What should I make of the following - when once I raised eyebrows by saying I might watch soccers World Cup, I now raise eyebrows by saying I might not? 12) I know you never thought youd see this, but Im saying youll never see it again - two batters (KCs Billy Butler and Omar Infante), after hitting apparent singles to right field, were thrown out at first base by Jose Bautista in back-to-back games. Uchenna Nwosu Jersey. Do you think you might see that again? If so, let me know and Ill bet you two billion dollars. 13) The Memorial is otherwise known as Jack Nicklaus golf tournament. Is it time to admit youre old if you remember the events that used to bear the names of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Sammy Davis Jr., Joe Garagiola, Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon, Danny Thomas and Jamie Farr? 14) Are you curious to know why Los Angeles Kings playoff hero Alec Martinez didnt take up baseball like Dennis, Edgar, Pedro, Victor, Carlos, Buck, Dave, J.D., Nick, Tino etc. etc.? 15) When Torontonians read about citizens the world over who have voted against Olympic bids by their cities, do they have trouble remembering when they voted to support the staging of the 2015 Pan-American Games? 16) A Toronto Argos press release began with the announcement that Chad Kackert had been named the teams strength and conditioning coach. Shouldnt the first line have dealt with the retirement of the 2012 Grey Cups most valuable player? 17) Do you wonder, as I do, why NHL players on their way to the Stanley Cup final refuse to touch the trophies that signify conference titles, but have no trouble donning hats that do the same thing? 18) I thought it sounded silly when David Ortiz declared "war" on David Price of the Tampa Rays, but let me ask you this - if you were casting a movie and you needed someone to put fear in the heart of the enemy, wouldnt Big Papi fit the part? (As long as he wasnt talking about baseball, I mean). 19) Alex Ovechkin called Barry Trotz to welcome him to Washington. Just in case the new coach might wonder whos boss? 20) And finally...if the Stanley Cup Final finds you humming the 70s disco hit "From New York to LA", you should know who sang it. Do you? (See below, music lovers). Video - "From New York to LA" - Patsy Gallant (Campbellton, New Brunswick). 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