Is the ASU-U of A rivalry cooling down?
To those outside of Arizona, Lute Olson naming Russ Pennell to his coaching staff wasn’t that big of a deal. Within the state borders, especially in Tucson, people shuttered. Olson tabbed a former ASU assistant coach, who spent 8 years on the sidelines under head coach Rob Evans. During Pennell’s time at ASU, the Sun Devils went 1-16 vs. Olson’s Wildcats, losing by an average of over 14 points per game. Pennell even spent the 2007-08 season as the color commentator on the Sun Devil Sports Network. There’s some things you don’t do, and in the basketball/rivalry universe, this is one of them. To put it into every day terms, this is like dating your sworn enemy’s ex. She may be hot, but by her one-time connection to that enemy, she’s tainted. Normally you would think anyone who’s ever donned the maroon and gold would be off limits to work or play in Tucson, and vice versa. I don’t think Sun Devil fans would welcome Josh Pastner or Miles Simon or even Jim Rosborough with open arms.
Now, with the NCAA Baseball season winding down, ASU head coach Pat Murphy, who serves on the NCAA postseason committee, says that the U of A should host a regional. Sure, this falls under the “what’s good for the conference” category of thinking, but I don’t remember too much commotion from the Ol’ Pueblo when ASU was bypassed in March for a spot in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. (Oh yeah, U of A stole their invitation.)
Since everybody’s taking the high road in this rivalry, I’ll pour a little gas on the remaining flame. According to our research, ASU’s record vs. U of A in head to head athletic events in the 2007-08 school year is 16-3, with 3 baseball games remaining in Tucson this weekend. Both sides, have at it.
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Posted by Vince Marotta
Vince has been part of the Phoenix Sports scene in a few different capacities. First as a fan, Vince has been yelling at his tv during Suns and ASU games since the late 1970's. Vince also saw the media side of things as a radio talk show host from 1996 to 2002, and then again in 2007.
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