Motivation a question for those on the court, those sitting in seats
In his four seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, senior guard Kyle Fogg has experienced two NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight and a Pac-10 regular-season title.
Tonight, for the first time, he'll take a sip of college basketball's consolation prize, the National Invitation Tournament.
There's no telling how it will taste for Fogg and his teammates.
No Wildcat players were available for comment this week, and UA coach Sean Miller was waiting to see if they will transfer their disappointment from losing the Pac-12 tournament final - and the automatic NCAA tournament bid - into a determination to beat Bucknell tonight.
"I don't know," Miller said. "I'd like to think our guys are excited to play."
In a sense, tonight's 6 o'clock game at McKale Center is a true litmus test for both the Wildcats and their faithful.
How much do the fans want to watch Wildcat basketball, even if it's just an NIT game?
And how much do the Wildcats want to keep playing basketball, even if it's just an NIT game?
Fans responded better than UA expected early this week and a crowd between 8,000 and 10,000 is now expected, when the initial low estimate was just 5,000. The game is not part of Arizona's season-ticket package, and of the 11,000 season-ticket spots, only about 1,000 of them were extended for the NIT.
But the school said Tuesday it had sold 6,700 tickets, meaning 5,700 non season-ticket-holders have jumped at the chance to watch the Wildcats in person.
Miller said the Wildcats were "excited" to play before their own fans, but he said he was curious to see whether his players would adjust to the NIT after experiencing so many high-level NCAA tournament games.
"That's part of our challenge," Miller said. "I think it's part of everyone's challenge in the NIT. It's a tournament that has more meaning now because of how it's constructed. There's a lot of pride in being a No. 1 seed in this tournament. But clearly, we wish we were in the other one, like about 30 of the (NIT's) 32 teams."
Even eighth-seeded Bucknell shares the feeling. The Bison cruised to the Patriot League regular-season championship, then lost at home to Lehigh in the conference tournament final. That slipped them down to the NIT, which offers all regular-season champs a bid if they don't make the NCAA tournament field.
Their feeling is one NIT selection committee chair C.M. Newton is familiar with.
Some teams get over it, some teams don't.
Colorado, which believed it was snubbed from last season's NCAA tournament, took hold of a No. 1 NIT seed last season and reached the semifinals in New York, where the Buffaloes lost to Alabama. Washington State, a No. 2 NIT seed after three of its key players ran into marijuana issues last season, also made it to New York.
And two years ago, traditional power North Carolina rebounded from an uncharacteristically rough season to reach the NIT final before losing to Dayton.
"North Carolina, Alabama and Colorado used it as tremendous motivation," Newton said. "If teams go in it the right way, they can do well. It depends on how the coaching staff views it and the players view it."
But, Newton added, "we've had some teams go into the tank."
ASU appeared to fall into the latter category two years ago, when it lost to Jacksonville at home as the No. 1 seed, but the Wildcats may be able to use their top seed as motivation.
To Miller, the No. 1 seed reinforced the notion of how close the Wildcats came to making the NCAA tournament field, and it also all but guarantees them a homecourt path to New York if they keep winning. (Arizona cannot host a second-round game on Friday, but it would most likely be able to play that game on another date if it wins tonight.)
In addition, if Miller and those 8,000-10,000 fans can help the Wildcats stay motivated tonight enough for a win over the Bison, they might find momentum and atmosphere carrying them in future games.
"My job is to get them revved up and ready to go, to really play a very good game," Miller said. "In the NIT, the first game is so much about being hungry and ready. But if you're fortunate enough to advance past that first round, the tournament goes 32 to 16 (teams) and the NCAA tournament is doing the same thing.
"Then it starts to feel, it starts to take on that life that you want to feel in March, where you're really playing for something special."
In his four seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, senior guard Kyle Fogg has experienced two NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteens, an Elite Eight and a Pac-10 regular-season title.
Tonight, for the first time, he'll take a sip of college basketball's consolation prize, the National Invitation Tournament.
There's no telling how it will taste for Fogg and his teammates.
No Wildcat players were available for comment this week, and UA coach Sean Miller was waiting to see if they will transfer their disappointment from losing the Pac-12 tournament final - and the automatic NCAA tournament bid - into a determination to beat Bucknell tonight.
"I don't know," Miller said. "I'd like to think our guys are excited to play."
In a sense, tonight's 6 o'clock game at McKale Center is a true litmus test for both the Wildcats and their faithful.
How much do the fans want to watch Wildcat basketball, even if it's just an NIT game?
And how much do the Wildcats want to keep playing basketball, even if it's just an NIT game?
Fans responded better than UA expected early this week and a crowd between 8,000 and 10,000 is now expected, when the initial low estimate was just 5,000. The game is not part of Arizona's season-ticket package, and of the 11,000 season-ticket spots, only about 1,000 of them were extended for the NIT.
But the school said Tuesday it had sold 6,700 tickets, meaning 5,700 non season-ticket-holders have jumped at the chance to watch the Wildcats in person.
Miller said the Wildcats were "excited" to play before their own fans, but he said he was curious to see whether his players would adjust to the NIT after experiencing so many high-level NCAA tournament games.
"That's part of our challenge," Miller said. "I think it's part of everyone's challenge in the NIT. It's a tournament that has more meaning now because of how it's constructed. There's a lot of pride in being a No. 1 seed in this tournament. But clearly, we wish we were in the other one, like about 30 of the (NIT's) 32 teams."
Even eighth-seeded Bucknell shares the feeling. The Bison cruised to the Patriot League regular-season championship, then lost at home to Lehigh in the conference tournament final. That slipped them down to the NIT, which offers all regular-season champs a bid if they don't make the NCAA tournament field.
Their feeling is one NIT selection committee chair C.M. Newton is familiar with.
Some teams get over it, some teams don't.
Colorado, which believed it was snubbed from last season's NCAA tournament, took hold of a No. 1 NIT seed last season and reached the semifinals in New York, where the Buffaloes lost to Alabama. Washington State, a No. 2 NIT seed after three of its key players ran into marijuana issues last season, also made it to New York.
And two years ago, traditional power North Carolina rebounded from an uncharacteristically rough season to reach the NIT final before losing to Dayton.
"North Carolina, Alabama and Colorado used it as tremendous motivation," Newton said. "If teams go in it the right way, they can do well. It depends on how the coaching staff views it and the players view it."
But, Newton added, "we've had some teams go into the tank."
ASU appeared to fall into the latter category two years ago, when it lost to Jacksonville at home as the No. 1 seed, but the Wildcats may be able to use their top seed as motivation.
To Miller, the No. 1 seed reinforced the notion of how close the Wildcats came to making the NCAA tournament field, and it also all but guarantees them a homecourt path to New York if they keep winning. (Arizona cannot host a second-round game on Friday, but it would most likely be able to play that game on another date if it wins tonight.)
In addition, if Miller and those 8,000-10,000 fans can help the Wildcats stay motivated tonight enough for a win over the Bison, they might find momentum and atmosphere carrying them in future games.
"My job is to get them revved up and ready to go, to really play a very good game," Miller said. "In the NIT, the first game is so much about being hungry and ready. But if you're fortunate enough to advance past that first round, the tournament goes 32 to 16 (teams) and the NCAA tournament is doing the same thing.
"Then it starts to feel, it starts to take on that life that you want to feel in March, where you're really playing for something special."
