Arizona Desert Swarm
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Arizona softball looks at opportunities not obstacles
The last few weeks have had their challenges for the No. 16 Arizona Wildcats. Games have been rescheduled, they spent 10 days on the road, and they’re playing their third straight series away from Hillenbrand Stadium. Head coach Caitlin Lowe thinks there are positives from those situations that will help the team in the long […]
Arizona spring football: LBs Taye Brown, Chase Kennedy ready for breakout seasons
Last season, half of the top six tacklers for Arizona came from the linebacker room. Now, only one of those leaders is returning to the field for the Wildcats. Without Max Harris and Riley Wilson, defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales thinks that Taye Brown is ready for a breakout season. “Taye Brown is one of the […]
Arizona volleyball releases 2026 Big 12 schedule
Last season’s Big 12 schedule wasn’t kind to anyone. The Arizona Wildcats were no exception as the team had two occasions when it had to compete on the road one day then be back in Tucson to compete 48 hours later. The less-than-optimal airports in many Big 12 cities occasionally forced the team to pay […]
Arizona bullpen rounding into shape ahead of key stretch in Big 12 play
Pitching was supposed to be the strength of Arizona’s 2026 team, but then life happened. It started with the departures of two coaches who were instrumental in assembling and developing the staff, including one only a few weeks before the season began. Then a series of arm injuries popped up, most notably to closer Tony […]
Arizona baseball: Closer Tony Pluta expected to return in 2027 following elbow surgery
Last month during a pregame ceremony, Tony Pluta was inducted into the Legends Plaza Wall of Fame located inside Hi Corbett Field. The placard that went up lists 2023-25, the seasons Pluta has played for Arizona. But if things go as hoped, that banner will need to get updated. Pluta confirmed Wednesday he plans to […]
Former Arizona star Aari McDonald to miss beginning of WNBA season
Don’t be surprised if former No. 3 draft pick and Arizona women’s basketball star Aari McDonald isn’t active on a WNBA roster when the season starts. McDonald commented on social media this week that she would be playing in the 2026 season, but she would not be ready when it starts. McDonald has battled injuries […]
Former Notre Dame setter Harmony Sample signs with Arizona volleyball
Former Notre Dame setter Harmony Sample gave her verbal commitment to Arizona volleyball in January. Her Instagram profile has linked Arizona volleyball in her bio for months. Now, she’s officially in the fold after the program announced her signing on Wednesday. “We are thrilled to announce the addition of Harmony to this transfer class,” head […]
Wildcat Wrap: Arizona tennis programs to compete at Big 12 Championships
Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition. The Arizona men’s and women’s tennis programs will be competing at the Big 12 Tournaments this week, […]
Arizona spring football: Trio of transfers fit Wildcats’ goals for tight end position
It seems like every offseason Arizona’s coaches spend time talking up how involved the tight ends will be in the offense, only to see fairly pedestrian production from that position. The exception was when Tanner McLachlan went from an unknown FCS transfer coming off a knee injury to an NFL draft pick in 2022-23. Otherwise, […]
Arizona women’s basketball gets commitment from former Maryland forward Breanna Williams
Arizona women’s basketball needed size and it got it. For the second straight day, the Wildcats have received a commitment from a transfer who stands 6-foot-2 or taller. On Monday, it was former USC forward Gerda Raulušaitytė. Today, former Maryland forward Breanna Williams followed her. Williams has spent two years with former Wildcat Brenda Frese […]
Arizona spring football: OL coach Josh Oglesby confident in depth at tackle
Acquiring quality offensive linemen from the NCAA transfer portal in general is tough, getting good ones at tackle is even more difficult. Yet somehow Arizona hit two bullseyes last offseason with the addition of Ty Buchanan and Tristan Bounds, who went on to make a combined 21 starts at left and right tackle, respectively. This […]
4 players Arizona men’s basketball should try for in the NCAA transfer portal
College basketball’s free agency season is well underway, with more hundreds of players entering the NCAA transfer portal since it officially opened on April 7. More will enter before it closes on April 21, but for the most part the vast majority of Division I athletes who intend to transfer have made done so. Arizona […]
Arizona baseball beats ASU in 11 innings for 4th win in last 5
PHOENIX—The chances of Arizona making it to the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight season are slim, but they’re not zero. And if that longshot happens, games like Monday will be the reason why. The Wildcats knocked off No. 20 ASU 5-3 in 11 innings at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for their fourth win in the […]
3-star California tight end Max Markofski commits to Arizona
Arizona is in the middle of spring practice, and while most of the work is being done on the field getting the current roster prepared for the 2026 season plenty of activity is still occurring behind the scenes on future rosters. Unofficial visits are ongoing, and one of the prospects who was in Tucson this […]
Former USC forward Gerda Raulusaityte commits to Arizona women’s basketball
Arizona women’s basketball is looking hard at former Pac-12 teams for portal additions this offseason. A few days after adding former California guard Aliyahna ‘Puff’ Morris, head coach Becky Burke has received a commitment from USC junior forward Gerda Raulušaitytė. Raulušaitytė transferred to USC as a junior last season. She played for LCC International University […]
Arizona men’s basketball gets commitment from ex-North Carolina guard Derek Dixon
It turned out pretty good the last time Arizona added a transfer guard from North Carolina. Maybe lightning will strike twice. The Wildcats have gotten a commitment from former UNC guard Derek Dixon, their second transfer pickup on Monday alongside ex-Washington guard JJ Mandaquit. The 6-foot-5 Dixon played 33 games for the Tar Heels as […]
Former Washington guard JJ Mandaquit commits to Arizona
Arizona men’s basketball has its first transfer portal pickup for the 2026-27 season. Former Washington point guard JJ Mandaquit announced Monday he is transferring to Arizona with three remaining years of eligibility. Mandaquit, a rising sophomore, averaged 5.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game for the Huskies last season. The […]
Former Arizona star Damon Stoudamire hired as assistant at LSU
In his second stint at LSU, Will Wade has assembled a staff full of former college head coaches. Joining that group is ex-Arizona star Damon Stoudamire. Fresh off a 3-year stint as head coach at Georgia Tech, Stoudamire will be a college assistant for the first time since the 2015-16 season at Memphis. That was […]
Becky Burke turns to Louisville ties for Arizona assistant coach Devan Newman
Devan Newman has been in the coaching business since Arizona head coach Becky Burke was in college. That’s how Burke met her newest assistant. “I am thrilled to welcome Devan to our staff,” Burke said in the program’s press release. “She has a wealth of knowledge and experience at every level of college basketball. She […]
Former Arizona star Cate Reese signs training camp deal with WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries
Sometimes you just have to wait and continue to fight until the time is right. WNBA Draft night in 2023 was a devastating blow for forward Cate Reese. The first female McDonald’s All-American to sign with Arizona, AP All-American honorable mention, Pac-12 All-Freshman, four-time All-Pac-12, and Katrina McClain Award finalist didn’t hear her name called. […]
Arizona spring football: Young cornerbacks ready to start making plays for Wildcats’ secondary
Arizona is bringing back one of the best cornerbacks in the Big 12 in Jay’Vion Cole. That didn’t stop the staff from bringing in more help. A good majority of the room comes from the transfer portal, but most have not seen a lot of time on the field at their previous schools. On one […]
Historic season over, an uncertain future for Arizona men’s basketball still looks promising
Sometimes, like in the case of my flight back from the Final Four where I was assigned a middle seat on a full flight but got to take advantage of an open window seat, things that seemed like they would not go well end up working out. Other times, like in the case of Arizona’s […]
Arizona softball comes back to salvage final game of series at LSU
For the second straight day at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, the team that got the fewest hits won. This time, it was the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats, who salvaged the final game of the series with a 4-2 win over No. 21 LSU. LSU won the series 2-1. LSU and Arizona both had five […]
Arizona spring football: Danny Gonzales wants Wildcat defense to be best in school history
Danny Gonzales set high expectations for his defense last season. He had high expectations for the team as a whole. To no one’s surprise, the expectations are higher going into the fall. In his eyes, it all comes down to two words: opportunity and potential. “I sat up here in August and said, ‘We’re playing […]
Arizona baseball splits doubleheader at TCU to claim first Big 12 series
Two innings away from getting shut out in both ends of a doubleheader, Arizona instead found some late magic to earn its first Big 12 series win of the season. The Wildcats scored twice in the 8th and once in the 9th to beat TCU 3-2 in nightcap on Saturday night, bouncing back from a […]
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