2020 brings plenty of new intrigue
Keep an eye on Pac-12 drought, ASU football, Cardinals, boxing
You’d excuse the guy writing this column for basking in the glory of 2019 a bit.
If you followed along all year, you’d have known that Kyler Murray was the right pick for the Arizona Cardinals (he was), that the Phoenix Suns would be a lot more competitive under General Manager James Jones and coach Monty Williams (they are) and that Ja Morant would be a better pick at the top of the NBA Draft than Zion Williamson (duh.)
But the new year is a time for looking ahead, so here are the things that are the most intriguing for 2020.
Pac-12: What champions?
Is there anybody out there who can end the drought?
The Pac-12 calls itself the “Conference of Champions,” but sooner or later that needs to apply to the big sports as well as the boutique sports.
No College Football Playoff participants in four years (Washington, 2016). No gridiron national champs in 15 years (USC, 2004).
No men’s basketball Final Four teams in three years (Oregon, 2017). No men’s champs in more than 20 years (Arizona, 1997).
Stanford made the women’s Final Four last season, but the Pac hasn’t had an NCAA women’s hoops champion since the Cardinal won it all in 1992.
Pac-12 supporters like to say the conference is underrated because nobody back east cares to pay attention. There’s a simple fix for that: Make ’em.
Sabrina’s magic
Sabrina Ionescu — Oregon’s walking, talking, dribbling triple-double — is coming to Desert Financial Arena next Friday.
She’s likely to be top pick in the WNBA Draft, and she’s drawing comparisons to Diana Taurasi.
Oregon is likely to come in ranked No. 2 in the nation, so how much you wanna bet ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne has a few things planned to quack up the Ducks?
Can ASU football stop anybody?
Can quarterback Jayden Daniels handle the hype?
Can these guys put together an offensive line that can match the talent they have at the skill positions?
And how will the defense look under coordinator Tony White?
Actually, that’s the biggest question mark. The defense undercut the program’s aspirations last year by playing
flat early.
In conference play, ASU’s defense allowed almost 18 points per game in the first half (160 total points.) The Sun Devil defense gave up 28 first-half points in three straight weeks against UCLA, USC and Oregon State.
In the second half in conference play, ASU’s defense gave up about 11 points per game (96 total points). Against UCLA, USC and Oregon State, the Sun Devil defense gave up just 24 total second-half points.
Huge off-season for Cardinals
They’re finally set at quarterback, but
General Manager Steve Keim has a lot of other needs to fill.
Can he find a big, speedy, gamebreaking pass catcher for Kyler Murray?
Can he get defensive coordinator Vance Joseph some help at linebacker?
And can he bolster the offensive line without busting up the chemistry they developed this season?
He’s going to have to do all that and probably a bit more to keep pace with the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers in the NFC West.
Devin Booker for All-Star, ever?
Can Devin Booker get some love?
He’s being overlooked in All-Star voting again.
Lakers reserve Alex Caruso and Celtics oddity Tacko Fall are among the players who have more support than the Suns leading scorer, according to first returns released Jan. 2.
OK, that just proves fan voting is hilarious.
Caruso is famous mostly for dunking on any defender who turns his back for half a second and having the last case of male pattern baldness in an NBA full of 20-year-old hairlines and guys who would rather pull a Jordan and go bald before they go thin.
Fall, meanwhile, is 7-foot-6. So, there’s that.
But Booker needs some recognition. Luka Doncic has more than 1 million All-Star votes. Booker hasn’t cracked 100,000.
We all know the formula.
The Suns have to win games and get on national TV.
To do that, they’re going to have to stay healthy.
Or swing a big trade.
Is it true Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Towns is available?
Who’s boxing’s heaviest hitter?
Can we finally figure out who’s the baddest man on the planet?
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will meet in Las Vegas in February.
If there’s a definitive winner, boxing’s power brokers will have a chance to set up a fight against Anthony Joshua to determine a definitive answer to what’s always one of the biggest questions in all of sports:
Who’s the heavyweight champ? It easily would be one of the biggest sporting events of the year — a year we’re very much looking forward to basking in.