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👋 GOOD MORNING

Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 -- Holy cow, where do I begin?

If you're a sports fan in or around Arizona, odds are you had an amazing weekend (unless you only cheer for the Suns ... but they'll bounce back). Sure, the Arizona men's basketball game dropped a tough test at Wisconsin, but there's little doubt that there are big things in store for the Wildcats this season (I'm still daydreaming about Arizona/Kansas on March 8).

With all of that winning, though, I want to continue to shine a light on the ASU women's volleyball team, because the stretch that the team is on right now is not only remarkable, but will be tough for any team to duplicate. The Sun Devils have won 14 straight, swept 17 teams, are tied for the most conference wins in school history (14) and are likely to rise higher than their current No. 9 designation in the near future.

The squad is back in Tempe (Mullett Arena) on Thursday against Iowa State for Fan Appreciation Night, and if you can't make it to the 6:30 pm match, you can catch them on ESPN+ in their second-to-last home match of the season. I highly recommend you do.

On to the show!

📰 LEADING OFF

From Football to Baseball, All of AZ is Winning

Patrick Brown PHNX Daily Editor patrick@gophnx.com

Arizona is currently the perpetual state of winning.

This past weekend quashed any doubt of that.

ASU / UA wins? Check. Roadrunners? Yep. Heck, even the Diamondbacks found a way to win, as the Salt River Rafters (D-Backs, Rockies, Twins, Yankees and Nationals) captured the Arizona Fall League championship. It feels like the only reason the Cardinals didn't win was because they didn't play.

Before you start pointing to the Suns' current three-game losing streak, I'd argue having just 33.33 percent of your 'Big 3' is reason enough for exemption ... for now.

It was such a joyous weekend around the state, let's take a look at a few of the most meaningful games this past weekend and what the wins meant.

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⏱️ BECOME A DIEHARD TODAY!

Salt River Rafters Defy the Odds to Win AFL Title

OK, so it's not exactly the World Series, but seeing D-Backs prospects experience success is rewarding, especially in the Arizona Fall League. Take infielder Tommy Troy, for example, who started the season on an abysmal slump only to finish the season with a .290 average and .854 OPS while hitting .571 in the two postseason games the Rafters played.

Infielder Gino Groover finished with the eighth-best batting average (.338), and both Philip Abner (1 inning pitched, 3 strikeouts) and Alfred Morillo (2 innings pitched, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts) were impactful in the 3-2 championship win over the Surprise Saguaros.

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MLB's Arizona Fall League @MLBazFallLeague CHAMPIONS 🌊 9:12 PM • Nov 16, 2024 44 Retweets 336 Likes Read 5 replies

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“It was no goals or championships or anything like that," Rafters manager Tyler Smarslok told mlb.com. "If we enjoy each day, enjoy each other, enjoy the process of learning some new stuff, we just think that if that's the way that we're going to approach the day, wins will just take care of themselves, and clearly it did.”

ASU / UA Basketball Just Getting Started

Just a few weeks into the NCAA college basketball season, things are already starting to heat up.

Yes, the Arizona men's basketball team fell in a tough non-conference matchup at Wisconsin on Friday, but is anyone concerned? Though the Wildcats will drop a few spots in the Top 25, don't expect a letdown in Tucson this season. A home matchup against No. 6 Duke on Friday provides plenty of opportunity to bounce back.

The Arizona women's basketball team is 5-0 and likely to continue picking up votes in the Top 25 as it continues to cruise through its non-conference slate. Big 12 action kicks off on Dec. 21 at BYU.

Erika Day @erikaleaday I asked Adia Barnes about Montaya Dew, Arizona redshirt sophomore who had 6 points, 3 assists and a block versus UNLV tonight: “We haven’t seen the best Montaya, yet.” 10:43 PM • Nov 12, 2024 5 Retweets 32 Likes Read 1 replies

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"Our locker room is a good place," head coach Adia Barnes said. "There is love in the locker room. There is caring about each other. They have cohesiveness and chemistry, and it's showing more and more."

The ASU men's basketball team, meanwhile, has responded in a huge way after being laughed off the court in a 103-47 exhibition loss to Duke. The Sun Devils nearly upset No. 6 Gonzaga in Spokane and are 4-1 on the year after convincing wins over GCU (Thursday) and St. Thomas (yesterday).

Though the ASU women's basketball team has been up-and-down to start the season, back-to-back wins over SMU and Oregon St. on Saturday and Sunday have it back to 2-2 with a home date against No. 20 Kentucky looming next Tuesday.

Gridiron Takes Center Stage in Mid-November

That brings us to football.

The Wildcats put together a beautiful game on Saturday, shutting down Houston's offense en route to a 27-3 win. It was the proverbial must-win game, but to be fair that describes every matchup at this point for Arizona, which needs to win its final two games of the season to become bowl eligible. Not an easy feat on the road against TCU, let alone a Territorial Cup date in Tucson against the now-ranked Sun Devils.

Still, the old clichés ring true for a reason: All the Wildcats can do is focus on the here-and-now, and Saturday's victory was a step in the right direction for a team that still has much to play for.

“We’re fired up,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said after the game. “It feels good. The locker room is super electric. We were super focused on just getting one, we had to win one and now we get to celebrate.”

Of course, that brings us to the main event: Sun Devils football.

All due respect to every other sport in the area right now, but Arizona State is not just the talk of the town -- they're the talk of the country after rolling into Manhattan, Kans. to upset the Wildcats. The convincing win, coupled with a BYU loss, puts the Sun Devils in a unique position to earn a spot to the Big 12 title game.

Some things still need to go ASU's way, but that begins with a date against ::checks notes:: No. 14 BYU in Tempe on Saturday.

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Oh, by the way: the Sun Devils are now ranked No. 21.

"This is a really special group," head coach Kenny Dillingham said. "We have a big game this week versus BYU, and if The Valley's not activated now, I don't know what will do it."

With so much to cheer for, The Valley has never been more activated.

Editor's note: Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for the FREE PHNX Daily here, and don't miss out on free, exclusive content about The Valley's top sports stories every morning!

🎟️ ABOUT LAST NIGHT... (weekend edition)

Friday, Nov. 15 ​ ​⚾️ Rafters 13 - Scorpions 4 ​Salt River stunned Scottsdale in the playoff game, led by Tommy Troy's 3-for-4 night with an RBI and three runs scored. Gino Groover was 1-for-5 with a run scored, while no D-Backs pitching prospects appeared in the game. ​​ 🏀 Suns 83 - Thunder 99 ​Damaging from a points differential perspective in the NBA Cup, but at the same time, it's tough to be upset about a shorthanded Suns team falling on the road to the 11-2 Thunder. That said, Phoenix struggled to score all night; Josh Okogie led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds, but Devin Booker struggled again, finishing just 2-for-10 from the floor. ​PHNX Postgame ​ ​🏀 #9 Wildcats MBB 88 - Wisconsin 103 ​Tough road loss for the Wildcats, who shot just 17.4 percent on their 3-point attempts en route to the loss. Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 22 points, while Tobe Awaka chipped in nine points and 13 rebounds.​ ​PHNX Postgame​​ ​​ 🏒 Omaha 4 - Sun Devils 2 ​Ty Jackson and Anthony Dowd both scored for ASU -- who tied the game twice -- but ultimately fell in their first-ever NCHC game at Mullett Arena. Goalie Luke Pavicich took the loss after allowing three goals on 21 shots. ​ ​🏒 Roadrunners 2 - Silver Knights 6 ​Tucson struggled to keep pace in the series opener, falling down 3-0 through two periods before Ben McCartney cut the deficit to two a few minutes into the final frame. Henderson scored three more, though, including two empty netters, to secure the win. ​ ​🏈 Houston 3 - Wildcats 27 ​Arizona played a complete game from start to finish when it absolutely needed it most, keeping bowl hopes alive late in the season. Noah Fifita finished with 224 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and Quali Conley rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. The Wildcats still need to win their remaining games to become bowl eligible; next week at TCU and Nov. 30 against the Sun Devils. ​PHNX Postgame​ ​ Saturday, Nov. 16​ ​​ 🏀 Wildcats WBB 84 - Chicago State 48 ​No problem on the road for Arizona, which improved to 5-0 behind Breya Cunningham's team-high 14 points. Skylar Jones finished with 11 points, while Lauryn Swann and Erin Tack combined for 2 points off the bench.​ ​ 🏀 SMU 73 - Sun Devils WBB 80 ​Nice home win for ASU, which improved to 2-2 on the season. The Sun Devils got monster games from Tyi Skinner (26 points) and Jalyn Brown (25 points) while Jazion Jackson and Nevaeh Parkinson combined for 25 rebounds.​ ​ 🏈 Sun Devils at #16 Kansas State​ ​Did you not hear about this? Whether it was Desmond Howard's slight on College Gameday or ASU's lights-out first half performance, the Sun Devils have grabbed the attention of everyone throughout the country. Jordyn Tyson had 12 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and coupled with BYU's loss to Kansas, puts Arizona State in position for an appearance in the Big 12 title game. ​PHNX Postgame​ ​ ​🏒 Omaha 2 - Sun Devils 3 ​ASU notched its first-ever NCHC win behind goals from Ryan Alexander, Artem Shlaine and David Hymovitch. Luke Pavicich earned the win with a 20-save performance. ​ ​⚾️ AZ Fall League Championship​ Rafters 3 - Surprise Saguaros 2 ​Salt River brought home the title, and two D-Backs pitching prospects helped make it happen. Philip Abner allowed an earned run while striking out three in one inning of work, while Alfred Morillo allowed just one hit over two innings while striking out two. Tommy Troy finished 1-for-3, and was the only D-Backs hitter to appear in the game. Congrats to the Rafters!​ ​ ​🏒 Roadrunners 2 - Silver Knights 1 ​Tucson bounced back to split the weekend series in Henderson behind a two-goal night from Kailer Yamamoto. Jaxson Stauber made 26 saves in the win as the Roadrunners climbed back to within a game of .500. ​ ​​ ​Sunday, Nov. 17​ ​​ 🏀 Suns 117 - Timberwolves 120 ​Ouch. Devin Booker bounced back in a HUGE way with 44 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but Julius Randle's buzzer-beater sent the still-banged-up-Suns to their third straight loss. Grayson Allen added 18 points and five rebounds off the bench as Phoenix continues to grapple with injuries to Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. ​PHNX Postgame​ ​ ​🏀 Oregon St. 60 - Sun Devils WBB 79 ​Tyi Skinner led the Sun Devils with 21 points as the Sun Devils won their second consecutive game. ASU is 3-2 after starting the season 1-3, and faces No. 20 Kentucky in Tempe on Tuesday, Nov. 26. ​ ​🏀 St. Thomas 66 - Sun Devils MBB 81 ​Basheer Jihad led all scorers with 20 points, while Jayden Quaintance chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.​ ​ ​🏀 Valley Suns 122 - San Diego Clippers 129 ​The Suns made a late run but fell in San Diego despite Jaden Shackelford's 41 points. Mamadi Diakite chipped in 21 points and seven rebounds in the loss. RSVP TODAY!

⛽ CIRCLE K CIRCLING BACK

No Offense, but the Sun Devils Can't Find the Back of the Net ASU has had no issue competing in the NCHC, but why can't it score? Craig Morgan​ Read Article

Wildcats Show Heartbeat Heading into Final 2 Games Can Arizona win out? Anthony Gimino​ Read Article

'They Have a lot of Big Dreams' On doorstep of majors, Yu-Min Lin aims to show Taiwanese kids what is possible. Jesse Friedman​ Read Article

💬 THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID

"We know who they are, defending national champs. We know it's not gonna be easy to play. If we play how we did tonight, we like our chances to get what we want."   ASU hockey sophomore forward David Hymoitch on facing No. 1 and defending national champion Denver next weekend. 📺 WHAT'S ON TAP ​ Monday, Nov. 18​ ​​ 🏀 Magic at Suns​ ​7 pm | 3TV / AZFS | Arizona Sports 98.7 FM ​PHNX Postgame​ 🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS So many to choose from, but Jordyn Tyson's grab was both gorgeous and huge, given the early advantage it helped the Sun Devils build. ​ Sun Devil Football @ASUFootball JORDYN TYSON, HIM 😈 📺 ESPN 📻 http://tunein.com/big12radio 5:53 PM • Nov 16, 2024 62 Retweets 638 Likes Read 8 replies ​ ⁉️ THE PULSE

(results to be posted in Tuesday's newsletter)
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Friday's poll: Are you concerned about Devin Booker's slow start?
​Yes: 83%
​No: 17%

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