By
Ryan Finley
Psychic says things are looking up for Cats
With all the upsets that occurred in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, yesterday I did something that I should have done before I sunk a lousy 10 bucks into my tournament pool.
I talked to a psychic.
Maria Adams of Readings by Maria, a small palmistry shop on Alvernon, has been in the business for more than 22 years. She's said she's answered all sorts of questions, some of which she said were sports-related.
And guess what? She sees the Wildcats going deep into the NCAA Tournament. Well, duh.
It seems like everybody from ESPN's Jay Bilas and Dan Patrick to my little brother Chris see the Wildcats as the nation's best team.
"I see a lot of good things," Maria said. "They are going to go far into the tournament, probably into the Final Four."
In order to get into the tournament, UA will have to defeat both Ole Miss and either Kansas or Illinois, but - of course - Maria knew that already.
As to which one of the teams the Wildcats might play, she was sketchy.
She said that a recent cold had left her mentally hurting, and the cold medicine she had taken was forcing her to be picked up from work a little early.
"My husband's coming to pick me up now," she said, hurriedly. "Right now, my mind just doesn't ..."
"Work clearly," I interrupt, instantly amazed at my new mind-reading talent.
Maybe I've picked up a little psychic power of my own, or maybe the years of being a sportswriter have given me a sense of knowing when I'm being given the brush-off.
Maria, though sick, did say that the Wildcats are going to be led by two players who will stand out this weekend, and probably in the title game.
She wouldn't give any descriptions or initials, not even a jersey number. But she did say that one of the two players will be in the national spotlight very soon, perhaps even for off-the-court woes.
"There are going to be two players that are going to do well," she said. "One is going to be in the news quite often - it's something that's coming very soon. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know. I feel he will be in the news a lot."
She said those two players will be "going out into the professional field" at the conclusion of the basketball season, though she was unclear as to whether they would be entering the NBA Draft prematurely.
Lute Olson is 66-years-old and could return for next season, regardless of whether Arizona goes all the way this year, according to Maria.
"I think he probably does have a couple more years in the tank," she said. "Whether he wants to do that or not, he's going to do very well in whatever he does."
Overall, she was optimistic about Arizona's chances in the tournament. As a longtime Tucsonan, she said she feels the basketball team's success will be good for the community.
While she has never been to an Arizona basketball game and only follows sports "a little bit here and there," Maria said that a possibly-serious injury could stand in the Wildcats' path.
"I think one of their players might get hurt," she said. "It's not like in football, where somebody's always getting hurt. They have to be really careful."
After all the problems the UA basketball team has been through this year - the suspensions, the controversy and the death of Bobbi Olson - could this team end up eventually being cosmically charmed?
"Spiritually, yes," Maria says, the sound of her cold finally coming through. "There's an angel (watching over them)."
Wow. It's like she has ESP...N, or something.
