By James Kelley

	It's been eight years since the Wildcats appeared in a bowl game, but that doesn't stop the UA faithful from enjoying a little pigskin. Rick Scuteri/US PRESSWIRE

Best student section: Football. While the basketball team is an elite program and the football squad hasn't been to a bowl game since 1998, the gridiron Wildcats still enjoy the best home field advantage. The 2,500-seat Zona Zoo has yet to sell out a hoops game this season, but the UA sold nearly 12,000 Zona Zoo passes, essentially football season tickets with free admission to volleyball, women's basketball, gymnastics, softball and baseball contests plus the rights to buy men's hoops tickets. The football zoo has been a sea of red.

Tucson's sport: Golf. Sure the mall gets packed with soccer balls, Frisbees or footballs, and softball has become such a force in Tucson that Pima Community College has won two of the last three national titles with local players. Butgolf has taken over the city. This year, the Accenture Match Play Championships will bring Tucsonians some February Madness. The UA golf teams have had great success, too, winning the 1992 men's championship, the 1996 and 2000 women's titles, and producing greats like Annika Sorenstam, Jim Furyk and Lorena Ochoa.

Best sports major: Racetrack Industry. UA students can get into the Sport of Kings with a business or equine management emphasis. The program covers the racing industry, race track management marketing, animal care and management and regulatory issues, and racing law. The program's alumni include Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher, the leading trainers by earnings in 2004.

Best place to hang out before or after class: The Student Union Memorial Center. The biggest student union in the country is where you can grab a bite, surf the internet, catch a comedy act, or buy a CD. It even has a room where you can breast-feed (babies only, thanks).The SUMC is split in two by the canyon -- an allusion to the Grand Canyon State's nickname -- and features a mini-museum in honor of the USS Arizona, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor. One of the battleship's two bells is rung after wins over out-of-state schools.

Best college sports atmosphere: Icecat games. Arizona's club team is among college hockey's leaders in attendance. Games are held at the Tucson Convention Center, which is not on campus, so beer is sold. Rowdy fans chant "He shoots! He scores! Hey, goalie you suck!" and "It's all your fault" after Icecat goals.

Richard Jeffeson and Luke Walton are two Arizona alums making a name for themselves in the NBA. AP

Best place to catch UA alums: The NBA. Last year, the Nets drafted Hassan Adams, who joined ex-Cat Richard Jefferson in Jersey. Adams was the UA's 27th NBA draft pick since 1989, tying the school with Duke. Luke Walton has become one of Kobe Bryant's right hand men in Los Angeles,  UA alumnus Robert Sarver owns the Phoenix Suns, a purchase that Olson and former Wildcat and TNT analyst Steve Kerr, a minority owner, helped set up.

Best place to go after a victory: University Boulevard. Also known as Main Square, the section just outside the former main entrance to the UA is home to over 50 shops and restaurants, including student favorites Frog & Firkin, No Anchovies, and Gentle Ben's Brewery -- each inhabiting old houses and a Marriott. A stop at Dirtbag's Bar and Grill is also a must.

Best of both worlds: Golf and Ski Day. During Tucson's winters, you can golf and ski on the same day, thanks to Mt Lemmon, the country's southern-most ski resort.

Neatest building on campus: The Integrated Learning Center. A building like no other, it's located not in the middle of the mall, but underneath it. The ILC contains 14 state of the art classrooms and is connected to the main library.

Best bang for your entertainment buck: Arizona softball and baseball games. Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium is widely regarded as the top college softball venue, and it features a video scoreboard. Sancet Stadium, home of the baseball team, is in the midst of an extensive renovation that will turn the ancient ballpark into a rival of the top spring training venues. Last year, lawn seats (where attractive co-eds lay out) and a video scoreboard were added. This year, a plaza to honor the Bat Cats' rich history is among the additions. General admission tickets cost $5 for each team.

Best game to see: Homecoming. In 1914, Arizona became one of the first schools to celebrate the annual tradition, and the first in the West. Instead of hosting a directional school or some other cupcake, Arizona took on No. 7 UCLA in 2005 and No. 8 Cal last year. Naturally, the Wildcats blew out the Bruins and beat the Bears.

Best invention: U of A "butt shorts." The perfect fusion of Arizona's female talent and nearly year-round shorts weather, they come in red or blue with U of A written on the backside. They're pretty famous -- for obvious reasons.

Best side trip: Tombstone. The "Town too tough to die" is a little over an hour from Tucson, and the local newspaper Tombstone Epitaph is produced by UA journalism students. Also, Biosphere 2 is 20 minutes from Tucson; Mexico is about an hour. Old Tucson Studios, an 1800s town where famous Westerns suchs as Tombstone, Three Amigos and four John Wayne flicks were filmed is just outside the city.