Arizona Apologizes For Derogatory Chant Against BYU In MBB

The Arizona Wildcats have issued an apology for a derogatory chant by fans directed at the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team.

On Saturday night, the unranked Cougars visited Tucson for a matchup with the No. 19 Wildcats. As the game reached its end, there was a controversial no-call on Arizona guard Caleb Love that swung the game in BYU’s favor. That - and the ensuing 96-95 loss for the Wildcats - got the fans so upset that they started to chant a derogatory cheer at the Cougars.

Naturally, that created quite the stir of a reaction, since that was not a great thing to yell at your opponent. As such, Arizona released a statement apologizing for the incident.

"Following tonight's men's basketball game, it was brought to our attention that an unacceptable chant occurred," Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois said in a statement. "On behalf of the University of Arizona Athletic Department, we apologize to BYU, their student-athletes, coaches and fans. The chant is not reflective of who we are and should not have happened."

TUCSON, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders #15 and Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley #0 during the first half of a basketball game between the BYU Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats on February 22, 2025, at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ. (Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Short, simple, to the point. The chant was certainly not something that painted Arizona in a good light, but at the same time, it wasn’t something that required a massive, drawn-out response. Reed-Francois handled the apology perfectly.

In the most recent AP Poll, the Cougars were ranked No. 25 while the Wildcats were No. 22. The schools do not play each other for the rest of the regular season.