At a high level, I agree with you. Rivalries, Playoffs, etc.
For season openers against non-conference opponents, I imagine locker-room material is a lot more motivating than it probably should be. These guys are not professionals. They pay attention to the media buzz surrounding their teams and what the other guys are saying. If they have locker-room material, they all of a sudden approach the game with the same level of focus as a rivalry game in order to make a statement.
It's not a good move by Bakri (A team captain, btw) to give Arizona any more motivation to come out firing hard.