Wildcats host Washington St. with eye on NCAA's

Karen C. Tully Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman guard Mike Bibby drives to the hoop against Southern Cal. The Wildcats host Washington State tonight at McKale Center.

No. 15 Arizona (17-7 overall, 9-5 in the Pacific 10 Conference) is trying to recover from a rough road trip to Oregon and the Cougars (12-14, 4-10) might be the cure the Wildcats are looking for. The two teams square off tonight at 6:37 at McKale Center.

"This is a game we're supposed to win, and we have to win if we want to get a good seed in the (NCAA) Tournament," UA freshman guard Mike Bibby said. "We need to go in and start pressure from the beginning and control the tempo."

The Cougars have been snake-bit on the road all season. With three losses by two points or less on road games this season, their only road win is against Oregon State.

Their hopes rest on the shoulders of senior guard Isaac Fontaine. Fontaine is second in the conference in scoring at 21.8 points per game. He leads the Cougars with 34 steals and 61 three-pointers.

Fontaine's 32 points in the last meeting between the schools is the most points Arizona has allowed any one player to score all season.

"He killed me last time," UA sophomore guard Jason Terry said. "He is just a great scorer. You can't really stop him, you just have to try and contain him."

The Cougars have also seen improved play from their young supporting cast. Freshmen Blake Pengelly and Chris Crosby helped Washington State defeat California last weekend by adding 32 points off the bench.

"They really have gotten a lot of production from their young guys," UA coach Lute Olson said. "Pengelly has been playing more and he is becoming a very good shooter."

Arizona has been led by a resurgent Michael Dickerson and the steady improvement of Bibby.

Dickerson has scored over 20 points in three of his last four games, with his most recent 29 point effort coming against Oregon State.

Bibby has boosted his scoring average to 13.1 points per game, while dishing out 133 assists to 67 turnovers this season.

As to Arizona's priorities to what it will take to win the game, three words come to Dickerson's mind- stop Isaac Fontaine.

"Isaac (Fontaine) is the key to the game," Dickerson said. "We need to prevent his penetration and limit his effectiveness on offense."