Win over KU truly sweet for Wildcats

Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona's Mike Bibby flies over Kansas gaurd Jacque Vaughn, rear, during the second half of their NCAA Southeast semifinal game Friday in Birmingham, Ala.

But on Friday night, that speed bump derailed the seemingly invincible Kansas train, changing its course from Indianapolis to home in Lawrence as the Wildcats (22-9) defeated the Jayhawks (34-2), 85-82.

"We'd like to congratulate Arizona. They played a magnificient game," KU head coach Roy Williams said. "We made a great run at them and they were tough enough to withstand and make the plays that they had to make down the stretch."

The young Wildcats didn't cower under the shadow of the mighty Jayhawks, even displaying an air of confidence in the pregame press conference.

Upon hearing that the team was 11-point underdogs in Friday's game, UA junior forward Michael Dickerson said begged to differ

"Eleven point underdogs? That's not fair at all," he said. "We should be favored by five or six."

That confidence carried into the game as Arizona took the play right at the bigger Jayhawks. Led by sophomore center A.J. Bramlett, the Wildcats used an edge in frontcourt quickness to force KU senior center Scott Pollard into early foul trouble. He finis hed with no points and five fouls.

"I thought we matched their physicalness. That is a big part of (Pollard's game) and the whole Kansas team," Bramlett said. "We came out with the intensity we needed to have. We may not be as big as they are, but if you play as hard as you can sometimes y ou can offset that strength with quickness."

Yet the major strength of Arizona's frontcourt throughout the tournament has been its unity. Whether in passing, rebounding or playing defense, the Wildcats have thrown Bramlett and a three-headed monster at each opponent - Donnell Harris, Bennett Davison and Eugene Edgerson.

"That was our whole key," Davison said. "It was a combination of me, Gene and Donnell. We played our hearts out."

While the frontcourt was one key component, freshman guard Mike Bibby gave a spirited individual performance to lead the backcourt. With poise uncharacteristic of a freshman, Bibby slammed the door on a late Kansas run by scoring ten points in the final s even minutes. He finished the most important game of his young basketball career with 21 points, five assists and two steals.

"I see a bright future for him," KU guard Jacques Vaughn said. "He had a lot of composure on the court and he does a good job of realizing the people who are playing with him. They are a very perimeter-oriented team and he takes advantage of that."

While the win did not end with a ring or the traditional cutting of the nets, its impact on the Arizona basketball program cannot be underestimated.

"I think the message we sent was that we weren't intimidated at all," UA junior guard Miles Simon said. "We saw in the Birmingham newspapers that they were talking about Kansas and 'those other guys.'

"We had something to prove. We came out and we did it."