Top coaches face off

Charles C. Labenz Arizona Daily Wildcat UA junior forward Bennett Davison and the rest of the Wildcat play North Carolina in the Final Four on Saturday. Davison had 14 points and 12 rebounds against Providence.

Lute Olson and the Wildcats have made 13-consecutive NCAA Tournaments, third behind Dean Smith's Tar Heels (23) and Georgetown (14). Counting this year, the two also combine for five Final Four appearances since 1993.

"There have been three coaches that have a big influence on my career as a head coach. They are John Wooden (UCLA), Pete Newell of Cal and Coach (Dean) Smith," Olson said. "(Smith's) influence on coaching is visible everywhere. You look at Kansas and (former Smith assistant) Roy Williams and you see the same style."

Smith has 879 career wins, which surpassed Adolph Rupp's 876 to give him the most ever, and has his team riding a 16-game winning streak entering Saturday's game.

He has also taken four teams to the Final Four since 1990, with each team composed of four different starting lineups.

"Coach Smith has accomplished some great things, and you have to respect that," UA junior guard Miles Simon said. "He will have his team as ready as they can be for us."

Olson, however, is no stranger to success. In 24 years of coaching, he has amassed 533 wins and four Final Four appearances. Olson defeated Smith, 70-52 in their only tournament meeting in the Regional Finals in 1988.

With that success comes a reputation. Both coaches are known for their players having a future in basketball after college. That fact accounts for both teams' success in recruiting as well.

"Coach Olson has a great reputation for having his players play basketball after they graduate," UA junior forward Michael Dickerson said. "Whether if it's the NBA or overseas, his players have a career in basketball after Arizona. I want to play after college and that's why I came here."

Once again, UA junior forward Bennett Davison will square off with an All-American performer in the NCAA Tournament when he guards UNC forward Antawn Jamison. The two met in the first game between the two schools which Arizona won, 83-72.

Previous victims of Davison's defensive pressure include Kansas All-American Raef LaFrentz, Utah All-American Keith Van Horn and Providence senior Austin Croshere. Arizona hopes that the outcome will be similar to his other performances, with each of the three games amounting to Wildcat victories.

"Bennett has done a great job for us in some tough matchups," UA sophomore center A.J. Bramlett said. "He does a great job of forcing them to play in a way that they aren't accustomed to."

When Davison faced Jamison in the first meeting, he held the sophomore forward scoreless in the first half. He finished with 11 points. Since that game, Jamison has averaged 19.1 points per game.

"I think it's a lot easier to get ready for a player like Van Horn or Jamison then somebody not quite as well known," Davison said. "I just try and deny that player the ball. If they don't have the ball, it's tough for them to hurt you."

The marquee matchup in Satuday's game might be the battle between freshmen point guards Mike Bibby of Arizona and Ed Cota of UNC. The stats for the two are comparable with Bibby owning a slight scoring advantage. Cota is scoring 8.1 points and 7.0 assists per game while Bibby is averaging 13.1 points and 5.3 assists.

"I think Cota is comparable to a young Jacques Vaughn," Olson said. "He is an excellent passer and does not make a lot of mistakes. I think a lot of that is due to the similar styles run in both Kansas and North Carolina. They rely on screens instead of penetration like a Providence."

Bibby downplayed the magnitude of the battle of the two point guards.

"Cota is a great point guard," Bibby said. "But I think our team defense is more important than just one player. And right now, we are doing real well in our defense as a team."

In Arizona's November victory, the key for the Wildcats was Dickerson's shooting. Dickerson shot 12 of 22 from the field with seven three-pointers on his way to 31 points. While Dickerson feels he will still get some quality shots, he is not expecting to get quite as many.

"In the first game, I was able to find a lot of openings in their zone," Dickerson said. "Coach Smith is a great coach and I know the I won't get those kind of looks (this time). We will have to rely on motion and moving without the ball this time."