By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 12, 1998

UA, Nicholls St. look to push pace

The Nicholls State basketball team is presented with an interesting situation.

Tonight's opening-round game against top-seeded Arizona means a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The rub is that it could be an all-too-short one. You see, the Colonels like to get in the open court and push the ball with an up-tempo style.

Just like Arizona.

"Hopefully they won't try to slow it down like last year's game," Arizona forward Bennett Davison said of UA's win over South Alabama. "Let's see if they can run with us."

On paper, that's almost impossible.

The Wildcats enter the tournament as winners of 20 of their last 21 games and seem to thrive when they get steals and can push the ball up the court. If the Colonels try to run with the Wildcats, the game may be over by halftime.

The game tips off at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif., 25 minutes following the completion of the Tennessee-Illinois State game, which begins at 5:50 Tucson time.

"I think it's a good matchup," Arizona point guard Mike Bibby said. "I like teams that like to run with us."

As always, talk of a stunning upset follows the Wildcats like a dark cloud. Despite a national championship, the Wildcats are still haunted by Santa Clara and East Tennessee State. The No. 1 seed has never lost in the first round of the field of 64.

"There are still critics who talk about us losing in the first round," Bibby said. "We think we can win every game."

Actually, the Wildcats expect to win every game and many have said anything less than a repeat would be a disappointment. That's a lofty goal considering that only the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils have been able to repeat in the last three decades.

"Everybody was picking us to lose in the first round (last year)," Arizona forward Michael Dickerson said. "We watch TV, we hear things. But we play well under pressure."

And it doesn't get any more pressure filled than the six-game run to a national title. However, while Arizona thrives under pressure, it has been known to let up a bit when not as much is on the line - example: Southern Cal 91, UA 90.

"The switch has to stay on," Dickerson said. "We're just trying to buckle down and stay focused."

Arizona head coach Lute Olson likes to call the tournament a series of one game series.

"And if you don't play one-game seasons this time of year," he said, "you won't be around very long."

Nicholls State earned the automatic bid to the tournament by winning the Southland Conference championship. The team is led by tournament most valuable player Russell McCutcheon, a 6-foot-3-inch senior guard, and Kenderick Franklin, a 6-6 senior forward who is the team's leading scorer with 16.9 points a game.

The other matchups at Arco Arena are just as intriguing. Tennessee and Illinois State are playing for the right to face the Arizona-Nicholls State winner in Saturday's second round. The coaches, UT's Jerry Green and ISU's Kevin Stallings are among what seems like a myriad of former Kansas assistant coaches.

In today's morning session, Maryland will face Utah State at 12:42 Tucson time with the Illinois-South Alabama matchup set to begin 25 minutes following that game's completion. South Alabama, which gave Arizona a scare in last season's tournament, could do the same to Illinois since the Illini play a game similar to Arizona's. The Jaguars also return four starters from last year's squad.

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Nicholls State

(27-4, 17-1 Pac-10) (19-9, 15-1 Southland)

When: Tonight at 8:30

Where: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, Calif.

TV/Radio: The game will be televised on CBS and broadcast live by KNST (AM 790)

What: The game marks the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and the Colonels - This is the first No. 1 seed for the Wildcats since 1989 and UA's third overall - A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history - Nicholls State received an automatic bid after winning the Southland Conference tournament championship