Dickerson displays physical presence

Sunday, however, the threes were not falling, so Dickerson was forced to show that he can be a presence from the inside too.

The senior small forward grabbed six rebounds (five offensive) to go along with his 19 points as sixth-ranked Arizona defeated Oregon State 93-80 yesterday afternoon at McKale Center.

According to Dickerson, the statistician was not showing any favor toward him.

"They had me down at six rebounds," said Dickerson, who was averaging 4.4 rebounds a game prior to yesterday's contest. "I know that I had more than that."

It seemed like that, anyway, as Dickerson held his own in the paint, while doing a good job following his shots to get second chances.

And that is exactly what Lute Olson has been wanting from Dickerson.

"(Olson) asked myself and Miles (Simon) to get under the boards," Dickerson said. "That way we can lead the break."

Simon agreed that a rebounding Dickerson is critical to the Wildcats' success.

"That is what we look for from Mike," Simon said. "He is so strong, no one can keep him off the glass."

Although he showed a more physical side to his game, Dickerson did not let anyone forget that he can score when he wants to.

Dickerson and Simon lead the Wildcats in scoring with both averaging 18.1 points a game heading into Sunday's contest. The forward's output slipped recently, scoring 9 and 13 points in the previous two contests but he rebounded Sunday, going 7 for 17 from the field, although he only shot 1 for 5 from three-point land.

"Tonight, I couldn't hit the three," Dickerson said. "I just started to pull up and hit some twos."

Dickerson and Simon sparked a run near the end of the first half, scoring four of the last nine points, thanks to a jumper and a steal followed with a break away dunk. Their offense continued into the beginning of the second half, as they scored Arizona's first four points, including a lay in from a Mike Bibby lob.

"I hit a couple of shots, and Miles hit a couple of shots," Dickerson said. "The shots just started to feel good."

Like most of the Wildcats, Dickerson knew this game could be a workout before they meet Stanford.

"We know Stanford (is) the best rebounders," Dickerson said. "I decided to get a start on them tonight."