Shots, blocks over break

Men's basketball playing during holidays

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior guard Jason Terry (31) soars to the basket during Saturday's game against the Wyoming Cowboys at America West Arena. The Wildcat will take the University of California-Irvine Monday at McKale Center.

Opponent: UC-Irvine (2-3, 0-0 in Big West)

Game Date: Monday, Dec. 14 at 7:37 p.m.

Where: McKale Center

What: Irvine has struggled so far with the only wins coming at home against Stanilaus State and Northern Arizona. They have lost all three road games against Pepperdine, Portland and Pacific 10 Conference cellar-dweller Oregon State. The Anteaters are led by freshman guard Jerry Green (13.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game) and junior forward Mark Ondera (9 ppg, 8.6 rpg), but goes deep into their bench with eight players having seen time in all five games.

Opponent: Iowa State (5-2, 0-0 in Big 12)

Game Date: Saturday, Dec. 19 6:30 p.m.

Where: Las Vegas, Nev.

What: After finishing last season with a 12-18 record and an 11th place finish in the Big 12, the Cyclones have already chalked up a couple impressive games, including a win over Fresno State 79-70 behind 14 points and 8 rebounds from junior forward/center Klay Edwards. Iowa Sate also came close to beating Cincinnati on the road, but lost 60-52. Leading the way for Iowa State is sophomore forward Marcus Fizer, who is averaging 20.3 points and 7.9 per game. Before playing the Wildcats, Iowa State still has games left against Drake at home and on the road against in-state rival Iowa. The game is part of the Las Vegas Shoot-out with UNLV taking on Cincinnati in the other game.

Opponent: Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic

Game Date: Dec. 28 to Dec. 30

Where: McKale Center

What: The Wildcats first play Holy Cross (3-6, 0-0 Patriot league) in the first round while Penn State and Florida International play in the other game. The winners of each game will play for the championship Wed. Dec. 30 at 7:37 p.m. Holy Cross, once the home of Celtic great Bob Cousy, has been unimpressive so far losing to Fordham (60-57) and Rice (83-49). They still have road games against Brown and Boston College before heading to Tucson. Leading the Crusaders are sophomore forward Juan Pegues (11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and freshman guard Ryan Serravalle, who leads the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game. Assuming the Wildcats get by Holy Cross, they will meet either Penn State or Florida International in the second game. Penn State (5-1, 0-1 Big 10) has only lost to Ohio State, while beating Temple 65-64 behind Sophomore guard Joe Crispin's 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Florida International (4-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) started the season with a huge 69-62 win over Michigan, but has since evened out with a 21-point loss to North Carolina and an 80-69 loss to Akron. The Panthers are led by senior forward Raja Bell (14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and sophomore guard Carlos Arroyo, who leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game to go along with 5.1 assists per contest.

Opponent: UCLA

Game Date: Saturday, Jan. 2 at 7:37 p.m.

Where: Los Angeles

What: This will be the Pac-10 opener as both teams come in with freshmen expected to step up and take over the scoring lost last year to the NBA draft. For UCLA, freshmen forward/centers Jeromo Moiso (13.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Dan Gadzuric (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) have stepped up to starting roles, while sophomore guard Earl Watson has taken over the scoring lead with 12.8 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. The Bruins are 4-2, having lost to their only two serious opponents, Kentucky (66-62) and Maryland (70-54), but welcomed back sophomore guard Baron Davis in a 109-67 blowout over Delaware at home. Head coach Steve Lavin said that despite Davis' ability to play, he will not start for a while.

Opponent: Southern Cal

Game Date: Monday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m.

Where: Los Angeles

What: Henry Bibby's team has started off hot, compiling a 5-0 record with an average margin of victory of 15 points per game. Before facing the Wildcats, the Trojans will have faced Kansas and Arizona State. Bibby doesn't have any stars, but he has three players who average double digits in points and 10 players who average more than 10 minutes per game. Offensively, the Trojans are led by sophomore center Brian Scalabrine (14.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and freshman guard Brandon Granville (13.6 ppg, 7 apg).

Seth Doria can be reached via e-mail at Seth.Doria@wildcat.arizona.edu.