Frontcourt
Few would have thought that the Wildcats would be headed to the Final Four without a field goal from Michael Wright in the Regional Final against Illinois. Wright didn't even attempt a shot but it didn't matter because frontcourt mate Loren Woods made up for it at the free-throw line. Against Mississippi and Illinois, Woods was a combined 21 of 22 on foul shots. Most important for coach Lute Olson was that Arizona proved it had the mettle to play with one of the nation's most physical teams. Critics called Arizona too soft to outwrestle the stronger Illini, but with help from key reserves Gene Edgerson and Justin Wessel, UA showed otherwise. Two days earlier, Woods and Wright kept highly touted center Rahim Lockhart to 11 points.
Grade: B+
Backcourt/Wings
Arizona could not have asked for a more productive weekend from Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas. Jefferson put up 15 points and 11 rebounds Friday against Ole Miss, then switched his focus to defense when he held UI's Frank Williams to just 3-of-15 shooting. Arenas, who was named the weekend's Most Outstanding Player, scored 13 of Arizona's first 15 points against the Illini and finished with a game-high 21. Then, down the stretch, it was point guard Jason Gardner who buried a deep three-pointer and several free throws to secure the Final Four berth.
Grade: A
Bench
Though Olson did not go to his bench until nearly the 10-minute mark against Ole Miss, the reserves knew they would be playing a much more substantial role against Illinois. UI boasts one of the deepest lineups in college basketball, and Arizona's Luke Walton, Gene Edgerson and Justin Wessel did a decent job responding to that. The three combined for 16 points and nine rebounds Sunday, but they did an admirable job of clogging the lane on an Illinois team that was dead-set on pushing the ball inside.
Grade: B+
Coaching
In guiding Arizona to its fourth Final Four, it's hard to criticize Lute Olson under this season's given circumstances. Much praise should also go to Wildcat assistant Rodney Tention, who had the official scout on Illinois. It was also Tention that decided to have Jefferson guard the Illini's Williams. And the UA players finally found out why their coaches place so much emphasis on free throws in practice - the Wildcats got 43 of their 87 points at the charity stripe.
Grade: A
Defense
As if anyone really doubted Arizona's defensive proficiency before the Sweet 16, the Wildcats validated it by restricting Ole Miss and Illinois to just 39.7 percent from the field. Accompany that with these telling statistics - Arenas' four steals, Woods' seven blocks and Illinois' 36 personal fouls Sunday - and you've got to believe that Olson buys into the "Defenses win Championships" theory. Also, with so much said about the West-coast, finesse style of play being ineffective against brutish Big 10 basketball, the Wildcats proved they can bang with the best of 'em.
Grade A-
Daily Wildcat Midwest Regional MVPs
Loren Woods, Gilbert Arenas
Arizona fans have realized all season how special shooting guard Gilbert Arenas is. With the way he reeled off 18 first-half points in the Elite Eight Sunday, the sophomore is far from a secret weapon now. Woods, on the other hand, has always been in the spotlight, but for different reasons.
The oft-criticized center quieted critics by leading UA into the Regional Finals with just his third double-double of the season, then by hitting clutch free throws down the stretch Sunday to help UA upend Illinois. The key to Arizona's run through the tournament has been versatility, which the variance between Arenas and Woods typifies.
