By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Call him the most nervous man in Tucson.
Brad Dancer, the UA women's tennis coach, will be on edge Saturday afternoon when the Arizona basketball team takes on Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament's National Semifinal game in Minneapolis.
When the game tips off, Dancer will be forced to choose between his employer and his alma mater.
Dancer, a former Spartan, graduated from Michigan State in 1993 after a four-year career on the tennis team. During his tenure in East Lansing, the Mason, Mich., native was a four-time Big Ten All-Academic Team member and All Big Ten his senior season.
"It's definitely going to be an intense game," he said. "Both of my sets of grandparents went to Michigan State and both my parents did, too. I grew up a Spartan fan my entire life."
Dancer - who rooted for former MSU stars Gregory Kelso, Scott Skiles and the legendary Earvin "Magic" Johnson when he was younger - said he will secretly root for Arizona rather than his alma mater.
His prediction: Arizona 79, MSU 78.
"I'm going to be pulling for the Cats," he said. "The way I'm looking at it, I'm going to have somebody to root for Monday night (in the championship game)."
Unfortunately for the coach, getting in front of a television to watch the game might be more stressful than watching the Final Four matchup itself.
The No. 43 Wildcat women will take on Tulsa at noon Saturday at the Robson Tennis Center. The basketball game begins at 4 p.m..
"We've got to get that match out as soon as we possibly can," Dancer said. "Then I'm going to head to a bar and watch the game."
Dancer said that while he doesn't get much of a chance to watch basketball games, he thinks Arizona and the Spartans should match up well.
Though the women's tennis offices are located in McKale Center, he said that he's usually working during games.
"I'm working a lot, but (Arizona) is a great team to watch," he said. "They parallel Michigan State quite a bit. Its going to be fun to watch (UA junior forward Richard) Jefferson and (MSU sophomore forward) Jason Richardson matchup. They're both tremendous athletes."
Despite the differences in climate and location, Dancer said the two schools have a lot in common.
"They're both nationally recognized schools - there's a lot of parallels in that sense," he said. "They're both great schools in athletics and academics."
Finally, he said the difference in the game will be a combination of two things: the play of Arizona sophomore guard Gilbert Arenas and the Wildcats' overall age. Of Arizona's top eight players, three are seniors, two are juniors and three are sophomores.
"Experience works in a lot of ways," he said. "Sometimes, it makes people more tight. It can be a hindrance, but you know how badly you want it. The UA basketball team was there last year. The bottom line is - whoever plays better on that given day will win."
