Rested Wildcats prepare for final Pac-10 push

JON HELGASON/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona freshman center Channing Frye throws down a one-handed dunk Wednesday against Arizona State in McKale Center. The Wildcats need to sweep Stanford and Cal at home this weekend to have a chance at the Pac-10 regular-season title.

Arizona head coach Lute Olson finally had an open weekend to relax, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

With just one weekend remaining in Pacific 10 Conference play and six teams - Oregon, California, Southern California, UA, Stanford and UCLA - contending for at least a share of the regular-season conference title, the Wildcats were able to watch other teams beat on each other from the comfort of Tucson.

"It was great," said freshman center Channing Frye of the weekend layover. "I feel great. Going to sleep in my own bed and seeing my little brother really got my mind ready."

Frye admitted his mind was not totally off basketball.

"I was watching films," Frye said. "Me and Isaiah (Fox) watched the USC game."

Olson said he hopes the freshness of his players' legs will be evident against Stanford on Thursday.

"I expect their legs are going to be better," Olson said. "The timing of (the break) was really good. I am sure the team welcomed the break."

Olson's team will need to be fresh, as it must pull out two home victories and rely on a little luck to end up with its first outright conference crown since 1998.

With six teams within two games of Pac-10 leader Oregon, the standings won't be solidified until the horn blows at the conclusion of the final conference game.

If the Ducks win their remaining games, they will be the regular-season champs and get the No. 1 seed in the Pac-10 tourney. A win in either game secures at least a share of the title.

While Oregon has played perfect basketball at home, winning all 16 of its games on McArthur Court, the Ducks have struggled on the road, going 3-5 in Pac-10 play and 4-7 overall, including losses at Massachusetts, Portland and Minnesota.

The Ducks also fell on the road to some of the conference's poorest teams in Washington and Arizona State, and were swept in the Bay Area by Cal and Stanford.

Oregon finishes its season on the road at USC and UCLA - two places where it has been notoriously tough to play.

The race won't get any clearer should Oregon lose.

USC is one game behind Oregon in the race for the regular-season title, and UCLA two wins back, meaning most eyes will be on Los Angeles this weekend.

Arizona sits in a three-way tie with USC and Cal one game behind Oregon.

Though the regular-season championship has lost a bit of its splendor due to the addition of the Pac-10 tournament, Olson said he still sees the regular-season title as the most important.

"(The regular-season title) means a lot more than winning the tournament," Olson said. "It would be very meaningful. When you talk, you talk about league championships. You don't talk about the (conference) tournament."