Cats, Cardinal battle for postseason position

JON HELGASON/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona junior guard Jason Gardner - the Pac-10's second-leading scorer at 20.4 ppg - leads the Wildcats against Stanford tonight in McKale Center at 8:30.

Four weeks ago, Arizona was facing a turning point in its season.

After losing two games in a row, the Wildcats headed to the Bay Area for games against Stanford and California.

To the surprise of many, UA handed both teams their first home losses of the season.

Arizona was back on a roll.

When No. 14 Arizona (18-8, 11-5 Pacific 10 Conference) meets up with No. 17 Stanford (17-8, 10-6 Pac-10) tonight at 8:30, it will be the Cardinal who will be desperately looking to break a two-game losing skid and reposition itself for postseason seeding.

Arizona head coach Lute Olson said that Stanford's confidence is likely shaken after the losses at home to Southern California and UCLA.

"I don't think you're ever very confident when you drop a couple like that, particularly two at home," Olson said "I think young teams more than anybody, if you drop a couple, the confidence goes down. That's something that any team is going to battle if you're relatively inexperienced."

Associated Press Stanford junior guard Casey Jacobsen enters tonight's game in Tucson as the Pac-10's leading scorer, averaging 22.6 ppg.

Olson said though tonight's matchup does not directly affect the crowning of the Pac-10 champion as it has in seasons past, there is still a rivalry and a sense of urgency for both teams, especially Stanford, whose spot in the NCAA Tournament is now being questioned.

"There's no question that there has to be a sense of urgency," Olson said. "Everybody has a sense of urgency now. You've got two games left and a whole lot of crazy things could happen."

Bubble team or not, the fact remains that Stanford boasts one of the most dangerous inside-outside duos in the conference - possibly the country.

"The problems you're dealing with start with the first two names out of your mouth: Casey Jacobsen and Curtis Borchardt," Olson said. "Both of them created a lot of problems for us up there."

Jacobsen has been on a tear, averaging 22.6 points per game on the season - 27.6 in the last eight games, including a 49-point game against Arizona State on Jan. 31.

Olson said he has made his team very aware of All-American guard's potency.

"With Jacobsen, you just have to be really concerned with him all of the time," Olson said. "His range is so far beyond the 3-point line that it spreads your defense all over the place."

Stanford's outside presence is only half of the problem for Olson's club.

Borchardt leads the Pac-10 conference in rebounding with 11.2 per game, while averaging 16.5 points per contest.

The 7-foot center exploded for 25 points and 21 rebounds in a losing effort against Arizona Feb. 2.

"Borchardt killed us on the glass and from the field," Olson said. "Channing (Frye) was able to score well, and that was helpful, but Borchardt's work on the boards was outstanding, as it has been all year long."

Frye, who turned in an impressive 22-point, 10-rebound performance in the last meeting with the Cardinal, said the matchup with Borchardt will be difficult.

"I felt like I had to step up for my team (last game)," Frye said. "(Borchardt) is a legit player. He is smart about the game."

Freshman guard Salim Stoudamire said the rebounding responsibility falls not only on Frye and freshman center Isaiah Fox in the middle but the guards as well.

"We just have to box out and keep them off the boards," Stoudamire said. "You can't say anything else."