file photo/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Jason Gardner elevates for a layup last season in a game at McKale Center. Gardner, snubbed in last year's Wooden Award nominations, was named a preseason candidate for college basketball's most prestigious individual award.

A week ago, the UA men's basketball team was unranked. Monday, the Wildcats jumped all the way to No. 12 in the USA Today/ESPN Top-25 Coaches Poll.

In a twist typical of early-season polls, the Wildcats were still ranked lower than Maryland and Florida, the two teams Arizona defeated en route to an IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Championship last week in New York City.

The Terrapins, ranked No. 3 when the Wildcats defeated them 71-67 Thursday, fell to No. 6 in the latest poll. The Gators, who the Wildcats knocked off 75-71 Friday, dropped to No. 7.

Three other Pacific 10 Conference teams made the poll. UCLA rose two spots to No. 4; Stanford dropped one spot to No. 16, and USC climbed one spot to No. 23.

None of the three teams have played a game yet.

Duke remained No. 1 in the poll.

Jason Gardner finally got his chance yesterday.

A year after being the only Arizona starter snubbed from the John R. Wooden Award's watch list, UA's junior point guard was named a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award, college basketball's MVP award, and Wooden All-American Team.

Gardner, the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic's Most Valuable Player, is one of 50 national candidates vying for the annual award and one of six players from the Pac-10.

In two games this season, he averaged 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Southern California seniors Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal, Stanford junior Casey Jacobsen, senior Dan Gadzuric and unior Jason Kapono of UCLA join Gardner from the Pac-10 on the Wooden Award list.

Duke, the preseason No. 1 team in the country in both major polls, tops the list with four players nominated - junior point guard Jason Williams, junior center Carlos Boozer, sophomore guard Chris Duhon and junior swingman Mike Dunleavy. The Blue Devils beat UA 82-72 in last season's NCAA Tournament Championship Game.

Iowa senior Luke Recker, who came to Arizona in 1999 but transferred before playing a game at UA, is also on the list. Before he transferred to Arizona, Recker starred at Indiana under then-head coach Bob Knight.

Though Gardner is in elite company, he is the lone Wildcat on the list - a far cry from last season, when center Loren Woods, forwards Michael Wright and Richard Jefferson and guard Gilbert Arenas were all on the preseason list.

Currently, Woods, Jefferson and Arenas are playing in the NBA after leaving school early, and Wright agreed yesterday to play for the ABA's Phoenix Eclipse, which tips off its season Dec. 28 at the Veterans' Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

Of the 50 players selected yesterday, just four - Jacobsen, Jason Williams, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince and Illinois' Frank Williams - were named Wooden Award All-Americans last season.

No freshmen were on the list because the candidates were selected based on last year's individual performance and team records.

The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced March 26.

One member of the Wooden Award All-American Team will be selected April 7 as the recipient of the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation's "Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year."

The Wooden Award will be given out at the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will telecast on Fox Sports Net.