KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat

UA freshman forward Dennis Latimore goes up for a rebound against two Maryland defenders last week during the first game of the Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Classic. Latimore and the Wildcats travel to Austin tomorrow to take on the No. 23 Longhorns.

Wildcats battle Longhorns in another top-25 matchup

The tests just keep on coming for the young Arizona basketball squad, which jumped from unranked to No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

After winning the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the Wildcats travel to the Lone Star state for a match-up against a physical No. 23 Texas team.

"It's different to play in a neutral site than it is to play on somebody's home court," head coach Lute Olson said. "That's the test we have to take as a team. I think Madison Square Garden, even though there were a lot of Maryland fans there, still isn't like the college environment we are facing in Texas."

Junior forward Rick Anderson said the UA freshmen will be in for a surprise when they take the floor in front of 16,175 fans wearing Longhorn white and orange.

"These freshmen don't know anything about a hostile crowd," Anderson said. "Madison Square Garden was a neutral site."

Arizona (2-0) will be without the element of surprise it had against Maryland and Florida. After knocking off two Top 10 teams in two days, the Wildcats cannot count on coming in below the UT radar.

Junior forward Luke Walton said while Arizona's mindset will not change, he thinks other teams are beginning to pay attention to the newly ranked Wildcats.

"We have always had expectations," Walton said. "It was the other people around the country that had no expectations for us. Now they start saying 'wow, they really are good.'"

UT will try to snap a five-game losing streak to Arizona this weekend. Last year, the Wildcats pounded the Longhorns 80-52 in Tucson.

Texas will rely heavily on seasoned veterans, but like Arizona, the contributions of freshmen will be needed.

First-year point guard T.J. Ford gets his chance to prove he belongs among the nation's top floor generals when he matches up against a young UA backcourt, led by junior Jason Gardner.

"T.J. Ford was one of the outstanding high school point guards in the country last year," Olson said. "He's played on state championship teams. He knows what it takes to win. It will be a big challenge."

Playing a collegiate debut at home might seem like the ideal situation, but Olson said sometimes a player gets too comfortable in front of his home fans.

"When you're playing at home, it is like a security blanket," Olson said. "When you get on the road, your only friends are usually your teammates. That will be the true test for (Ford), as it is for any true freshman point guard."

Olson said a key to the game is ball control, because both teams like to run.

"We expect there to be a lot of action," Olson said. "Texas wants to run, and they have made it obvious that they want to get that shot up quickly."

Another key to the game will be rebounding. Led by pre-season All-American Chris Owens, the Longhorns are tough in the post - something the Wildcats have already seen against Maryland and Florida.

"It is going to be very physical inside," Anderson said. "They are in the Big 12 Conference. It will be a physical beating. They are going to be a tough team defensively. We are going to have to step it up."