As the weekend games in Washington showed, this year's Arizona men's basketball team isn't likely to blow too many teams out this season, especially for the remainder of Pacific 10 Conference play. Every team in the conference sees this as the year they can finally punk the Wildcats after losing for so long, as Oregon proved in two straight games.

So, for the Wildcats to avoid any more embarrassing slip-ups during conference play, here are five humble suggestions from yours truly. And in case you have a coaching position available, Lute, my e-mail address is at the bottom.

1) Use the full-court press on a full-time basis. If there's one indisputable fact about this team, it's that it's not short on athleticism. At every position except small forward (surprisingly enough), the Wildcats are likely to be faster than their counterparts. When you consider that UA is small compared to many teams, it makes sense to utilize a defense that stresses speed over everything else. Look at the bench of this team and you see a bunch of guys who love to run around the court, especially the team leader, junior point guard Jason Gardner.

Furthermore, every time the Wildcats have gone to the press for an extended period of time, the offense has responded. A perfect example was during the Oregon State game last week, when everyone's favorite walk-on since "Rudy," Anas Fellah, came in during the first half to assist in running the press. It took no more than 15 minutes for the Wildcats to come back from a 21-point deficit. After the game, the players were almost unanimous in saying that a faster tempo suited their offensive and defensive tastes.

2) Exploit the match-up problems the Wildcats can create. While his absence probably cost the Wildcats the Oregon games and made the Oregon State game closer than necessary, Luke Walton's injury forced Lute Olson to do something he was loath to try - a three-guard lineup. The trio of Gardner, Will Bynum and Salim Stoudamire raised the energy level of the Wildcats. While the results weren't always great, it was easy to see this lineup could cause serious problems for opponents. In the frontcourt, the Wildcats are also the possessors of three big men, two of whom are very athletic for their position and are roughly the same height. Add to that Walton, who's an oversized point guard and Ricky Anderson, who's an oversized shooting guard, and the Wildcats can give most teams headaches with different lineups. Imagine the match-up havoc a lineup of Dennis Latimore, Channing Frye, Isaiah Fox, Walton and Anderson would create.

3) Get to the hoop. Still on the topic of athleticism, there's no excuse for how rarely the Wildcats are around the basket. Gardner, Stoudamire and Bynum are all capable of getting to the hoop when they want, yet they don't seem to want to very often. If the Wildcats want to beat USC and UCLA this week, they're going to need to win the lay up battle. Bynum separates the great teams from the good ones, and getting to the hoop is all about exerting your will. As soon as the Wildcats are feared for their slashing ability, everything else falls into place: More free-throw opportunities, more open looks from the perimeter and higher shooting percentages - an area of extreme concern for the coaching staff.

4) Have Luke bring the ball up. It's a general consensus that it will be easier for Gardner to score if he's coming off the ball, and considering that Walton's the best passer on the team, it makes sense to have him man the point. And it wouldn't stop him from occupying the high post either. If the Wildcats suffer from one thing, it's that they often don't pass the ball enough. Having Walton touching the ball as often as possible would rectify this.

5) Stop whining. Look, I know that Pac-10 officials suck. I know missed calls have hurt the Wildcats, and may have altered the outcome of a couple games. But leave the complaining to the homer UA fans and the coaching staff. On more than one occasion, UA players have failed to get back in transition defense because they were arguing with the refs. So take that sour look off your face, stop slapping the floor, and hustle back if a call doesn't go your way.