RANDY METCALF/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore guard Will Bynum dunks his way to the slam dunk title at last year's Midnight Madness. The 5-foot-11 guard will defend his title tonight.

Where and When · What: "Midnight Madness" Where: McKale Center When: Doors open at 9:30 p.m. Cost: Free for all UA students

As the clock strikes midnight tonight, it will officially mark the opening of the first practice for the nation's No. 1 basketball team.

The Wildcat men's basketball team, ranked first in many pre-season polls, will share the moment with an expected 10,000 of their closest friends during "Midnight Madness." The women's team will also be a part of the night, but will not officially open practice until tomorrow.

Midnight Madness will include a slam-dunk contest, a three-point shooting competition and a 30-minute practice by the men's team.

"It's always fun to get practice started," said senior forward Luke Walton, who will be competing in the three-point contest with women's basketball player Shawntinice Polk and who declared himself to be the player to beat. "It's still a really fun event even with knowing that

I will have to come back tomorrow morning and start practice."

The Wildcats' first official practice is tomorrow morning, and that is closed to the media and general public.

The festivities tonight kick off when the No. 20 Arizona women's volleyball team takes the court at 8 p.m. to face the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Once the volleyball game is over, the court belongs to the basketball teams.

It will be the first time the four freshmen men ÷ Chris Dunn, Hassan Adams, Andre Iguodala and Chris Rodgers ÷ officially practice under newly enshrined Hall of Famer Lute Olson.

However, the most anticipated event of the night will be the slam-dunk contest, which will pit the two favorites ÷ sophomore Will Bynum and Adams ÷ against each other, where anything can happen. Two years ago, former Wildcat Richard Jefferson tried to jump over a cheerleader and kicked her in the face, then, on the second attempt, soared over the bruised cheer squad member en route to the title.

Sophomore forward Den-nis Latimore, who is competing again this year, said By-num ÷ the defending champion ÷ is not the favorite.

"I would have to say Hassan is the favorite ÷ he is unbelievable," Latimore said.

He would not reveal any of his dunks for tonight's competition. But him counting out Bynum could be bitter feelings from last season, when Bynum beat him in the finals with a windmill dunk.

"He cheated last year," Latimore said. "The judges felt sorry for him because he was so short."

Others competing in the slam-dunk contest will be Dunn and Iguodala.

In the three-point contest each men's player will be matched up with a women's basketball player. Rodgers and Amy Grzyb will shoot against Jason Ranne and Katrina Lindner, Salim Stoudamire and Natalie Jones will take on Rick Anderson and Julie Brase, and Gardner and Dee-Dee Wheeler will wrap it up against Walton and Polk.

"Salim has to be the favorite," sophomore center Channing Frye said.

Other activities planned for the night will be short skits involving the players, a speech by Olson, an autograph session, a performance by the band Tickle and Tom Arnold from the Best Damn Sports Show Period.