KEVIN B. KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat It's still undetermined whether or not senior Luke Walton will be able to play Sunday against Texas after hurting his ankle in practice on Monday. The undefeated Wildcats face the Longhorns, who are coming off their first loss, Sunday at home.

Oh, what could have been this weekend ·

A matchup that could have pitted the No. 1 and No. 2 college basketball teams against each other Sunday in McKale Center was ruined a week before with Texas losing to Notre Dame. But that doesn't mean the game between the two powerhouses will lose its luster.

It will feature two of the best point guards in the country in UA senior Jason Gardner and Texas sophomore T.J. Ford.

Ford, who has been the Longhorns' most consistent player, was named the BB&T Classic Tourney Most Valuable Player after scoring 21 points and dishing out 12 assists against the Irish in a losing effort.

"We have to do a good job on T.J.," assistant coach Josh Pastner said. "He has the ability to break down a defense and he will cause matchup problems. We need to stop his penetration and not allow him to pass the ball to open players."

But Texas (5-1) has had more firepower this season than just Ford. Both James Thomas and Brandon Erskin average more than 12 points and Thomas pulls down nearly 12 boards a game.

"Our first four opponents were good teams, but we're excited to play Texas," Pastner said. "It's a highly anticipated match, but we prepare every match like it's the National Championship because this helps avoiding a possible letdown against lesser opponents."

Texas averages 84.0 points per game, shoots 46.1 percent from the floor and posts a plus 9.2 rebound margin, while limiting the opposition to just 70.3 points and a 40.6 FG percentage.

The Wildcats (4-0) will have to play without the full services of senior Luke Walton, who is once again hampered by an ankle injury and might not be full strength come Sunday.

He hurt the same right ankle that forced him out of games earlier this year in practice on Monday.

All Pastner would say about the injury yesterday is that it's still to be determined how severe the injury is. The team had the day off yesterday and all players were not available to speak with the media. The team trainer wasn't in his office either.

The Texas game will not be the only game the Wildcats will have to play over winter break. UA will also open its Pac-10 schedule when it plays No. 5 Oregon on Jan. 2 in Eugene.

The Wildcats will play Oregon State on the road two days later.

So far this season, the Pacific 10 Conference has named two Players of the Week, and both have been members of the Ducks ÷ Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson.

Arizona will also play host to Davidson, Florida State and Boston University in the Fiesta Bowl Classic Dec. 28 and Dec. 30 at McKale Center.

The Wildcats will host the Washington schools on Jan. 8 and 11th.