No. 1 ĪCats can't afford to slip up against Stanford tonight at home

If there is one glaring advantage that Arizona has over its opponents, it's depth. When it comes to Stanford, that edge is monstrous.

Not only is Stanford an inexperienced team ÷ it lost two would-be seniors Casey Jacobsen and Curtis Borchardt to the NBA draft ÷ but it is an unhealthy one ÷ Justin Davis is coming back from a knee injury after missing five games, and Chris Hernandez is out for the year with a broken foot. [Read article]

The last time Arizona played Oregon State was at the beginning of January, with the Wildcats dominating the Beavers 72-44 at McKale Center. However, the Wildcats' coaches and players aren't expecting the same result this time around.

"They will come out with a little bit of a different game plan," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "They are a much better team at home, and it should be a battle." [Read article]

Six sophomore Gymcats are ready to show their claws

Looking at the McKale Center stands at their first gymnastics meet at Arizona, then-freshmen Monica Bisordi and Katie Johnson didn't like what they saw: empty seats.

Everywhere they looked, they had trouble finding people who were there to watch them in the 14,000-plus capacity arena.

If they were lucky, they would have a couple hundred fans watching them, nowhere near the thousands of people schools like Alabama and Georgia have at their meets. [Read article]

Today marks a new era for the Arizona baseball program.

The Wildcats open their 2003 season today ÷ the 100th in the program's history, against Brigham Young University ÷ with a collection of new freshmen and five new position players.

In the past century, UA has made 14 College World Series appearances and posted 2,248 victories. However, the team's illustrious history hasn't made the roster nervous about today's opener. [Read article]

Candy-stealing incident

I seriously doubt all of the facts will ever come to light, and I am in no position to make a judgment. The team knows it is constantly in the limelight, anything it does will be scrutinized, and many people would jump on the opportunity to break a story involving a scandal no matter how small or chocolate covered. The players have pretty much already been branded candy swipers regardless of what the investigation brings to light. Fellas, just stay out of trouble, or don't wear your Arizona gear when you lick your fingers clean. [Read article]