After each UA basketball game, Lute Olson sits down with the media and reads over the official box score while he sips on an orange Gatorade.

Usually he points out the things his team does wrong ÷ for example, free-throw shooting against Stanford ÷ but Saturday night there wasn't much he could say that was negative.

"I am very pleased with the effort we got from all the players," Olson said. "We did a great job doing what we needed to do to limit their shots."

For the first time in a long time the Wildcats played Arizona basketball for 40 minutes in its 95-80 win against Cal to claim the top spot in the conference.

The differences from Thursday to Saturday were remarkable.

· Six players scored in double figures against Cal, compared to just two against the Cardinal.

· Arizona shot 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, while shooting just 53.8 percent against Stanford.

· The Wildcats had only eight turnovers, two in the final two minutes on Saturday, after having 19 in Thursday's loss.

· UA won the rebounding "war" as Cal coach Ben Braun likes to call it, 44-36, after getting out-rebounded 43-39 against Stanford. It was the first time in 10 games that the Wildcats' opponent pulled down more boards.

· Arizona seniors Luke Walton and Jason Gardner had a combined 13 assists with only one turnover. Thursday the duo had just eight assists and converted seven turnovers.

· The Wildcat freshmen combined for 24 points Saturday and just 14 points Thursday.

· Senior Rick Anderson rebounded from a season-low four points Thursday to score 15 points against the Golden Bears. Anderson was three-of-three from behind the arc.

From the numbers alone the Wildcats received the wake-up call they needed. Arizona might not be undefeated in the Pacific-10 Conference anymore after Thursday's loss, but the defeat may have righted the ship.

"In the Stanford game we were flat and any time you lose a game, you're going to be more focused in the next game,'' said sophomore Salim Stoudamire. Stoudamire also had a much better game Saturday, scoring 15 points, compared to just three on Thursday. "We don't like to lose.''

It's funny after a game how coaches always point out the same things that caused their team to lose. Saturday night after the game Braun cited nearly the same things that caused his team to lose as Olson did just two days before.

"We didn't get the defensive stops or secure defensive rebounds," Braun said. "We couldn't get the consistency that we wanted."

The loss clearly angered the UA players and they took out their frustrations on Cal, a team that could have been in first place in the Pac-10 but now is tied for second with Stanford.

"It was a different team and we came to play," said sophomore guard Hassan Adams, who scored 10 points. "That loss hurt us, but we bounced back."

The win wasn't really the best effort the Wildcats could put out, but it was a solid one.

"Ever see a coach that's satisfied, you let me know," Olson said. "But we're getting there."

Olson said if there is one thing to take from the loss, it is that maybe the team will learn something from it.

It looks like the Wildcats already have.