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Section Header
Huskies hope to trip up 'Cats

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SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Senior Luke Walton and the Wildcats seem to be headed back to the No. 1 spot in the country, but they still must get by Washington and Washington State on the road.
By Brian Penso
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday February 6, 2003

No. 2 Wildcats begin two game trip tonight

Parody is the word of the year in college basketball, as no team in the top five has been able to avoid the upset bug.

With Florida and Texas both losing Tuesday night, the No. 2 Wildcats enter the Pacific Northwest tonight, attempting to regain the top spot in the country against Washington at 8:30 p.m. M.S.T. at Bank of America arena.

"Rick, Luke, and I are the leaders of this team," senior guard Jason Gardner said. "We let everyone know that we can't overlook anyone. We finally realize that now. This week, we have two Pac-10 games and we want to separate ourselves from everyone."

The Wildcats (16-2 overall, 8-1 Pacific 10 Conference) have won three consecutive games in Seattle and seven overall against the Huskies, but Arizona head coach Lute Olson said Washington is playing a lot better then they have in years past.


Game Info

Who: UA at UW
When: Tonight at 8:30 p.m. MST
Where: Bank of America Arena in Seattle
TV: Fox Sports Net
Who to Watch: UA- Jason Gardner, UW- Nate Robinson


It might take a better effort than UA had when the Wildcats beat the Huskies less than a month ago at McKale Center.

Despite beating the Huskies by 18 points, it took an 18-4 run by UA in the second half to separate the two teams.

The key to UW's success has been Husky head coach Lorenzo Romar's ability to work 10 players in his rotation, including seven underclassmen.

Washington's playing lineup consists of five freshmen and two sophomores, which many think would give the Wildcats a chance to exploit UW's youth with their full court press. However, Olson said the worst thing a coach can do is change the team's game plan from game to game.
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The game is about possessions, rebounding and turnovers. It doesn't matter who we play. We have to play our game and let the other team adjust to us.

- Head Basketball Coach Lute Olson

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"We need to play the way we play," Olson said. "The game is about possessions, rebounding and turnovers. It doesn't matter who we play. We have to play our game and let the other team adjust to us."

The Huskies may be a young team, but Olson said they are one of the deepest and most athletic teams in the Pac-10.

"They rebound the ball very well, and they are taking the ball to the basket," Olson said. "The first time that we played them they settled for perimeter shots."

One of the biggest surprises has been the play of high-flying freshman Nate Robinson. Playing in just 14 games in his first-year, the point guard has been the Huskies leading scorer in six of them.

Another Husky standout is UW junior Doug Wrenn. In the first meeting of the season, freshman Andre Iguodala, who Olson has used to shut down the opponents best offensive player, was used to contain him.

Wrenn, the Huskies most explosive player, was held in check, and finished with a mere 11 points and two rebounds, after scoring seven of those points in the first couple minutes.

In recent games, Wrenn has become UW's sixth man, and when he comes in, there is a good chance that Olson will go to the bench and bring in Iguodala.

"(Wrenn) may be the best athlete in the conference," Olson said. "He lost some confidence in his game and some guys just do better coming off the bench. He may not start the game, but he is a player."

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