Homecoming arrives a semester early for a pair of Wildcats this week as the UA men's basketball team inches closer to the end of Pac-10 play.
Portland, Ore. natives Salim Stoudamire and Chris Rodgers return to the Beaver State this week as No. 14 Arizona takes to the road for the last time this regular season at Oregon and Oregon State.
"It's always good to go back home and see the people from high school and the community," Rodgers, a sophomore guard, said.
It won't be all fun and games for an Arizona (16-6, 8-5 Pacific 10 Conference) squad that hasn't swept a road series yet this season. The last time the Wildcats went an entire Pac-10 schedule without a road sweep came in the 1998-99 season.
Playing on the road certainly hasn't been as fruitful as the Wildcats would have liked. In six games this season away from McKale Center, the Wildcats are 2-4, giving up an average margin of 90.5 in those four losses.
Both Rodgers' and Stoudamire's return come at a time when the two guards are playing their best ball of the season. For Stoudamire, success in his home state may be long overdue.
"I haven't played good there one time," Stoudamire said of his recent woes in Eugene and Corvallis. "I definitely want to change that."
Stoudamire is arguably the hottest player in the Pac-10, coming off a weekend that saw the junior score a total of 56 points in wins over Southern California and UCLA. As the remaining Pac-10 schedule dwindles, the third-year letterwinner seems to be settling into his role as team leader.
"My philosophy is that if I play well, my team is going to play well," Stoudamire said. "I never was that main guy ÷ I was always that complimentary player ÷ but this year it's different."
Tonight's game in Eugene against the Ducks promises to be a tougher matchup than the last time the teams met in Tucson. During that Jan. 25 game, the sharp-shooting Ducks proved little threat to Arizona, which turned a late 18-0 first-half run into a 90-66 victory.
In order to be successful against the Ducks, who lead the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage, the UA will have to focus on shutting down Oregon's perimeter shooters, according to freshman Mustafa Shakur.
"We can't give their main shooters open looks," Shakur said, "because they are great catch-and-shoot guys."
A win over the Ducks tonight could put some breathing room between Arizona and the rest of the Pac-10. With its next win, Stanford can clinch a share of the conference title, leaving a four-team race for second between Arizona, Oregon, California and an upstart Washington squad. The Wildcats hold a game advantage over the Huskies (7-6 Pac-10) and a half-game edge over the Ducks and Golden Bears (7-5).
After taking on Oregon tonight, the Wildcats will travel to Corvallis on Saturday to face Oregon State. For now, the focus is on the Ducks, and Rodgers said the Wildcats would have it no other way.
"The rims and floor are shaking. Everything is shaking ÷ you can't beat that," Rodgers said, describing the atmosphere of McArthur Court. "Those are the best conditions. Your back is against the wall, everyone's against you. You've just got to go out and be road warriors."