Coming off a pair of defeats two weeks ago, the Arizona men's rugby team continues SoCal Conference action this weekend when it visits San Diego State and San Diego.
Through eight games, Arizona (4-4, 1-2 SoCal Conference) finds itself with an overall record identical to its record at this point last year. Last year's squad, buoyed by former All-American Joe Schmitt, won its last six games en route to its second 10-win season in three years.
Whether the Wildcats start a similar streak in San Diego depends on their performance against the Aztecs. Tomorrow afternoon marks the rematch of November's Memorial Invitational Tournament semifinal game in Tucson, when Arizona defeated San Diego State 39-17.
Since then, both teams have combined to win a single conference game. The Wildcats beat San Diego 56-15 Jan. 25.
"We've not played well, and they are two teams that would love to beat us," Arizona head coach Dave Sitton said. "As a result, we've just got to collect ourselves and play hard and play well."
A La Jolla sweep would revitalize the Wildcats' playoff opportunities. Though its two division losses virtually eliminate the team from SoCal contention, Arizona would likely accept a postseason tournament invitation, Sitton said.
To do so, the team will need to charge through the rest of its schedule. The team takes a weekend off following Sunday's match against the Toreros, then finishes conference play against Long Beach State and UCLA March 3 and March 5, respectively.
The Wildcats conclude their season March 12 against Arizona State.
"The question is, are we prepared to get ourselves back into a gear, get ourselves into a frame of mind where we really burn and boil to play this game, as opposed to trying to play it as if it's tennis?" Sitton asked. "No disrespect to tennis players, but the mindset of tennis is different. It's controlled. There's a great deal of discipline, and you have to be hungry to do it. But you don't hit people, and we have to hit people. We're just not doing that."
Junior lock Mark Handin acknowledges that Arizona is approaching a crossroads this weekend.
"We've played some really stellar teams (and) we've given them a good challenge," he said. "But deep down, we know we're a better team than the scoreboard's been showing. We just want to prove it this weekend."