The Arizona women's hoops team seeks to match its best-ever Pac-10 record with wins tonight at Washington State and Saturday at Washington.
Despite a 6-7 record away from McKale Center, the Wildcats (20-7, 12-4 Pacific 10 Conference) figure they'll have an easy time with the basement-dwelling Cougars (5-20, 1-15).
But asked if there is any chance of her team overlooking WSU, UA head coach Joan Bonvicini responded with an emphatic "no."
"I think the big thing is to take it one game at a time," Bonvicini said. "We need to stay focused on being consistent, rebounding and taking care of the ball."
Arizona had an easy time with the Cougars in McKale, coasting to a 78-51 win Dec. 27. The Wildcats have won five straight over Wazzu.
But WSU head coach Sherri Murrell says her team will play with nothing to lose.
"There's no pressure on us. We have to put the pressure on them," she said.
"There's a lot of pressure, hopefully, that we can create by the way we play.
"I want our kids to really relax and not have that pressure."
UA sophomore center Shawntinice Polk torched Wazzu for 19 points and 17 rebounds Dec. 27, including 13 offensive boards.
"We don't have anybody to contain her, to be brutally honest," Murrell said. "We can try to stop other people to limit scoring overall, but we'll also try to make it harder for her to get the offensive boards this time."
Murrell said her team has improved since its previous meeting with the Wildcats, regardless of what the Cougars' record suggests.
"We're getting better. We're a much stronger team," Murrell said. "If we create an opportunity to win the game, that'll play a big part toward the end."
While the Wildcats will be busy with the Cougars, Stanford will be playing a game of significant importance for Arizona.
A UA win, combined with a Stanford loss at Oregon, would put Arizona in a tie for first in the Pac-10. The Cardinal (20-5, 13-3) have lost three straight on the road.
But an Oregon upset seems unlikely. The Ducks (12-14, 4-12) lost their leading scorer to a season-ending injury five games into the 2003-2004 campaign.
Oregon lost by just a point to Stanford in Eugene, Ore., last season, but the No. 10 Cardinal have won six straight against the Ducks, including a 77-51 rout Dec. 29 in Stanford's Maples Pavilion.
Regardless, Bonvicini continues to emphasize to her players that they can't worry about anyone but themselves.
"We just need to focus on us. That's the key," she said. "What's more important is that we continue to win, and the rest will take care of itself."
If they pass the Washington State test, the Wildcats will look for their second Pac-10 road sweep of the season Saturday at Washington (15-10, 8-8). Arizona ripped the Huskies 89-74 in the Dec. 27 conference opener in McKale, but UW edged the Wildcats 60-59 in Seattle lastseason.
Washington head coach June Daugherty says her team's loss in Tucson is ancient history.
"That's a long time ago for us, and I think since then, we've been able to get four or five kids in double figures, and that's been pivotal to our success of late," she said.
The Huskies have won seven of their last 10 and four of their last five at home.
Tonight's UA-WSU game tips off at 8. The Wildcats-Huskies matchup begins Saturday at 2 p.m.