The UA men's basketball team moves one step closer to opening its 100th season when the Wildcats take part in their annual Red-Blue Game tonight in McKale Center at 7.

The Pepsi-sponsored intrasquad scrimmage will split the run-and-gun Wildcats into two teams, pitting a red squad against a blue.

With plenty of speed and ability to spread around, Arizona will showcase those talents for the first time this season in a real game situation.

Fans will get their first look at a team seeking to separate itself from last year's squad in a search for its own identity. Hard work in the preseason seems to be paying dividends for head coach Lute Olson's squad, but many questions still remain.

"From an experience standpoint, we're not as experienced as we'd like to be," the Hall of Fame coach said.

Arizona returns eight letterwinners, but only two starters, from last year's 28-4 team: juniors Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire.

Consequently, leadership has been a question mark throughout the preseason, but Olson is optimistic that the quality minutes that sophomores Andre Iguodala, Hassan Adams and Chris Rodgers put in last season will benefit the team in this season's campaign.

Assistant coach Josh Pastner said he sees promise in the hustle and work ethic that the Wildcats have flashed in the preseason.

"We really like our team this year," Pastner said. "There is good chemistry, good cohesiveness, good camaraderie. We are excited."

Optimism aside, ex-Wildcat guard Pastner realizes the team still has its work cut out for it on both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball.

A player showing surprising strides this preseason is Kirk Walters. The 6-foot-10 freshman from Grand Rapids, Mich. has been strong in practice, and with experience should provide the Wildcats with much-needed size below the basket.

Staying healthy is always a concern for any team, and the Wildcats are not without their bumps and bruises. Rodgers is reporting no pain from a strained tendon suffered in his foot last week in practice. The cut over junior center Isaiah Fox's eye has healed as well, leaving the Wildcats nearly at full strength when they take the court tonight.

The only player Arizona will be without tonight is Adams, who is suffering from a common cold.

Starting for the red squad, coached by Olson's right-hand man Jim Rosborough, will be a mixed squad of youth and veteran talent. Stoudamire and Frye will team up with newcomers Beau Muhlbach and Walters to face the opposing blue team, coached by seventh-year assistant Rodney Tention.

Rodgers will join Stoudamire in the red backcourt, while Tention's blue squad will be led by Iguodala. The power forward is joined by the electric freshman point guard Mustafa Shakur, along with Fox and walk-on Matt Brase. Senior guard Jason Ranne will get the starting nod in place of the ailing Adams for team blue. Subbing in between both squads will be senior Fil Torres and team managers Joe Williams and Nate Weigl.

The Wildcats expect a packed crowd for the tipoff tonight at 7.

"It will be a great experience for the fellas, because they get to play in front of a crowd," Pastner said. "I think the guys are anxious to get a chance to play against another opponent instead of playing against themselves."