The Arizona men's basketball team will be looking to send the squad of Australia's finest a message when the Wildcats open their exhibition season tonight against the Sydney Comets.

Tonight's preseason opener against the Comets, who are making their second U.S. stop in as many days at McKale Center, will be Arizona's first game against an opponent other than themselves.

The Comets are on a North American Collegiate tour that took them to St. Mary's last night and will conclude with games at Utah tomorrow and at Oregon State Sunday. [Read article]

AP poll mimics coaches: UA men's hoops fourth

The Associated Press dubbed the Arizona men's basketball team as the fourth-best in the country yesterday to start the 2003-04 season.

The ranking marks the fourth time in the past five years the Wildcats have cracked the AP's top 5 prior to tipping off the season.

The Wildcats are also ranked fourth in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll.

Led by a trio of seniors - Jason Gardner, Luke Walton and Rick Anderson - Arizona started last season in the nation's top spot and held onto that position for a majority of the campaign. That team enjoyed a 28-4 run to the NCAA West Regional Finals where the Wildcats were bounced out of the tournament to eventual runner-up Kansas. [Read article]

"Don't be afraid to fail."

Those were Jerry Colangelo's parting words to an overcrowded Gallagher Theater in the Student Union Memorial Center yesterday afternoon.

Over 300 UA students and others, many of whom wound up having to sit on the floor in the aisles, came to listen to Colangelo speak as part of a series of lectures put on by the Eller Business College and the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. [Read article]

As assistant sports editor, it's a little embarrassing to admit that Friday night's game against Southern Cal at the McKale Center is the first UA volleyball game I've ever attended.

Not only embarrassing, but regrettable - it was a hell of a lot of fun.

There's no doubt the Wildcats (12-13) are by far the best under-.500 team in the country. But in order to qualify for volleyball's NCAA Tournament, a team must finish with a winning record. [Read article]

Sophomore running back Mike Bell was rewarded yesterday for his efforts in leading the Wildcats to their first Pacific-10 Conference victory of the season Saturday.

The Phoenix native was Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for his 222-yard, three-touchdown performance against Washington, becoming the first Wildcat of the season to earn the weekly honor.

"Mike Bell had a great game," interim head coach Mike Hankwitz said. "He has established himself as one of the best running backs in the league." [Read article]

Any computer rankings, and they will not have to sweat it out as a bubble team on selection Sunday.

All they will need to do is win.

With a 4-6 record against top- 10 teams, including a win over No. 4 Pepperdine, and two wins over No. 8 UCLA, and No. 9 California and after playing No. 1 USC and No. 2 Hawaii tough, the Wildcats have an impeccable resumŽ for the Big Dance - needing only to actually qualify to have their dance card punched. In order to be eligible for the NCAA tournament, teams need to be over .500 for the season, meaning that the UA needs to win four of its last five matches. [Read article]