Salim Stoudamire provided one of the few highlights for the Wildcats in Arizona's 82-72 loss to No. 4 Stanford on Saturday. After being kept off the scoreboard in the first half against the Cardinal, the junior became the 37th player in Wildcat history to reach 1,000 career points. The Portland, Ore., native's second half layup put him at 1,002 for his career.
Stoudamire needed just 76 games to achieve the mark, averaging 13.2 points per game. In the loss to the Cardinal, the junior matched former Wildcat guard Miles Simon for sixth place overall in career 3-pointers with 176. In 12 games this season, Stoudamire is tied for second on the team with center Channing Frye, averaging 14.8 points per game.
Cats keep spot in top-10 after loss to Stanford
Head coach Lute Olson's squad fell to No. 7 in this week's Associated Press poll and No. 8 in the most recent ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Arizona was dropped from the No. 3 slot in the AP rankings after Saturday's drubbing at the hands of Stanford. The Wildcats (10-2, 2-1), who began the year ranked No. 4 in both polls, have yet to be ranked below No. 9 this season by the AP. This week's No. 7 ranking marks the 278th consecutive week that the Wildcats have been ranked by the AP.
Olson shoots for Arizona's win record on LA swing
The Cardinal thwarted Olson's attempt to become the winningest basketball coach in UA history. The Hall of Fame coach needs one more win to reach 510 victories as Arizona skipper and surpass Fred A. Enke for top honors. Enke reached the mark in 36 seasons at the helm of UA basketball, posting a 509-324 record between 1925 and 1961. With his next win, Olson will achieve the milestone in 21 seasons with a .774 winning percentage and 149 losses. Olson will get a shot at the record this week when his Wildcats travel to Los Angeles to compete against Pacific-10 Conference rivals Southern California and UCLA.
Big loss could be good news for Cats next game
Saturday's loss to Stanford set a school record for the second-worst home loss since Lute Olson took over the Wildcat sidelines in the fall of 1983. The 10-point loss to the Cardinal equals the mark last set Jan. 4, 2002, when Arizona was felled by the Ducks of Oregon, 90-80. Arizona was dropped by UCLA in 1995 by 10 points as well, 71-61. The worst loss in the Olson era came in the coach's first year at the helm, when his Wildcats lost to Tennessee 61-49 Dec. 23, 1983. The Wildcats have lost to opponents by nine points four times during that 21-year span. Thus far, UA has proved that it can rebound from those big losses, posting a 5-2 record in games following a 9-point or more loss at home.