For whatever reason, the Pacific 10 Conference has extreme difficulty winning on the road. The UA is no exception.
The Arizona women's basketball team has had its share of difficulties away from McKale Center. The Wildcats own the second-longest home winning streak in the country at 23 games and are 9-0 in McKale Center this season but are a mediocre 3-3 away from Tucson. They have won their last 14 Pac-10 home games but are just 5-6 on the road against the conference in that span.
"I haven't figured out yet why we've played so well at home," said UA sophomore center Shawntinice Polk. "We have the same team that's going out both at home and the road.
"I really don't know what it is. I guess it's just the atmosphere."
But the Wildcats aren't alone among their conference mates when it comes to road difficulties. Including non-conference games, the Pac-10 is 61-19 at home this season ÷ a 76 percent winning percentage ÷ but are just 32-46 (41 percent) away from the friendly confines of their own arena.
The home team has won 67 percent of intraconference games this season. Excluding Washington State, which is 0-8 in the conference, that number increases to 75 percent
"A lot of it is just confidence. We know that when we go on the road, it's just tougher," said UA head coach Joan Bonvicini. "So we've gotta bear down and be tough, and that (comes) from control. It's from defense. It's from rebounding."
Arizona State lost 68-65 at home to Southern California on Saturday, leaving the Wildcats as the only remaining Pac-10 team with an unblemished home record.
But Polk says it's just a matter of time until her team comes around on the road.
"It's not that big of a deal," she said. "Mentally, we've just gotta say, ÎOK, if we're winning at home, then make this our home court.' You've just gotta do that reverse psychology."
That kind of mentality will be especially important if the Wildcats want to play well at Oregon on Thursday and Oregon State on Saturday.
"We're not going to have our fans there. We know that," Polk said. "Mentally, we've just got to pick things up on the road.
"We usually split on the road. That's what always happens. We've just got to finish the week out good and strong."
Wheeler among national guard award candidates
Wildcat junior guard Dee-Dee Wheeler is one of 22 athletes who have been nominated for this season's Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the best point guard in NCAA women's basketball.
Wheeler is the only Pac-10 player to be nominated. She leads Arizona in points (17.4), assists (5.1) and steals (2.5) per game.
Wheeler is among the Pac-10's top five in points, assists and steals. She scored at least 20 points in four consecutive games before settling for a 14-point, seven-assist performance Saturday against UCLA.