Both the men's and women's Wildcat basketball teams have had plenty of success this season. Despite a pair of recent losses, the men are still 14th in the country and are once again Final Four contenders.
The women, on the other hand, are off to their best-ever start in Pac-10 play at 6-1. With a 14-4 overall record and a 23-game winning streak at home, the women are finally beginning to receive more attention, as demonstrated in their recent gaudy home attendance figures.
Though the current polls don't reflect it, an argument can be made that the women have become just as dominant in their respective league as the men. With that in mind, a breakdown of the teams, position by position, may help clarify the issue.
Point guard:
Mustafa Shakur vs. Dee-Dee Wheeler:
Wheeler, a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award for best point guard of the year, makes her team go. At 5-foot-6, she has a Kevin Johnson style to her play, fearless as she sacrifices her body for a lay-up. She'll fall to the floor and get right back up to nail the free throw and complete the 3-point play.
A freshman, Shakur is the fastest guy on the court for the men and could be as good as any point guard in UA history before all is said and done. But he's still getting his feet wet.
Edge: Wheeler
Shooting guard:
Salim Stoudamire vs. Aimee Grzyb:
There are definitely some similarities here. Both are streaky shooters but both can open a game wide open when they get hot from 3-point land. Both players did that against UCLA Saturday.
The big difference: the women's team doesn't live and die with Grzyb's performance. But depending on Stoudamire certainly isn't a positive.
Edge: Stoudamire
Small forward:
Andre Iguodala vs. Natalie Jones:
A sophomore, Jones is still a little green, but it's easy to see her potential. She's already notched a 20-point game this season and is nearly as effective in bringing the ball up the court as Wheeler. She's also one of the best free throw shooters in the Pac-10 at 80 percent.
While also a sophomore, Iguodala is the most well-rounded player on the men's team, already matching a school record with two triple doubles in just his second season at the UA. He leads the team in rebounds and assists per game while providing a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight each outing.
Edge: Iguodala
Power forward:
Hassan Adams vs. "by committee":
Adams has already displayed how good he can be, leading the team in points per game. His role is more defined and more vital to the men than any one of the four committee members on the women's team, which is still figuring out the person to best complement standout center Shawntinice Polk under the basket.
Junior Danielle Adefeso, sophomore CoCoa Sanford and freshmen Shannon Hobson and Rachael Schein have all been effective at times playing the four spot. But this one's a no-brainer.
Edge: Adams
Center:
Channing Frye vs. Shawntinice Polk:
This one is slightly unfair, as both Frye and Polkey are arguably the best centers in the Pac-10. The question comes back to which one is more important to his or her team's success.
The raw numbers are more or less a wash. Frye averages 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, while Polk gets 16.3 points, 9.4 boards and 2.6 blocks a contest.
But without, Polkey, last season's Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, the Wildcat women don't go. Without Frye, the men are down but probably not out.
Edge: Polk
Supporting cast:
Despite the addition of the 6-foot-10 Serb Ivan Radenovic, the men's team is still just seven players deep. The women's bench, with the benefit of multiple options at power forward, are at least eight deep - and that excludes the quality minutes that reserve guards, Katrina Lindner and Linda Pace, have put in on multiple occasions.
The women have nine players who average at least 10 minutes per game. The men have eight, but that's counting forward Isaiah Fox, who's likely out for the rest of the season.
Edge: Women
Coach:
Lute Olson vs. Joan Bonvicini:
The coaches have similar track records. Both have had tremendous success with their prior schools - Olson at Iowa and Bonvicini at Long Beach State. Both have led their previous programs to a Final Four appearance. And both are the winningest coaches in Arizona hoops history.
But Lute has four Final Fours under his belt as a Wildcat, including a national championship. Bonvicini has yet to get the ladies past the Sweet Sixteen - though that could change this March.
Edge: Olson (by a white hair)
- Shane Dale is a political science senior. He can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.