The second half of the Pacific 10 Conference schedule begins tonight for UA men's basketball, and the road only promises to get tougher.
First up on Arizona's (14-4, 6-3 Pac-10) slate is a rematch with Golden State rivals California and Stanford, starting tonight at 8:30 in Berkeley.
The Golden Bears will have a new look from the last time the Wildcats squared off with them. Cal's leading scorer and rebounder, freshman Leon Powe, was notably absent from the Bears' lineup for Arizona's 95-75 win last month in McKale Center.
Though hampered by a knee injury that kept him out of the game in Tucson, Powe has emerged as the leading candidate for conference freshman of the year.
Despite the 6-foot-8 forward's 15.6 points and 9.8 boards per game, Arizona is prepared to face the Golden Bears again.
"I think they are going to be a tougher team with or without (Powe), because they are going to be at home. The crowd is going to be behind them," said Arizona forward Andre Iguodala.
"They will do the same things," said Arizona head coach Lute Olson. "They will just have a guy inside that can really play."
Olson said the biggest surprise in Powe's game isn't his ability but his consistency.
"There is no question that he is a future NBA guy," Olson said. "With Powe, it's just double-double after double-double."
Without its freshman phenom, Cal was no match for the Wildcats on Jan. 8. That game was noteworthy for Olson, who tied Fred Enke for first place on Arizona's all-time wins list with victory No. 509.
Two days later, Olson was denied the record on his own court by an upstart Stanford squad that is now ranked No. 2 in the country.
Stanford's high ranking may prove beneficial for the Wildcats if history is any indication. After being embarrassed at home by the Cardinal, 82-72, Arizona goes into Saturday's game in Palo Alto with revenge on its mind.
In each of the past four seasons, Arizona and Stanford have swapped victories on the other team's home court. Arizona knocked off a No. 1 Cardinal squad on the Farm in 2000 and 2001.
The Wildcats relish the opportunity to drop a highly ranked Stanford team once again.
"I think we are a lot better when we play as underdogs," said Arizona center Channing Frye.
Olson had high praises for Cardinal point guard Chris Hernandez, who torched the Wildcats for 12 points and nine assists in their last meeting.
"I don't think they've ever had a better leader than this kid," Olson said. "I think Hernandez is a real key to that club."
When the teams meet Saturday at 1 p.m., the Cardinal will be without 6-foot-9 forward Justin Davis. The senior is expected to be out at least three weeks with a bruised bone and torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Davis, Stanford's leader in rebounds, is averaging 11.5 points per game this season. Last time against the Wildcats, Davis scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards.
Though history is on the Wildcats' side, Olson knows that coming out of Stanford and California with wins won't be easy.
"We've had good success up there, but we know that it will be a very tough road trip," he said.