The Arizona women's basketball team will see its first action of the 2003-04 season tonight at 7 in the Red-Blue Game in McKale Center.
The Red-Blue intrasquad scrimmage, free to the public, comes just two days after the Pacific 10 Conference media poll tabbed the Wildcats to tie Stanford for the league's top spot.
"It's great, and it gives us the respect we needed, but it's kind of like we've got a target on our back," said junior guard Natalie Jones.
This is the first time in the program's 32-year history that the team was tabbed a pre-season Pac-10 favorite.
The Cardinal received eight first place votes while the Wildcats earned seven, but both teams had a total of 140 points in the poll, marking the first time since the poll's inception in the 1997-98 season that there has been a tie at the top.
The Pac-10's media poll has projected the champion correctly six out of seven seasons.
The media's preseason prediction has the Wildcats and Cardinal at the same place the two teams finished a year ago, sharing the Pac-10 title.
The Red-Blue Game will be Arizona fans' first chance to see the Wildcats this year, and Jones said it will be a good chance for people to come out and see how the team is coming along and to check out new players.
"It gives us a chance to show our fans what we're doing this season and how are chemistry is coming along," Jones said.
"I'm excited to suit up, play and give our fans a taste of how we're going to be this season," said senior guard Dee-Dee Wheeler.
Wheeler along with junior center Shawntinice Polk also make up two-fifths of the preseason all-Pac-10 team.