Winter break went well for the No. 16 Arizona basketball team, but it could have gone great. The Wildcats (12-3, 2-1) went 6-0 in that stretch before stumbling at Stanford, 87-76, on Jan. 8.

During the break, they beat a ranked team in Marquette, while playing a defensive brand of basketball, scoring only 48 points, but holding Marquette to just 43.

They also played that game without senior guard Salim Stoudamire, who failed to live up to "senior responsibilities." Arizona played archrival ASU and played as well as it has played all year, beating them 97-79 in the Pacific 10 Conference opener at McKale Center. The team hit 100 points for the first time this year against Manhattan, showing the mid-major Jaspers it had no chance against the Wildcats early in the game. Arizona won the game 105-75 and made a statement of not playing down to the level of their competition. [Read article]

All good things must come to an end.

No team knows that better than the Arizona women's basketball team (11-4, 3-2 Pac-10), who had the nation's longest home winning streak, 34 games, snapped by No. 8 Stanford on Sunday, 78-66, in front of a national television audience and 3,035 fans at McKale Center.

Arizona's last home loss came on Nov. 22, 2002, in the Wildcats' 2002-2003 season opener in overtime against Louisiana State, 78-71. [Read article]

The women's basketball team's 78-66 loss to No. 8 Stanford on Sunday was doubly difficult for Arizona basketball - in two ways.

Not only did the Wildcats drop their second game to a ranked Cardinal squad in as many years, they did so just three days after an unranked Cardinal squad swamped the No. 17 men's hoops team 87-76.

That spells an "F" for the UA. Both teams showed flaws that have lingered all season, follies neither seems able to correct. [Read article]

Women defeat Oregon State, men trounce British Columbia

After a winter break from the pool, the Arizona swimming and diving teams both notched victories in their first meets of 2005. The women's team beat Oregon State 143-118, and the men defeated the University of British Colombia 149-108 at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center Jan. 7.

The women finished first in nine events including the 400-yard medley relay team of sophomores Emily Strouse and Whitney Myers, and juniors Jenna Gresdal and Ryann Hackett. The team won with a time of 3:49.68. [Read article]

The UA women soccer team's record-breaking season ended exactly two months ago today, but the Wildcats are still managing to get in more firsts for the program without lifting a foot.

This week, Soccer Buzz magazine named defender Lindsey Peeples to its All-America third team, making the senior the first All-American in the program's 10-year history. The magazine also selected Peeples as a first-team West Region selection. [Read article]

The UA Icecats overcame the challenge of not playing a game in more than a month with a sweep of St. Louis over the weekend at the Tucson Convention Center to start 2005 with two wins.

Friday night's 3-2 win was Arizona's (7-6-1) first game since Dec. 7. The team's rust showed on the offensive end before breaking out with a 6-0 win Saturday night.

"Offensively, we've been inconsistent all season long," said head coach Leo Golembiewski. "We looked unskilled at times putting the puck in the net." [Read article]