TEMPE - It was just one year ago that a rules violation kept senior Ben Davis out of what would have been his first NCAA Tournament game, Arizona's first-round loss to Miami (Ohio).

So with that in mind, Davis was determined to make up for lost time this season.

"Last year motivated me a little, but I think the fact that I was well rested also helped out," Davis said.

After playing a bit more than a half against Valparaiso on Friday, Davis punched in 36 minutes on his time card yesterday, helping Arizona to its 87-73 win over Iowa in the second round of the Tournament. The increased time amounted to 17 points and 14 rebounds, his 17th double-double of the year.

"Davis did a heck of a job for Arizona," Iowa coach Tom Davis said. "But he didn't get all those double-doubles by accident."

"Ben did a great job on the boards for us tonight, and he could've done even better," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "The one problem he had was about halfway into the second half, when he had only one foul, and he was playing like he had three or four. So I told him in a timeout to play like he just had one foul."

After having that talk with Olson, at the 7:40 mark, Davis responded by blocking a shot by Iowa guard Andre Woolridge, leading to a Michael Dickerson slam.

But Davis' value for Arizona was not only in the paint - the 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward also ran the floor. On two occasions, UA senior point guard Reggie Geary found Davis on the fast break for easy dunks.

"It's like having another guard out there," Geary said. "Not only does he grab every rebound, he's usually the fourth guy running down on the break."

And Davis will need all of his quickness when Arizona squares off against Kansas' twin towers: 6-11 Raef LaFrentz and 6-10 Scott Pollard.

"They have some pretty big bodies in there," Olson said. "But you have to remember that they will have to guard us on the opposite end in a possible mismatch."

But the game against Kansas will have a greater significance for Davis: It will be against a team he played for during his first year in the college ranks.

"I have kept in touch with (Kansas coach Roy Williams). I even received a Christmas card from him a couple months ago," Davis said.

"When I left it was just because I didn't think I was going to play my sophomore year. But I'm sure it would've worked out had I stayed."

And now that he has found a home at Arizona, Davis said he's hoping his new team can dash his former team's championship hopes.

"They're a good team," Davis said. "But at this level in the Tournament, everybody is good.

"I'm not planning on leaving the Tournament next week."