Editor:

There are several reasons why Wildcat fever is absent from the UA men's basketball games (Letters, Dec. 8).

It certainly isn't the team's fault. When they win by a wide margin, we say it's boring. When they win by a narrow margin, we call it sloppy. Long-time observers watch the team excel during the early part of the season and suffer a letdown during the NCAA tournament. (Even though the smart money was on Miami given the prevailing circumstances last March.) Problem is, the national championship is the only goal the Lute Olson dynasty hasn't accomplished.

Sportstalk poseurs, however, should note the rise of the UA women's basketball team. The Wildcats came out sluggish against against a much taller Wake Forest team and fell behind by 18 points. With the help of some "gentle" encouragement from Generalissim a Bonvicini and the able leadership of the seniors, the Wildcats - behind a magnificant effort by the point guard Brenda Pantoja - melted down the deficit early in the second half and won by 16 points. Like the last two UA-ASU football games, this was a r emarkable "bear down" performance!

Of course, some people preferred to watch the Montana Grizzlies road kill. But programs on the rise are generally more interesting to watch, even though the women's team now wins by huge margins as well.

By Steve Hoell
Physics graduate student