The Arizona men's basketball lineup resembles a trailer for new the Stephen King movie "Thinner." With no player over 220 pounds, this year's Wildcat team will rely on its overall team quickness and athletic ability to mask its size deficiency.

The strength for this team is at the guard spots, ranked by The Sporting News as the eighth-best unit in the country. The headliners are junior shooting guard Miles Simon (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) and highly touted freshman point guard Mike Bibby (6-1, 180).

Simon is the team's top returning scorer (13.2 points a game) and rebounder (4.0 rebounds a game). Due to his ability to step up in the big game - he averaged 18 points in the NCAA Tournament - he is looked on by his teammates as the leader on and off the floor. Yet Simon will not be available for the majority of Arizona's rigorous non-conference schedule, as academic problems have sidelined him until the end of the semester.

Bibby was one of the country's top recruits coming out of Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix. With a prep career that includes the state scoring record for both points in a season (1,132 in his senior year) and career (3,002), it was no surprise that Bibby was the Arizona high school player of the year three times.

Another key performer in the UA backcourt will be sophomore guard Jason Terry (6-2, 188), whose quick hands and relentless pressure helped him to 19 steals last season. With the loss of Simon, Terry will be relied upon to spark Arizona with his defensive intensity.

The UA frontcourt possesses one star and four unproven performers. Arizona's team leader so far this season has been junior forward Michael Dickerson (6-5, 190), who is currently averaging 27.3 points and shooting 52 percent from three-point range (12 of 23). He first demonstrated his scoring potential last season when he led all Arizona scorers in the NCAA Tournament with a mark of 18.7 points a game.

The final two spots on the roster will be divided between junior Bennett Davison (6-8, 208), sophomores A.J. Bramlett (6-11, 220) and Donnell Harris (6-11, 210), and freshman Eugene Edgerson (6-6, 210). Bramlett and Harris are the only ones among the group with Division I experience.

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