Simon refuses to lose in his hometown

"Oh man, I can't lose in LA," senior guard Miles Simon said. "I have been telling everyone that I can't lose in my hometown."

The Fullerton, Calif., native has never beaten UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. All three loses, however, have been heartbreakers. The Wildcats lost 84-78 in overtime last season, fell 76-75 during Simon's sophomore season and were edged 72-70 the first time he played in Los Angeles.

You can go ahead and etch the Arizona Wildcats' name on the 1997-98 Pacific 10 Conference title trophy. Do not, however, expect the second-ranked Wildcats (26-3, 16-0 Pac-10) to look past the final road trip of the year in Los Angeles.

Beating UCLA on the road is just one of the goals the Wildcats still want to achieve.

"We accomplished our goal today," junior center A.J. Bramlett said after Saturday's win over Stanford. "We have been breaking it down to short goals."

The title was UA's first goal. Following on the list is the school record for consecutive wins and an undefeated conference run.

"This is the first Pac-10 championship for them," Olson said. "But, I don't think you are going to see them get complacent about things now. They are still very motivated and ready to go on the road trip."

Cagin' with the Cajuns: Former Wildcat assistant Jessie Evans and his new team, the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, are looking to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Evans, in his first year as a head coach, has guided the Cajuns to the final of the Sun Belt Conference tournament. They play South Alabama tonight for the right to go dancing next week. Ironically, it was South Alabama that Evans helped Arizona beat in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament.

"We've got several more steps to take," Evans said when a reporter asked about one more step to the tournament. "We've got to keep this thing going. They've got that entire team back so it won't be easy."

USL is the tournament host so it will have the advantage of playing at the CajunDome in Lafayette, La. The two teams split the regular season series with each team winning at home.

USL has come on strong as of late and finished third during the regular season at 16-12.

"If it's one thing I learned at Arizona, it's better to be playing well late," Evans said.

Speaking of those Wildcats, coach, do you keep in touch?

"You better believe it," Evans said. "Lute called me from his cell phone today to tell me he was watching and I have spoken to the guys a number of times."

SW Louisiana and South Alabama will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. and the game will be shown as part of ESPN's Championship Week coverage.