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Mike Wright vs. Mad Dog

When Michael Wright and Mark Madsen were in Colorado Springs, Colo., trying out for two separate USA national teams last spring, they realized that, despite their different backgrounds, they had a lot of things in common.

Wright, who hails from inner-city Chicago, and "Mad Dog" Madsen, who lives on a six-acre ranch in the small town of Danville, Calif., said they each played like, well, dogs.

The meeting between the two will be the primary focus when Arizona (24-6 overall, 13-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference) hosts Stanford (25-2, 14-2) tonight at 8:39 at McKale Center, a game that will have a significant impact on who wins the conference.

"He's so strong and he moves his feet so well on the block, if he can't get the ball one way he'll post up another way," Wright said about Madsen. "It's like a full-time job playing against him."

Madsen, an academic All-American candidate, reads The Wall Street Journal in the locker room, invests in stocks and completed a two-year Mormon mission in Spain before he arrived at Stanford. His friendly exterior hides the fierce competitor inside him.

A senior, Madsen turned 24 in January, making him an old man in the world of college basketball. He played in Spain last summer at the World University Games and won a gold medal.

"Not only is he a great player, he's a great person," UA head coach Lute Olson said.

Wright, a sophomore whose nickname "Mike Wright," epitomizes his quiet and polite demeanor, turned 20 in January. Wright won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships last summer.

Both were named finalists this week for the John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the nation's best player.

"If I were to evaluate it based on how I see it, and I'm sure Michael would see it very differently, Madsen is a tougher inside defender," Olson said. "He's bigger, longer and has got those long arms.

"Both are capable of scoring a lot, but I think Michael Wright is a better face-up player, while Madsen is a tougher defender."

The two have faced each other three times during their college careers, but many feel this meeting, the last one, will be the best.

"It's real exciting because it's not like every night I face Mark Madsen," Wright said.

Wright says he's stronger this season than he was during his freshman year, while Madsen was coming off a hamstring injury and wasn't in the groove when Arizona knocked off Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., in January.

"The Wright-Madsen matchup is big," Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery said. "Wright had a great game here, but Mark was just coming back from his injury."

Stanford's defense is holding opponents to 34.8-percent field goal shooting, on pace to set a new NCAA record. Marquette held opponents to 35.8-percent in 1994.

"Their theory has always been the same," Olson says. "They've got big guys on the inside that are big and strong, and they're going to hassle you on the perimeter."

Another key match-up will be between the point guards - UA freshman Jason Gardner and Stanford junior Michael McDonald.

Gardner showed poise and maturity beyond his years in the first meeting between the two schools, scoring a game-high 22 points and securing the victory with two free throws with three seconds left. Gardner felt under the weather earlier this week, but will be ready to go tonight.

"Their guards are good enough to get back in transition, and you have to be physically and mentally ready for them," Gardner said.