ARIZONA HEAD COACH LUTE OLSON
 

It was a great win for us, and we have to give USC credit for the job they did. They are a very good basketball team.

I thought we did a much better job in the second half. I thought the keys for us were the job (Luke) Walton did on (Brian) Scalabrine and the job (Jason) Gardner did on (Brandon) Granville. They still got some baskets, but not as easily because Luke and Jason made it tough for them to catch the ball.

I thought Jason (Gardner) and Gilbert (Arenas) did a much better job tonight. The freshman guards did extremely well, and it was really good to see Jason have his shot back. Jason let the plays come to him, and he did a nice job of running his team. Both Jason and Gilbert hit some big shots, and they really stepped up and got it done.

I thought Justin Wessel came in and gave us a good lift defensively. He gave us some good, solid switches that really helped take away their three-point opportunities.

Well, we really need to have Loren's (Woods) presence inside, and we just hope to get him healthy. He had no blocks tonight, and that really shows how much his back is limiting his play.

One thing I am not happy with is that we tried to force passes inside in the last five minutes, and we just can't keep trying to force the ball into the post. That was a big factor in letting them get back into the game.

Defensively, we played with a lack of aggressiveness in the first half, but we didn't let them do what they wanted to in the second half.
 

USC vs. Arizona
Men's Basketball
February 17, 2000
Arizona Player Quotes

Forward Michael Wright:

"We were ready for this game. They are the only team to beat us in the
Pac-10 this year and we wanted to get some revenge on our court. I really
didn't play that well against them in Los Angeles and tonight I was able to
get some good looks and help control the boards for us.

"In the first half we really lacked the effort that we need to put forth
and it put us in a hole. Coach Olson came in and told us that we can't
allow (Brian) Scalabrine to get so many looks at the basket. It was a real
gut check for us and we came out and stepped up our game."

On remaining schedule:
"Every game counts from here on out. Stanford is playing really well and we
need to continue to play at a high level to get to where we want to be."

Guard Gilbert Arenas

On tonight's play:
"In the second half we really came out on fire. USC was real tough tonight
and in order for us to win we needed to step it up in the second half. We
are tired to having to come back. We need to grab the lead early in games
and stay up.

"Every game is a championship game. We just need to take it game by game."

Guard Jason Gardner:

On Saturday's game vs.UCLA:
"They are a great team and have a great coach. This is our rival and with
it being on national television game it will definitely be an intense
atmosphere. They are seeking revenge after we won on our home court and
they would definitely like to return the favor."

On shooting slump:

"I am working hard with Josh Pastner after practice in the gym. It really
felt great to see a couple shots fall down for me tonight.