Gatos Vs. Lobos: The Arizona Wildcats (9-1; TBA in the AP poll; No. 2 USA Today/ESPN) will entertain the New Mexico Lobos (5-5) on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in McKale Center. The game will be televised statewide on Fox Sports Net Arizona with Dave Sitton doing the play-by-play and Bob Elliott handling the color commentary. In addition to being heard on the Arizona Wildcat Radio Network, this contest will be broadcast in Spanish on XENY-760 AM. Coming off an 80-59 win over Nebraska last Saturday night at the Las Vegas Showdown, Arizona returns home and will look to extend its 37-game homecourt winning streak. As for New Mexico, it lost to UTEP last Saturday night at home in Albuquerque, 73-66. This game will be the final outing for the Cats before they get to head home for the Christmas break. They will return to Tucson on Dec. 26th for a practice that evening to prepare for the Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic, which is Dec. 28 & 30 in Tucson.

Series History: Arizona holds an all-time advantage of 83-41 in the series with New Mexico... This is the 125th meeting between the teams... The Cats have won five of the last eight... This year is the fourth straight season that the teams have played and this will be the final game of a four-year home-and-home series.... Each team has won on its home court the past three years... In Tucson, Arizona is 48-10 versus UNM, 10-1 in McKale and 4-0 with Olson as head coach... The last game between the schools was on Jan. 16, 199, when UNM won on a layin at the buzzer in The Pit... The last meeting in McKale Center resulted in an 89-70 Arizona win (1/18/98)... The Cats were ranked No. 5 in the country, while New Mexico was No. 15... UA went 17-15 against the Lobos when it was a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

UA's Probable Starting Lineup:  1999-00 Stats
                           Ht.     Wt.     Yr-Exp. PPG     RPG     APG/BPG/SPG
F   21  Michael Wright     6-7     238     So.-1L  14.4      8.4    0.8 apg
F   44  Richard Jefferson  6-7     222     So.-1L  13.5      5.3    3.9 apg
C    3  Loren Woods        7-1     230     Jr.-TR  12.7      5.9    3.2 bpg
G    0  Gilbert Arenas     6-3     191     Fr.-HS  12.9      4.0    2.2 apg
G   22  Jason Gardner      5-10    178     Fr.-HS  12.0      2.8    5.2 apg

Arizona's Last Action: Arizona ventured to Las Vegas last Saturday night to take on Nebraska in the Las Vegas Showdown, and registered an 80-59 win. The Cats dominated throughout and trailed just once, at 0-2, when the Cornhuskers scored on their first possession of the game. Arizona took a 42-33 lead into the lockeroom at half and increased that lead to 51-33 after holding the Huskers scoreless for the first 5:44 of the second half. The Cats would eventually push the lead to 25 -- and except for giving up an 11-0 Nebraska run that cut the lead to 64-50, the game's outcome was never really in doubt. Michael Wright scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Loren Woods went for a season-high 19 points (8-of-10 FGA). Woods also matched the UA record for blocks in a game he shares with Anthony Cook (7). Arizona shot .508 from the floor and held its eighth opponent of the year to a shooting percentage of below 40% (.356).

The Last Arizona-New Mexico Game: In its third consecutive game decided by a shot at the buzzer, Arizona lost at New Mexico, 79-78, on Jan. 16, 1999. Just moments after Jason Terry made a field goal that put Arizona up 78-77 with 4.6 seconds left in the game, New Mexico's John Robinson raced the ball down the floor and dished it off to Damion Walker, who banked in a lay-up as time expired, giving the Lobos the win. Prior to establishing a 43-28 halftime lead, the first half was highlighted by UA freshman Michael Wright, who grabbed 12 rebounds-- a total that was three shy of the UA record for boards in a half -- and scored 13 points. In the second stanza, New Mexico reduced UA's lead by outscoring the Cats 22-10 during the first 7:30 of the period, and eventually tied the game at 57-57 with 11:21 left to go. The Lobos built a 10-point lead with 4:11 remaining, but Arizona would go on a 9-0 run -- thanks in part to seven quick points by Terry -- and cut the lead to one (75-74) with 1:25 left. After that, UNM hit two free throws, but Arizona answered with a Ruben Douglas steal and field goal before Terry's final shot. On the night, Terry had a game-high 23 points to go with six boards and five assists, while Wright had his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 17 boards. Plagued by foul trouble, A.J. Bramlett still scored 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of time, while Douglas scored 15 points.

Tickets Available: Around 400 tickets remain on sale for the home game against New Mexico... Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m... They are tickets that were not included in the student season ticket plan... Additionally, there are 285 tickets available for both nights of the Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic, Dec. 28 and 30... Arizona opens the tournament against UNC Wilmington, while Delaware plays Alabama in the other game... Delaware played in last year's NCAA Tournament, while Alabama was involved in the post season NIT... Tickets can be purchased at the McKale Center ticket office or by calling .

A New Breed of Cats: With Kentucky not being included in the Associated Press Top-25 rankings two weeks ago for the first time in nine years, Arizona now has the second longest current streak of appearing in the AP's weekly poll (78 weeks, counting this week's poll, which had not been released at press time)... This streak dates back to the first regular season poll of the 1995-96 season... Arizona was not ranked in that year's preseason poll... That was the only time since the 1987-88 preseason poll that Arizona was not ranked in the AP poll.. Overall, Arizona has been ranked in the regular season Top-25 rankings for 205 straight weeks... North Carolina extended the nation's No. 1 streak of being ranked in the AP poll to 168 consecutive weeks and that is the third-longest streak in history.

New Mexico Notes: UNM has a 5-5 record on the season and has lost three of its last four... In this span, the Lobos have dropped road games at UTEP and New Mexico State, as well as last Saturday night's home game to UTEP... They are 0-2 on the road this season... The team's leading scorer is senior guard Lamont Long, who is averaging 19.8 ppg... A product of Tempe's Corona del Sol High School, he is also the second-leading rebounder on the team (6.3 rpg)... The top board man is senior forward Damion Walker... He is the second leading scorer at 12.6 ppg... When UTEP won in The Pit on Saturday, it marked the first time the Lobos had been swept by the Miners since 1986... In that game, Long scored a team-high 22 points and Walker had 13, accounting for 35 of the Lobos' 66 points... They were the only two in double figures... The Lobos are coached by Fran Fraschilla, who is in his first year at the helm of the UNM program... Before coming the Albuquerque, he was the head coach at St. John's from 1996-98 and Manhattan from 1992-96... He has a seven year career record of 125-64.

Lute Olson is within reach of a pair of coaching milestones... He is four wins away for career win No. 600 and recently achieved win No. 400 at Arizona... Here is a look at his milestone career victories:

Win     Date    Team    Opponent        Score
   1    12-1-73 LBSU    Puget Sound     84-55
 100    2-3-79  Iowa    Minnesota       97-71
 200    2-25-84 Arizona Oregon St.      69-58
 300    3-27-88 Arizona North Carolina  70-52
 400    2-13-93 Arizona Washington St.  94-72
 500    2-11-96 Arizona Cincinnati      79-76

Coach O: Lute Olson (Augsburg '56) is his 17th season as the head coach at Arizona and his 27th overall as a head coach... This season will see him reach even more milestones in what has become a Hall of Fame type coaching career... He has a career record of 596-213 (.737), while his mark in Tucson stands at 404-121 (.770)... He needs just four more wins for career win No. 600, which would make him one of just 33 coaches in NCAA history to win 600 or more games... With the win over BYU this season, he reached 400 victories for his Arizona career (these numbers may differ from what the NCAA coaching totals list, because as opposed to the Pac-10 Conference, the NCAA does not count forfeits as wins on head coaching records, as the case is with two UA losses to Cal in 1995 and 1996, which were later changed to wins... the same holds true with a game when Olson was at Iowa, when there was a forfeit by Wisconsin in 1983 that changed a loss into a win)... He is 5-5 all-time versus New Mexico... The season's opener against Kansas State was the 800th of his collegiate Division IA career... For his entire coaching career, including 11 years in high school (180-76 from 1956-69) and two in the junior college ranks (Long Beach City College, 104-20), he has coached in 1,189 games... During his 17-year tenure at Arizona, the Wildcats have won one national championship (1997), gone to three Final Fours (1988, 1994, 1997), won eight Pac-10 Conference titles and been to the NCAA Tournament for the past 15 years in a row, which is the second longest streak in NCAA history (North Carolina, 25)... He also led Iowa to the 1980 Final Four... He has been named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year six times (1986, 88, 89, 93, 94, 98), the Big-10 Coach of the Year twice (1979 & 81) and directed the UA program to the nation's best winning percentage over the past 12 years... His Pac-10 record stands at 223-65 (.774) and he is one of just six coaches in league history to win 200 or more conference games... He has the second-best conference winning percentage in Pac-10 history (minimum three years), trailing only John Wooden (.810/304-74)... Prior to coming to Arizona, he was at Iowa for nine years where he owned a 168-90 mark and before that, he was at Long Beach State for one season (1973-74), where he went 24-2... In his collegiate career, he has produced 35 NBA Draft picks, including 20 at Arizona - 15 alone on the 1990s... He has led Arizona to 12 consecutive 20-win seasons and has 21 overall in his career... Under Olson, the Cats are 248-25 (.908) in McKale Center and have won 177 of their last 187 home games.

McKale Magic: Arizona currently has the nation's fourth-longest active home winning streak (as of Dec. 20)... The Wildcats have won 37 consecutive home games, trailing only Murray State (46), Utah (41) and Duke (40)... Only four players on this year's team have ever experienced a loss in McKale Center (Justin Wessel, Josh Pastner, John Ash & Eugene Edgerson -- those four have been on teams that are 47-1 at home)... The last loss for the UA in McKale Center was a 66-64 defeat to UCLA on Feb. 13, 1997... The streak includes five games this year, all 14 home games last season, 15 in 1997-98 and the final three of the 1996-97 campaign... Further, Arizona has won 48 of its last 49 home games and is 177-10 in McKale Center since the 1987-88 season... During that time, the Cats have lost just two non-conference games (Syracuse - Dec. 23, 1995 & Arkansas - Dec. 6, 1992)... Overall, Arizona has won 23 consecutive non-conference home games... Last year was the ninth season in history that Arizona went undefeated at home... Arizona owns an all-time record of 341-64 (.842) in McKale Center... This will be the 12th season Arizona basketball has been sold out in McKale Center on a season-ticket basis... Only 10 pairs of mid-level tickets and 20 pairs of upper level tickets were not renewed for this year.

Against the Mountain West: Arizona has an all-time record 175-130 versus teams from the newly formed Mountain West Conference... Of course, most of the meetings came when Arizona was a member of the Western Athletic Conference (the league that all of the MWC schools separated from after last season) from 1961-72... This year, Arizona has played one Mountain West Conference team, Brigham Young, and beat the Cougars, 86-62, back on Dec. 1, in McKale Center.

The UA's record of 329-75 over the course of the past 12 years gives it the nation's best winning percentage during that span (.814).

Pac-10 Team of the Decade???: Arizona has the most wins of any Pac-10 team in the 1990s (265), has won five Pac-10 Conference crowns and tied for one other... UCLA is second with four Pac-10 conference titles this decade... For conference games only, Arizona's record of 140-40 is the best in the league, with UCLA at No. 2 with a 134-47 mark... The Cats have been to the NCAA Tournament each year this decade and won it all in 1997... There have been 18 All-Pac-10 first team selections from Arizona, four Pac-10 Players of the Year and two Pac-10 Freshmen of the Year... Arizona has not recorded a double-digit loss total since 1986-87... The Wildcats' seven All-Americans during the 1990s trails only Duke's 10... UA and North Carolina are tied for second-most All-Americans in the 1990s.

Cat Scratches: Arizona remains No. 1 in the Sagarin Rankings (Dec. 19 edition) with a 95.24 rating -- Cincinnati is No. 2 (94.32) and Syracuse is No. 3 (91.95)... Stanford, which is No.1 this week in the USA Today/ESPN poll, is No. 9 (90.22)... Arizona is looking to buck a recent trend of struggling its last game before the Christmas break... Since 1991-92, the Wildcats have dropped seven of their last eight games that have been the team's final contest before Christmas... Last season's 75-61 win over Iowa State on Dec. 19 stopped a seven game slide... Of Jason Gardner's 36 field goals this season, 24 are from three-point land... He is on pace to attempt 179 three-point field goals this season -- Damon Stoudamire has the single-season record of 265 3PT FGA's... The Cats are shooting .477 from the floor and holding the opposition to a .376 FG% mark...This week marks the 69th time that Arizona has been ranked in the top-five by the Associated Press... Arizona started the season ranked ninth in both polls... Of Arizona's five starters, you have two sophomores (Wright/Jefferson) who have combined for 73 career games, two true freshmen (Gardner/Arenas) and a junior who had never played for the Cats until this season (Woods)... After winning the Preseason NIT earlier this season, Arizona joins Kansas as the only three-time winners of the event, winning it in 1999, 1995 and 1990... All five UA starters have a double-figure scoring average -- the last time the Cats had all five in double figures after 10 games was in the 1995-96 season (Miles Simon, Joseph Blair, Ben Davis, Michael Dickerson, Reggie Geary)... Since the start of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have won 67 of 82 games... The Cats have outscored their 10 opponents so far by +15.4 ppg and are limiting the opposition to 62.9 ppg... Dating back to the start of the 1997-98 season, Arizona has been ranked in the top-10 in 37 of the last 43 AP polling periods... Arizona is 34-0 when senior Josh Pastner plays, hence the term "A Pastner Game" applies whenever the Wildcats win big... The Cats are 3-1 versus ranked opponents this season, beating No.5 Michigan State, No. 9 Texas, No. 11 Kentucky and losing to No. 6 Connecticut.

For Starters: Lute Olson has gone with the same starting lineup in eight of the 10 games this season... Against Michigan State, an adjustment was made at the center spot, as Justin Wessel started for Loren Woods... Woods was late to the game because of a traffic accident he was in while on the way to McKale Center... He finally got to the arena in the early goings of the first half and checked into the lineup at the 14:17 mark after warming up on a stationary bike... He made his first field goal attempt 24 seconds later... Gilbert Arenas was the other normal starter who did not start against MSU, as a result of him being late to a scheduled treatment session with basketball athletic trainer Ed Orr... Rick Anderson started in his place and Richard Jefferson started at the two-guard... Against IUPUI, Anderson again started for Arenas and Jefferson went at the two-guard.

Roster Changes: Junior transfer Luke Recker has announced that he will transfer to Iowa for next semester... He had come to the UA from Indiana prior to this season, but will return to the Midwest to be closer to his family and girlfriend, who was injured in a July car crash... Of the transfer, he said, "After what happened this summer, I feel I need to be closer to my family, Kelly and Jason (Craig) and their family, and many other important people in my life. I have been nothing but extremely impressed with coach Lute Olson and the Arizona program and I will miss them greatly. First and foremost I would like to thank coach Olson and the Arizona basketball family for what they have done for me. They have been very supportive and helpful through the toughest time of my life. I care greatly for coach Olson, Mrs. Olson, the assistant coaches, the players and everyone involved in this tremendous program. But being close to my loved ones has become a priority at this time. I have been contemplating this decision since my arrival in Tucson. This decision is based solely on personal reasons."... In addition, Wildcat sophomore guard Ruben Douglas was granted his request for a release from his scholarship at the University of Arizona by the UA coaching staff on Nov. 14... Lamont Frazier has missed the past three games to take care of academic responsibilities.

Pretty Good Success: Dating back to the first round loss of the 1986 Big Apple NIT, Arizona has won 66 of its last 72 games that have been played as part of an in-season tournament or one-game special event (i.e. Las Vegas Shootout, Preseason NIT, Maui Invitational, Great Eight Classic, Las Vegas Showdown, Great Alaska Shootout, Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic, Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic, etc., etc.)... This season, Arizona was 4-0 in the Preseason NIT, lost its game against Connecticut at the Great Eight and beat Nebraska in the Las Vegas Showdown.

Road Warriors: So far this season, Arizona has played in five different cities and four separate time zones while logging 8,842 travel miles... Further, the team has been through eight different airports and on 14 different plane flights... One example of the hectic schedule went like this: after the Texas game on Dec. 4, the Wildcats, following a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call, returned to Tucson from Austin on Sunday around noon and practiced at 1 p.m... The players then attended classes on Monday, practiced afterwards at 1:30 p.m. and then had a 3:55 p.m flight for Chicago via Denver... They arrived in Chicago around 10 p.m and checked into the hotel around 11 p.m... The team then left Chicago the morning after the UConn game after a 6:15 a.m. wake-up call... After a two-hour layover in Denver, everyone arrived back in Tucson around 2 p.m. on Wednesday... And, oh yeah, finals began last Friday, the day before the Michigan State game, and then the IUPUI followed on Monday.

Captains Elected: Senior Josh Pastner and junior Loren Woods were selected captains for this year's team in voting that was done by their teammates.

Block Party: Junior center Loren Woods is providing the UA basketball program with a luxury it has been without for the past few years - a legitimate shot blocker... With 32 blocks already this season (3.2 bpg), he has only five fewer blocks than last year's top UA shot blocker -- A.J. Bramlett -- had for the entire season (37)... In fact, Woods has half as many for the UA's top shot blockers in each of the past 10 seasons... For a lowdown of the shot blockers in UA history, consult page 85 in the Arizona basketball media guide... The Arizona individual record for blocks in a season is 84, set by Anthony Cook in 1988-89, and Woods is well ahead of that pace... He has tied the UA record for blocks in a game twice this season, swatting seven shots against both Notre Dame and Nebraska (Cook had seven blocks in 1987 against UTEP)... Also, Richard Jefferson's 14 blocks this season is already three more than his entire total for the 1998-99 campaign... Last year, the Wildcats accounted for 93 blocks on the season and this year, they already have 62.

And Make It A Double: All-American candidate Michael Wright has started the year with six double-doubles in the first 10 games, bringing his career double-double total to 18... The sophomore power forward has 18 double-doubles in just 39 career games... On the season, he is averaging a team-best 14.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg and is shooting 61.4% from the floor... He has started 34 consecutive games for the Cats dating back to last season... Wright was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week back on Dec. 6 after averaging 17.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg in wins over Brigham Young and Texas... His 35 rebounds through the first three games of the Preseason NIT were three shy of the three-game tournament record of 38, set by Gary Trent (Miami of Ohio).. His rebounding average of 8.8 rpg last season was the best ever for a freshman in the Pac-10 Conference.

Michael Wright's Career Double-Doubles (18 in 36 career games) Arizona's record in these games is 12-6

Date     Opponent               Points  Rebounds
12/14/98 UC-Irvine              15      13
1-2-99   at UCLA                14      10
1/4/99   at USC                 11      12
1/14/99  at Arizona State       18      12
1/16/99  at New Mexico          15      17
1/23/99  at Oregon State        13      12
1/30/99  California             15      12
2/4/99   at Washington          19      10
2/13/99  Louisiana State        15      11
2/20/99  Oregon                 19      13
3/4/99   USC                    22      10
3/12/99  Oklahoma               16      12
11/16/99 Kansas State           11      10
11/19/99 New Mexico State       24      13
11/24/99 Notre Dame             22      11
12/1/99  BYU                    19      10
12/4/99  Texas                  16      13
12/7/99  Connecticut            14      10

Jefferson's Starship: Appearing on a "Plays of the Week" near you, sophomore Richard Jefferson is one of the most athletic players in the country and has had a solid season, while providing more than a fair share of highlight reel dunks and blocks... Second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.591) and assists (3.9 apg) and third in rebounding (5.3 rpg), the Phoenix product has scored in double figures in every game but one (Connecticut)... He is also shooting 50% from the three-point line (11-of-22) and has an overall FG% of 59.1% (52-88)... He is finally coming into his own as a wing player after spending his high school career as a back-to-the-basket post player... His season was highlighted by a 19-point, five rebound, four assist outing at Texas, that helped lift Arizona to an 88-81 win over the ninth-ranked Longhorns... All 19 points came in the second half when he was 8-of-10 from the floor.

The Kids are Alright: The freshman guard tandem of Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas appear to have acclimated themselves quite well to the college game... Big parts of the UA's 9-1 start, they are combining for 24.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 7.4 apg and 4.1 spg... They are No. 1 & 2 in steals on the team... Arenas is third on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and Gardner is fifth (12.0 ppg)... Gardner leads the team in minutes, averaging 34.5 mpg and Arenas is second at 28.2 mpg... Arenas has been solid from the free throw line, hitting 33-of-37 attempts (89.2%) and Gardner's three-point percentage (.429/24-56) is better than his overall field goal percentage (.424/36-85)... They enjoyed their time in the Madison Square Garden limelight for the Preseason NIT, appearing in their own version of an off-Broadway "CATS" performance... They were both named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team, while Arenas was the tourney's MVP... Playing in one of the "World's Most Famous Arenas", Arizona most famous Arenas averaged 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 3.5 spg, helping Arizona beat Notre Dame and Kentucky... He went for a game and career-high 20 points in the title game versus UK... As for Gardner, he averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg and only turned the ball over once while playing in 72 of a possible 80 minutes.

Pac-10 Prognostications: The Wildcats were picked to win the 1 Pac-10 Conference title, according to a poll of media members who regularly cover the league... The poll showed Arizona getting 32 of the possible 36 first-place votes, edging No. 2 UCLA, who received three first place votes and No. 3 Stanford, which garnered one first place vote... Following the top-three were Oregon, Oregon State, California, USC, Arizona State, Washington and Washington State. This poll has correctly picked the Pac-10 Champion for five years in a row and Arizona has now been the preseason No. 1 pick six times since the poll was started back in 1989.

Arizona in 1999-00 Polls/Week-by-Week

        Date    Record   AP             USA Today/ESPN
        Pre.    0-0      #9             #9
        11/15   1-0     #10             #9
        11/22   2-0      #8             #9
        11/29   4-0      #4             #4
        12/6    6-0      #2             #2
        12/13   7-1      #4             #3
        12/20   9-1     TBA             #2

Ties Count as a Win: With each win by the Arizona basketball team this year, head coach Lute Olson donates the tie he wore in the game to the Tucson YMCA , and in turn they auction off that tie to the public, with all the proceeds going towards their youth programs... So far, his closet is minus nine ties on the season...

Counting Classes: The 1 Arizona basketball roster is relatively young... From top-to-bottom, it is comprised of just two seniors, of which only one will play, due to Eugene Edgerson's redshirt season (Josh Pastner, who has played just 84 minutes in his four year career is the lone "playing" senior)... After that, there are four juniors - two of whom had never played in a game for the Cats before the Kansas State season opener (Wake Forest transfer Loren Woods & junior college transfer Lamont Frazier)... Then there are three sophomores, one redshirt freshman and four true freshmen.

Happy Action Graduation Time: If getting your undergraduate degree in just two-and-a-half years was not enough, Arizona senior Josh Pastner has pushed the envelope even further with his most recent scholastic accomplishment... Last Saturday, he received his master's degree in teaching & teacher education, taking just three-and-a-half years to do so... He walked in the University of Arizona's graduation ceremonies on Saturday morning, and then boarded a plane to Las Vegas to meet up with the team for that night's game against Nebraska... Last year the road trip and graduation day was exactly the same as well, when he received his undergraduate degree in family studies... He walked the morning of Dec. 19, 1998 and then flew to Las Vegas later that day for the Cats' game in the Las Vegas Shootout versus Iowa State... He played eight minutes with one rebound in that win.

Who's Back: Heading the group of two returning starters and seven letterwinners is last year's Freshman All-American and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Michael Wright. A 6-foot-7, 238-pound sophomore from Chicago, Ill. (Farragut Academy), he has received preseason acclaim as being one the top power forwards in the country for 1. He is the team's leading returning scorer (13.9 ppg) and rebounder (8.8 rpg) after posting the best rebounding average by a freshman in Pac-10 history last season. The other returning starter from last year is sophomore Richard Jefferson (F, 6-7, 222, Phoenix, Ariz.)... (Ruben Douglas was a third returning starter, but he was granted his request to be released from his scholarship at the UA on Nov. 14). Jefferson was an All-Pac-10 Freshman team performer last season after averaging 11.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 2.9 apg. Among the other returning letterwinners are Justin Wessel (F, 6-8 , 225, Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Rick Anderson (F, 6-8 , 221, So., Long Beach, Calif.), John Ash (G, 5-10, 177, Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) and probably the most valuable player in the country who has averaged 2.6 minutes per game during his career, Josh Pastner (G, 5-11, 182, Kingwood, Texas).

A Redshirt Year: Another face that is returning this season, but will not be playing is Eugene Edgerson... He will redshirt this season so he can complete his degree requirement in his education major... In order to accomplish his goal of getting his degree and teaching certificate from the UA in four years, he will student teach during the 2000 spring semester, while fulfilling other requirements this fall... Depending on his teaching schedule, he will still practice with the team but will miss Wednesday practices during the fall semester.

The (Kind Of) New Faces: There are seven players on this season's roster who had never played in a game for the Wildcats before the season opener, although two of them were with the program last year and sat out either as a transfer or with a redshirt season. The transfer is junior center Loren Woods (7-1, 251, St. Louis, Mo.), who came to Arizona from Wake Forest. The former McDonald's All-American had to sit out last year, but is eligible to play in 1999-00 and will establish his presence right away. He did practice with the Cats in 1998-99, so he has a good knowledge of the system. The redshirt is Luke Walton (F, 6-8, 228, Fr., San Diego, Calif.). He missed last season with a medical redshirt after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot. He was healthy towards the end of last year and was able to practice with the team at the end of February.

2000 NCAA West Region First/Second Rounds in McKale Center
The University of Arizona will host the first and second rounds of the 2000 NCAA Tournament West Region this March 16 & 18 in McKale Center. Tickets are currently on sale for each of the three sessions and cost $90. Ticket orders can be made at the McKale Center ticket office or by calling . Media credential applications will be ready in January. Contact media coordinator Tom Duddleston with any questions ().

The New Guys: The six fresh faces on the team are a talented group... There is one junior college transfers and four true freshmen... Junior college guard Lamont Frazier (6-3, 182, Jr.) comes to Tucson from Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas and is originally from Los Angeles... The four true freshmen on the squad include McDonald's All-American and starting point guard Jason Gardner (G, 5-10, 178, Indianapolis, Ind.), starting two-guard Gilbert Arenas (G, 6-3, 191, North Hollywood, Calif.), Robertas Javtokas it's pronounced YAHV-toe-kus (C, 6-10, 229, Siauliai, Lithuania) and walk-on Michael Schwertley (F, 6-5, 214, Phoenix, Ariz.).

Where Are You From?: California is the state that can claim the most members of this year's Wildcats, as four players are from "The Golden State " (Rick Anderson, Gilbert Arenas, Lamont Frazier and Luke Walton)... There are three from Arizona (John Ash, Richard Jefferson & Michael Schwertley)... The rest of the roster contains seven players from different states and countries, as the case is with Robertas Javtokas, who is from Siauliai, Lithuania... His city is pronounced SHAW-lay.

The Golden Arches: This season's roster has three former McDonald's All-Americans Jason Gardner, Richard Jefferson and Loren Woods.

Then There Were Four: Just four players on this year's roster remain from Arizona's 1997 NCAA Championship team Eugene Edgerson, Justin Wessel, John Ash and Josh Pastner.

Who's Gone From 1998-99: Leading the losses from last season are 1998-99 seniors Jason Terry and A.J. Bramlett... Terry was named the National Player of the Year in three circles last year and was the Pac-10 Player of the Year after becoming the first player to lead the league in scoring (21.9 ppg), assists (5.5) and steals (2.8) in the same season since Gary Payton of Oregon State did it in 1989-90... He was No. 10 in the NBA Draft and went to the Atlanta Hawks... Bramlett was an All-Pac-10 selection last season after averaging 14.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg... He was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers... Both Terry and Bramlett were members of four Arizona teams that went 103-28 (55-4 at home), winning a national title (1997), a Pac-10 crown and they were 11-3 in the NCAA Tournament... Jason Stewart was the third senior last year, while freshman guard Traves Wilson transferred in the off-season, and so did Ruben Douglas, who made his decision Nov. 14.

Arizona's NCAA Tournament History: Last year marked the 18th time Arizona has made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament and it was the 15th invite under head coach Lute Olson... UA's current string of 15 consecutive appearances in the NCAAs is the second longest streak in NCAA history, trailing only North Carolina's 25 straight invites (UNC's is a current streak as well)... Last season was the 20th time in the last 21 years that Olson has taken a team to the NCAAs... He has directed Arizona to 15 tourneys and a 24-14 record -- and when he was the coach at Iowa, he coached five Hawkeye squads to the NCAAs... With 20 career appearances in the NCAA Tournament, he is tied for fourth on the NCAA's all-time tournament appearance list for head coaches with Adolph Rupp and John Thompson... Over the course of their last 20 NCAA games, the Wildcats own a record of 15-5... In the last five years, Arizona has played in 21 tournament games... Arizona's all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is now 26-17... The Wildcats have been to three Final Fours -- 1988, 1994 & 1997... Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times in the last 12 years.

20-Win Campaigns: With its record of 22-7 last season, it marked the 12th consecutive season that Arizona won 20 or games... Further, it was the 14th time in Lute Olson's 16 years as UA head coach that the Cats have reached the 20-win plateau... It marked the 21st time in Olson's career that he has directed a team to 20 or more victories, making him just the eighth head coach in NCAA history to reach 20 wins in 21 or more seasons (Dean Smith-30; Jerry Tarkanian-26; Adolph Rupp-23; Bobby Knight-22; Denny Crum-21; Jim Boeheim-21; John Chaney-21).

Former Cats in the NBA: This season, there are 10 former Arizona players on NBA rosters... They are Mike Bibby (Vancouver), A.J. Bramlett (Cleveland), Jud Buechler (Detroit), Michael Dickerson (Vancouver), Sean Elliott (San Antonio/injured list), Steve Kerr (San Antonio), Chris Mills (Golden State), Sean Rooks (Dallas), Damon Stoudamire (Portland) and Jason Terry (Atlanta).

Shooting Sets the Tone: Since the 1996-97 season, Arizona is 69-4 in games when it has a better shooting percentage than its opponent... The Wildcats are 9-0 this year, 19-1 last season, 23-2 the year before and 18-1 in 1996-97 campaign.

80s Preservation Society: In the past four years, the UA is 80-8 when it scores 80 or more points in a game... Further, since the 1992-93 season, Arizona is 142-15 when it scores 80 or more... The Cats are 5-0 this year, were 15-2 in 1998-99, 26-3 in 1997-98 and 19-2 in 1996-97.

The Century Club: The UA has not given up 100 points in regulation since Jan. 27, 1990, at Pittsburgh, a span of 312 games. UA lost that game 100-92.

Some Notes on Last Season: The Wildcats led the Pac-10 in rebounding (41.6 rpg), scoring (82.2 ppg), free throw shooting (.710) and rebounding margin (+8.1 rpg)... The Cats completed its home schedule with a 14-0 mark... It was the ninth time in history the UA has completed its home schedule undefeated... Last year was the first time since 1989-90 that Arizona didn't score 100 points or more in at least one game... Arizona started three freshmen in 22 of its 29 games and used 10 different starting lineups... Only three teams shot 50% or better against the Wildcats -- UCLA (50%), at Cal (51.6%) and at Stanford (54.0%)... Arizona suffered its worst shooting performance of the season against Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (19-of-57/33%)... One offshoot of the UA's rebounding dominance was the amount of times it went to the free throw line... The Wildcats attempted 252 more free throws than the opposition... The three-point field goal percentage of .350 was the lowest in team history... Arizona's 30 turnovers against Washington State on Jan. 7, were the most for the program since Dec. 4, 1982, when the Ben Lindsey-coached Cats had 36 at New Mexico... The University of Arizona retired Steve Kerr's jersey in a ceremony following the Washington game... He joined Sean Elliott as the only former Wildcats to have their jersey hung from the McKale Center rafters.

Arizona Basketball On TV This Year: Each of Arizona's 32 regular season games will be televised on either Fox Sports Net, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS or KWBA. The Wildcats appear on Fox Sports Net 20 times, ESPN four times, ESPN2 four times, CBS once, ABC once and on Tucson's KWBA five times.

The Coach's Show: Once again this season, KNST radio will air the Lute Olson Coach's Show, hosted by Brian Jeffries... Due to Arizona travel conflicts during the non-conference season, the show will air just once prior to Pac-10 play... The next Lute Olson Show will be Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. and the TV show will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 10:30 p.m on UPN channel 18 in Tucson.

Prowlin' With the Wildcats: Here's the upcoming broadcast schedule for Fox Sports Net Arizona's bi-weekly magazine show about University of Arizona athletics -- "Prowlin' with the Wildcats"... Fri., Jan. 14, 9 p.m./Sun., Jan. 16, 1 p.m. (replay); Thurs., Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m./Sat., Jan. 29, 3 p.m. (replay).