ARIZONA HEAD COACH LUTE OLSON

"We have gotten to the line 831 times in 32 games, and they have gone to the line 895 times in only 30 games. They have been to the line more, and that tells you they are very aggressive on taking the ball at the basket, and they are also aggressive on the offensive boards."

"(Vincent) Jones is very active, and in the final game of their tournament, he had an unbelievable block the first play of the game. After he blocked the shot, he led the break and dunked at the other end. He really runs well, and he has a nice shooting touch. He goes for every shot that's up."

A look at Arizona:
"Our strength all year long has been our defensive ability, and it is definitely going to be a factor (against Jackson State). I am also confident with every combination of guys in there at any given time in terms of how well they play together. We just need to play."

Luke Walton:
"Luke (Walton) is definitely more effective on the perimeter because he can create so many opportunities with his passing."

Loren Woods:
"Right now, the chances are slim that Loren (Woods) will play, but as long as the chances are still slim, we can't count him out until it is a reality. He is a co-captain, and he will travel with the team and be there to contribute in whatever way he can."

Rick Anderson:
"Rick (Anderson) is going to play more inside, and he feels a lot more comfortable playing inside. He is an aggressive rebounder, and we are pleased with the way his is responding right now."

Justin Wessel:
"Justin (Wessel) is making excellent progress, and we hope to have him work out with us today."

Jason Gardner:
"Jason (Gardner) should be able to practice today at full strength. We held him out yesterday, and he did a little shooting and some sideline work. He had some swelling in his calf, but we expect him to be fine today."

"I am not sure that there has been a freshman (Jason Gardner) with more of an impact on the conference under the circumstances. He is the best defender of the freshmen in the conference, and he is the best ball handler and distributor."

Michael Wright:
"He (Michael Wright) just comes out and plays, and everyday is a challenge for him to be as good as he can be. He is focused every minute, and he is always working hard and doing what he needs to do for the team. We are getting Michael (Wright) the ball more, and we are opening up his game, but we still need to get him to be more active with the face-up situation."

Player Quotes
March 14, 2000

Sophomore Rick Anderson:
"I'm happy with our draw. When the draw came up, we saw LSU. And when we saw that, it gave us a sense of revenge. It made us feel like we were at an advantage because we lost to them by so many points. To be successful, we have to be determined.

"Jackson St. is going to work their butts off to beat us. We have confidence, we've got use our brains. We really have to focus out there."

On last year's tournament disappointment:
"It's going to help us on the mental side. I won't ever think about last year. We've had too many obstacles. We're going to put it all aside and do our best. I hope our confidence and desire to win comes out like in 97."

"If we think we're still one of the best even without Loren (Woods). We beat Stanford without Loren. We're still a good team. We're excited. Coach Olson still has confidence and the support to do well."

Junior Justin Wessel:
"People have been saying we're not worthy of a number one seed. We're going to prove we deserve it. Gilbert and Jason have proved all year long that they can handle anything. Luke Walton has been around basketball long enough (to handle pressure). There's a point where we have to say we're Arizona, we don't lose to lower level teams.' I'll be ready to go on Thursday. I've had a full week to get back. I've been working with Ed Orr. It's (the ankle) doing pretty good. Ed Orr (basketball athletic trainer) and I have been living in the training room doing a 2 week job in 5 days. I've been here as early as 8:30 and as late as 11 with Ed. I haven't played since last Thursday, so I want to be ready."

"This is the tournament, it's what we are here for. This is why you come to Arizona. I haven't heard anyone say a positive thing about us. We've done way too much and gone through too many problems to have a short tournament. People say we're the worst #1 seed and we don't deserve it. If you really look at it, we pretty much handled Stanford twice. They weren't fluke wins."

On Loren Woods:
"That's a big difference between six and seven (scholarship players available) with Loren. If he's there or if he's not there, we've got to play. There's no asterisk if we lose that says we didn't have Loren Woods. I'm not much of an impression of Loren Woods. I'll do my best but we are definitely a different team without him. We may be a different team but still a number one with the talent we have on this team."

"As an older guy, I'll use it (last year's tournament performance) as motivation. I'll look to it a lot to push myself. I've seen the best and the worst. I use the worst as my motivation. But for the younger guys, they've got to get that out of their heads."

"Jackson State is real big and athletic, That scares you in the tournament. But hopefully, we'll be better basketball players."

Senior Josh Pastner:
"When you lose your star or one of your really good players, everyone has a sense of urgency and rises to the occasion. We've got to win six in a row, but one at a time. Jason Gardner is the best point guard in the nation regardless of class. He plays 40 minutes a game."

Sophomore Michael Wright:
"I think there will be a lot of pressure on me. A lot of teams are going to key on me. I want to come into this game to focus on winning the championship. I think we've got a good chance to do that. Getting past the first round will help me to do what I need to do. We have a major part of our defense missing. We've got to play defense really well.

On the #1 Seed:
"A lot of people question it (receiving a #1 seed). But we can prove them all wrong. We have a lot of talent. People are going to have to step up and play."

On last year's tournament performance:
"I can't bring back the past, just try to correct it in the future."

Sophomore Richard Jefferson:
"If we go out and play our game, we'll be ok. Last year, it was Jason Terry and a bunch of guys around him waiting for him to do it all. This year, it's different, it's more of a team attitude.We were a one man team last year. We never got that tournament feeling. I think that there is no comparison between last year's team and this year. I am ready to get pumped and play some games. We've proven ourselves."

On Loren Woods:
"We're definitely optimistic but if he doesn't play, we've proven to ourselves and to everybody that we can win without him."