Stanford-Arizona Has ‘Em Buzzing
Washington State coach Kevin Eastman favors Stanford. USC’s Henry Bibby picks Arizona.
Oregon State’s Eddie Payne can’t decide who he likes in what might be the game of the year in the Pacific-10 Conference.
No. 4 Stanford (18-0) vs. No. 6 Arizona (17-3). Fox Sports Net, tonight. 7:30.
“Unfortunately, most the rest of us will be playing elsewhere, so we’ll have to catch it on tape,” Eastman said, mindful of WSU’s visit to UCLA, also at 7:30.
Eastman, Bibby and Payne have one thing in common: Each has lost to Stanford and Arizona this season.
“I think home floor will be a big key,” Eastman said.
Stanford hasn’t lost a game in Maples Pavilion since Feb. 22, 1996, when Mark Hendrickson and Isaac Fontaine - memories, memories - combined for 40 points as WSU snapped the Cardinal’s 14-game home winning streak, 68-59.
Arizona has come close at Maples on a number of occasions in recent years, but Stanford has always found a way to win, even when the Wildcats had better talent.
“People just don’t realize how difficult it is to win against good teams on their home court,” Arizona coach Lute Olson said.
Oh, WSU realizes. The Cougars have never won at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, another reason tonight’s Stanford-Arizona game seems so appealing.
“With Stanford, you have to decide whether to take away their inside game or their perimeter game,” Eastman added. “With Arizona, I think Stanford will be looking at them saying, ‘Well, let’s go ahead and take away their perimeter game because we feel pretty good about our inside defenders and the size that we have.”’
Bibby disagrees, and not just because his son, Mike, happens to play point guard at Arizona. By all accounts, the Wildcats are playing even better than they did during last spring’s NCAA championship run.
Arizona’s top seven players returned this season.
“I think a key will be the athleticism of Arizona,” Bibby said. “Arizona is very athletic and of all the teams, they match up much better with Stanford. I think Arizona will win.”
Around the conference
USC’s Gary Johnson has a colon infection and is expected to miss Saturday’s game against WSU. … Oregon State guard Ron Grady suffered a lacerated kidney in an awkward midcourt collision with Washington’s 7-foot-1 Patrick Femerling on Jan. 17. Grady left the floor, returned briefly to score four points, but then left again gasping for air. Grady also suffered bruised ribs and a lung contusion. He is out for the season.
Stanford coach Mike Montgomery is feeling the burden of his team’s unbeaten record. “It’s like, ‘Oh, so we’re unbeaten, but we’re not the same team if we are beaten,”’ Montgomery said. “We’re going to get beaten sometime.” Guard Kris Weems said Montgomery told the Cardinal after its last-second 74-72 win at Washington on Saturday that “being 17-1 wouldn’t be bad, especially coming against a 12-3 team.”
UCLA’s Jelani McCoy is playing fewer and fewer minutes, leading to increased speculation that the troubled center could be on his way out. Coach Steve Lavin isn’t doing anything to squelch the rumors. “He’s on the team for now,” Lavin said. McCoy was suspended earlier this season after reportedly testing positive for marijuana. … Lavin, on the progress of freshman point guard Baron Davis: “I think he is ahead of schedule as to where (Arizona’s) Mike Bibby was last year.” In other words, look out, Blake Pengelly and Kab Kazadi.
Add Lavin: “I think Stanford has a tremendous chance to go to the Final Four, more so than Arizona. They’re probably the best Final Four contender from our conference. Arizona has the experience, but Stanford has that depth.” Responded Arizona’s Lute Olson: “I think we’ll be able to get some use out of that.”
For $20, an Arizona company is selling the Lute Lid, a stunningly white foam rubber re-creation of Olson’s perfect hair. The accessory fits snugly over the head, as the Arizona band has demonstrated at games.
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