Arizona's staff showed the tape of UCLA's Lorenzo Mata, growling at Chase Budinger after blocking his shot and no one on the squad got back in Mata's face.

"Everyone in the room was pissed," Arizona associate head coach Jim Rosborough said. "We're done taking bologna. We've got to get real angry. We need to have an edge."

*You have to be an ESPN Insider to read the rest of Andy Katz's story. I am not.

But I am very encouraged by the second of those two paragraphs. I think Arizona is finally seeing the big picture. After playing at a mediocre level by Arizona standards virtually all of Janurary, and certainly last week against the L.A. schools, Arizona has finally realized they are missing a crucial piece of the puzzle: killer instinct. Clearly, UCLA has it. So why not use video of the PAC10's new "standard" as motivation?

The next step: actually establish that edge on the defensive end. Then we'll see who's done talking baloney.

"A great call by the officials"

I don't care what anyone says about Mustafa Shakur, he will be missed.

?

Who knows what will become of this season for Arizona?

What once looked so promising - winning 12 of their first 13 - has turned into a nightmare the likes of which have literally never been during the Lute Olson era (read: 5 home losses including the two worst since Olson arrived at the U of A) .

It is disappointing as a fan, sure, but it must be far more disappointing for members of the team, coaches and training staff. I mean, it's not as if they all decided this season was unimportant, and therefore aren't working hard.

Of course, I still love watching Arizona play. I'm already looking forward to the next Thursday after the Saturday game has just ended. But the luster of Arizona basketball just isn't there anymore. Gone are the days when I expected blowout wins over teams like Oregon State, Washington State and ASU. I'm actually a little concerned about Arizona's ability to win at Arizona State next week after watching the Sun Devils beat USC three days after the Trojans owned the Wildcats.

I keep hearing that Arizona doesn't play defense, and really I agree. It's not like they just stand around, but if you watch a team that plays great team defense, they are pressuring the ball constantly, forcing turnovers. And since Lute Olson has always insisted that defensive intensity feeds your offense, I wonder if that - in a way - has been turned against him. Where his teams past have fed the fast break with a surplus of forced turnovers, giving Arizona the image of a run-and-gun team, his teams today seem to concentrate on scoring first, defending second. You'd have to ask high school recruits to be sure, but I bet most of them choose Arizona because of the offensive prowess Lute Olson teams have a reputation for.

Add into the mix the fact that Arizona has limited depth, and you've got the recipe for a team that doesn't have the stamina to really commit to playing 40 minutes of nose-to-the-grindstone defense. That may be why they have trouble winning close games. If you don't execute offensively (see last four minutes against USC), you have no failsafe.

So I guess that doesn't bode well for the rest of this season. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure a lot of people gave up on the 97 team, and they ended up winning the National Championship. Arizona's gonna need to get hot fast.

What a weekend

Arizona is a good team. I'm not editorializing here; that is straight from Oregon head coach Ernie Kent after the Wildcats defeated his Oregon Ducks 77-74 Saturday. Arizona is a good team.

In case you are still skeptical, here's a little perspective:

14 teams have gone into Oregon's McArthur Court and lost - that includes UCLA. Only two teams have won: USC and Arizona.

Arizona has not lost to a team lower than 44 in kenpom.com's Ratings Percentage Index (North Carolina-1, UCLA-2, Oregon-20, Washington State-28, Virginia-31, USC-44).

Arizona has 5 wins over teams in the RPI top-50 (Memphis-8, UNLV-10, Oregon-20, Stanford-35, Illinois-42).

The tournament resume to-date is strong, but at least three tough games remain. Arizona hosts USC (AP 19) and UCLA (AP 2) before going on the road to face ASU, Cal and Stanford (AP 25).

This season is really starting to get interesting.

Tickets unsold, seats unfilled?

As reported by the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the student section in McKale is not filling up like it used to. Tickets are going unsold, seats remain empty and people are getting pissed off.

"What it is, is up to the student section," Lute Olson said. "We can't keep people from being here because students aren't using their seats."

Coach Olson isn't happy the place isn't full, people from town aren't happy they can't go to a game, and if you've ever tried to get a student ticket to a men's basketball game, I'm sure you aren't happy either. (Remember the ticket "riot" of 2002?)

I tried to get a ticket to the UNLV game just before the winter break. As I had been hearing, tickets were not selling out so plenty would be available starting the morning of the game - all you have to do is call or show up with your CatCard. So, as I was instructed to do by my friendly neighborhood McKale Center Ticket Office employee, I made the call. And made the call again and again, hitting redial about 30 times. Busy every time. I figured I had missed out, and tickets were instantly sold out.

As I ventured down towards campus to do some laundry later that morning, I figured I'd stop by the ticket office to give it one last shot. (It turns out parking is a bit of a problem on the UofA campus, and naturally, every metered spot around McKale is reserved on game days.) So I sat in my car, and called once again. Busy, busy, busy. "All ticket office employees are serving other customers at this time" is about how the recording goes. That's hard to believe when there isn't a soul waiting at the ticket windows.

After finally getting through - 'victory is mine' I thought - the ticket office voice mail picked up. I gave up at that point.

Going through the newspaper the next morning, I expected to read how crazy McKale Center was for last night's game. But lo and hehold, the student section had once again gone unfilled.

Now, I will admit that UofA students can, at times, appear to be less than die hard fans. The Zona Zoo frequently empties before halftime at football games if the Wildcats aren't winning. But the problem is not the students, it is the ticket purchasing process.

So I offer this solution. Forget registering your pass, forget calling in. (I suspect the road block for many is the confusing process you must go through to get a ticket.) Why not just have a good old-fashioned line up. If you buy a Zona Zoo pass, you earn the right to line up for a game. I was able to get into a handful of games last year because of this. If you show up at a reasonable time, you get in. If you show up 10 minutes after tip-off, you don't. It's simple.

'Just go out there and dominate'

On Friday I listed some possible reasons for Arizona's recent struggles.

Chemistry
"This was a team win," coach Lute Olson said after the Wildcats' 84-54 victory Saturday. "For example, Marcus only took two shots in the second half, but he had six assists and no turnovers. That is a team game. The overall spirit of the team was high coming into the game."

Key stat: 21 assists. Teams with talent can go far. Talented teams win championships.

Intensity
"It felt good to go out there and get a win, but we know we can't just walk into the Oregon schools, and think it's going to happen for us," Marcus Williams said. "We're going to need a good combined effort like we had tonight."

Arizona may have lost some of their focus after an impressive win at Washington four weeks ago (read: losing 6 of 8). Judging by Saturday's performance, it's back.

Key stat: the box score

Defense
Lute Olson describes the development of his team's defense as "coming along." Only time will tell, but Arizona held Washington, who averages 80 points a game on 47% shooting, to 54 and 38 Saturday.

Key stat: 5 blocked shots (Jordan Hill). Arizona may have found the dominating defensive presence they've been lacking.

Upcoming games at no. 9 Oregon (ABC 2/10), and against no. 5 UCLA in Tucson (CBS 2/17) are opportunities for Arizona to polish their post-season resume.


Up next: at Oregon State. 10:30 p.m ET.

I am stunned

Something just isn't right here, Washington State sweeping Arizona. What is the source of the problem? No one outside the locker room can know for sure, but here are a few theories:

1. Chemistry - these guys seem to enjoy playing with each other, and do share the ball quite a bit. But when faced with adversity, the tendency for these immensely talented players is to force the action. When they need each other the most, Arizona's players revert to a me-first style of play.

2. Coaching - I really doubt this is the source of Arizona's woes over the past four weeks or so, and Lute Olson has always said he will give up coaching when he longer has a passion for teaching or his health fails. I think the guy has earned the benefit of the doubt.

3. Intensity - I can only speak for what I saw on television, but Mustafa Shakur has enough heart to go around. However, overall intensity as a unit lacks in certain areas...

4. Defense - Bingo. Arizona has failed again and again at playing team defense when it matters the most. How Olson has let this go for so long, I am not sure. But this is for certain: Unless the Wildcats start playing defense with some intensity, and a sense of desperation, an invitation the NCAA Tournament is not a sure thing.

But, as the ever optimistic observer that I am, I am still excited about what this team can do. The first half of last night's game against the Cougars was littered with easy buckets in the paint as a result of good screens, and movement without the basketball. If Arizona can continue to do that, and their shots start falling, I think this team becomes very dangerous come March. And as I have said, and will continue to say, all these guys need is a little confidence.

Time for round 2

...of the Pac10 schedule, and time for Arizona to just start over. The non-conference schedule and first-half of Pac10 play were exhilarating, exciting, interesting and somewhat... discouraging. So, at 14-6, after losing 5 of their last 7, it is time for Arizona to play as if the season starts tonight, and anything can happen. And really, anything happen.

Winning streaks start at one, and knocking off surprisingly strong Washington State (AP 18) at home tonight would be good start to re-building some confidence. After losing at Virginia on opening night, Arizona ran off 12 straight wins. Hey, it could happen again.

But winning these next two games is crucial because guess what, there are no gimme games in the Pac10, and things only get tougher in the weeks to come. After hosting the Washington schools this weekend, Arizona is on the road to play the Oregon schools, then it's USC and UCLA in Tucson. They finish conference play at Arizona State, Cal and Stanford.

So what needs to happen to ensure a favorable seed in the NCAA tournament, and what are realistic expectations?

1. Defend your home court.
It is up to Arizona to decide if that is realistic. Raucous fans in the seats (or standing) will certainly help. We'll know more after tonight.

2. Win the tough ones.
After beating (then)no. 18 Memphis, and (then)no. 20 Washington, Arizona dropped games to (then)no. 17 Oregon, (then)no. 2 UCLA, and (then)no. 4 North Carolina. Two of those losses came at McKale. Quality wins make it easy for the Tournament Selection Committee to award a high seed, and they feed a team confidence.

3. Play within the team concept, and pass the ball!
When things aren't going well, it isn't time to start heaving the ball at the basket like shooting is going out of style, or pound the ball into the floor. Mustafa Shakur is at his best when he finds his teammates first, scores second. And this team does know how to share: Arizona has combined for 20+ assists in four games this season.

Realistically...
4. Anything can happen (see Arizona 1997), let's have fun watching it all unfold.