West Regional at Pauley Pavilion : It’s Time for Arizona to Show Its Strength

Arizona Coach Lute Olson turned to his “big” forward, Anthony Cook, and said, “Flex for us, Anthony. Show these guys how big you really are.”

Cook tried to stifle a smile as he shifted nervously in his chair. He did not stand and strike a body beautiful pose to show off his 6-foot 9-inch, 190-pound physique.

Olson continued, “You should have seen him when he first came to us. We used to think we were playing with four guys but then we’d find out that Anthony was standing sideways. He’s the only player we’ve had who needed suspenders with his trunks.”

The pointed humor was pointed not at Cook but at the reporters who were all caught up in the issue of size and strength as Arizona prepares to play Seton Hall at Pauley Pavilion today at 1:55 p.m. in a National Collegiate Athletic Assn. West Regional basketball game.

Iowa will play UNLV in the second game, at about 4:25 p.m., in a rematch of last season’s West Regional final that UNLV won.

But the overriding question as the teams arrived for their practice sessions at Pauley Pavilion was whether Arizona center Tom Tolbert would be able to play today, and, further, whether Arizona was physically strong enough to play Seton Hall, even with Tolbert.

And the underlying question was whether a Pac-10 team can match up physically with a Big East team. It’s a West Coast vs. East Coast basketball question.

Tolbert, Arizona’s strongest player at 6-7, 242, twisted his back in the game against Cornell Friday. His status for the game against Seton Hall was still not absolute, but Olson said he expected Tolbert to start.

“He looks much better today than yesterday,” Olson said. “I expect him to be able to start. If not, (Joe) Turner (6-8, 203) will start, and our rotation will include Jud Buechler (6-6, 200). . . . Our biggest problem if Tom isn’t available is the weight factor.

“The strength of Seton Hall obviously is the bulk of their two inside people. They take up a lot of space. They are very strong. . . . We need to cut down on their putbacks (second shots). On a first-shot basis, they shoot the ball very well. We shoot the ball better. But if they get a lot of second and third tries, we’re in trouble.”

The most trouble will come from Seton Hall’s Mark Bryant, a 6-9, 245-pound forward who averages 20.8 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. Against Texas El Paso Friday, Bryant had 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Arizona jumps back and forth from its man-to-man defense to its zone. In a man-to-man, Tolbert would match up with 6-8, 235-pound center Ramon Ramos, and Cook would draw Bryant, who like Cook wears No. 00.

Asked if he could compare Bryant to any of the big men he had played against in the Pac-10, Cook said, “We have a couple of guys built like that, but they don’t play as aggressively as he does.”

Arizona, the top-seeded team in the West, has a record of 32-2. Seton Hall, seeded eighth, has a record of 22-12.

Seton Hall Coach P.J. Carlesimo, commenting on the “contrasting styles,” added that Arizona presents a “difficult combination of size and quickness and intelligence.”

Carlesimo added: “If the sheet is right on Steve Kerr’s field-goal percentage (.592) and three-point percentage (.609), that’s another problem.”

Carlesimo seemed to be impressed with Tolbert, noting his size and his ability to play a physical game, coupled with his shooting finesse. “That gives him an unusual dimension,” Carlesimo said. “And I love the way this team passes the ball.”

The game between Iowa of the Big Ten and UNLV of the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. is not so much concerned with size and individual matchups as with how the Rebels will handle the Hawkeyes’ pressure.

UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian said: “We’ll be really delighted if we can get it inbounds. If we can get it across halfcourt, we’ll be so excited. And if we can score--that will be beautiful.”

Tarkanian raved on and on about the expertise of Iowa Coach Tom Davis in teaching the press, noting that the other teams that utilize the press best, Ohio State and Cleveland State, are coached by former Davis assistants.

Iowa’s press is most effective at getting its fast break started. The Hawkeyes love to run.

The Runnin’ Rebels haven’t been runnin’ too much this season. Tarkanian says he hopes to get back to a running game next season. But for now, he doesn’t have the personnel.

Still, the low score in UNLV’s 54-50 victory over Southwest Missouri State Friday night was the result of the way Southwest Missouri wanted to slow it down. Both the Hawkeyes and the Rebels expect their matchup to be more at the pace of the game the Hawkeyes won, 102-98, over Texas El Paso.

Tarkanian is hoping that the Hawkeyes (23-9) don’t run away from his Rebels (28-5) in a pique of revenge for the loss in the regional final last season. Tarkanian said, “Seven of our top nine players from last season aren’t even on this team. I sure hope they don’t take it out on these guys.”