Arizona Collapse Is Not Forgotten

No lead is safe against Arizona. UCLA found out the hard way a month ago, sailing along with a 20-point lead with 13:41 remaining on the strength of hot perimeter shooting.

Call it a heat transfer. All of a sudden the Wildcats couldn’t miss, and within three minutes the lead evaporated. The crowd at McKale Center went bonkers and the Bruins were run out of Tucson, 96-86.

“We definitely want to get back at them,” Bruin guard Rico Hines said. “We remember that game.”

No. 9 Arizona is in first place in the Pacific 10 Conference. Victories over UCLA and USC aren’t out of the question--the Wildcats beat Stanford and California on the road two weeks ago.

Coach Lute Olson is worried if UCLA comes out hot again tonight at Pauley Pavilion, Arizona won’t be able to mount a comeback.

“They shoot the three so well you need to cut down on the number of opportunities they’re going to have,” Olson said. “That’s easier said than done because they have so many guys who can shoot it.

“Every year we’ve played over there it’s been a high-energy type of game, and I would guess it’ll get down to ball possessions and shooting percentage.”

UCLA Coach Steve Lavin agrees with the bottom line.

“The biggest factor is holding the other team to a low shooting percentage,” he said. “One challenge is to get [center] Dan Gadzuric more touches and more shots, because he shoots at a high percentage.”

TONIGHT

vs. No. 9 Arizona

7:30, Fox Sports Net

Site--Pauley Pavilion.

Radio--KXTA (1150, 850).

Records--No. 20 UCLA 16-7, 8-4; Arizona 17-6, 10-3.

Update--Arizona has won four in a row since losing to Connecticut in overtime Jan. 26. Forward Luke Walton has three consecutive 20-point games and seven double-doubles. Wildcat freshman center Channing Frye was six for six from the field and seven for seven on free throws in the first meeting. Jason Kapono scored only nine points in UCLA’s nonconference loss to Villanova on Saturday--only the second time this season he has been under double figures.

Steve Henson