Today’s other games
Arizona (19-12) vs. No. 23 Arizona State (22-8), noon, FS West -- A victory might give Arizona its 25th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, the longest such streak in the nation. The Wildcats, the fifth-seeded team, have had their way with Arizona State this season, winning both games. Arizona has lost four of its last five overall. Arizona State, the fourth-seeded team, was zeroing in on a conference championship, then lost in overtime to Washington and Washington State. Sophomore guard James Harden, the conference player of the year, is a lock first-round NBA pick if, as expected, he enters the draft.
Stanford (18-12) vs. No. 13 Washington (24-7), about 2:30 p.m., FS West -- Who even remembers that top-seeded Washington lost to Portland in the second game of the season? The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the conference, but a higher opinion of the Huskies emerged once everyone got a look at 5-foot-8 freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas. He meshed well with senior center Jon Brockman and senior guard Justin Dentmon, both all-conference selections. Stanford guard Anthony Good is a clutch scorer and center Lawrence Hill is effective in the post. Stanford, which is seeded ninth, lost three one-point games on the road, but also beat Arizona State in Tempe and had home wins over Cal and Arizona.
-- Chris Foster
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Player to watch:
JORDAN HILL, ARIZONA
When it comes to Arizona, most of the publicity goes to forward Chase Budinger. But his frontcourt mate, Jordan Hill, creates even more concern among Pac-10 opponents.
Hill finished the regular season averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds, second-best in the conference in both categories. An athletic 6 feet 10 and 235 pounds, he also blocked six shots in the Wildcats’ early-season victory over San Diego State.
Those numbers were good enough to place him beside Budinger on the All-Pac-10 team, despite that Hill has been playing with a sore ankle.
“Jordan has been a warrior all season,” Arizona interim Coach Russ Pennell said.
UCLA Coach Ben Howland calls him a “monster” and predicts that when he turns pro he will be an NBA lottery pick.
-- David Wharton
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