SPECIAL SECTION: The Cats are back

On opening day at McKale Center, a final primer on Arizona's Road Back to the Madness:

• You won't recognize Arizona by the company it has kept. Last season, the Wildcats were one of nine teams to finish 16-15. So did Cal State-Fullerton, Bradley, Wazzu, Alabama State, George Washington, Mount St. Mary's, Davidson and IPFW.

IPFW? The Mastodons finished sixth in the Summit League, losing to, among others, South Dakota State, UMKC and IUPUI.

Such are the rigors of recovering from the Lute Olson dynasty. You share a neighborhood with schools whose initials aren't remotely familiar or connected to those that have played in the Final Four, such as UTEP, UCLA and CCNY.

• UA coach Sean Miller is a speech teacher's joy. He does not pause, not for a millisecond, to insert "uh," "um" or "er" into his public-speaking appearances.

He motors through the king's English minus clichés and with unusual insight.

Rather than say "we are rebuilding," he says "we're at the beginning of stages, clearly more up the ladder now than we once were, of re-establishing a great program."

Instead of driving home old-school policies, my-way-or-the-highway pronouncements, he is more enlightened to 21st century college kids. He said, "What you have to be able to do as a head coach is reach players, take the weaknesses with the strengths, the good and the bad."

• If you are among those who paid $1,990 for a McKale Center Section A season ticket this year, you may look at the home schedule with a sense of disbelief and disappointment.

North Carolina won't be here. UConn isn't on the agenda, and you won't be treated to an engagement against Kansas, Memphis or any of the customary non-conference heavyweights that used to arrive at McKale Center in December.

The only recognizable uniform on the schedule is Oklahoma. But, alas, the Sooners are coming off a 13-18 season and are generally predicted to finish 11th in the Big 12. The most appealing pre-Christmas home foe is New Mexico State, which returns six vital players from a 22-win, NCAA tournament team.

Times change.

• In 91 games at Arizona, Jamelle Horne's longest streak of double-figure scoring is four games. That outburst came last year against USC, UCLA, Washington and Wazzu.

He was so good against the Huskies, a career night with 22 points (five three-point baskets), that a visiting Seattle Times writer, unfamiliar with Horne's career inconsistency, suggested that he was bound for the NBA.

Horne then failed to score in double figures in 12 of the UA's final 15 games.

This isn't a new pattern. As a sophomore, against Kansas, Horne had a 19-point, 13-rebound performance against the defending national champion. He was better than anybody KU put on the court. But Horne then scored one or field goal or none in 12 of the final 24 games.

If Miller can get Horne to play well over the long haul, the Wildcats could win the Pac-10.

"I think what Jamelle wants out of this is to have the best year at Arizona," said Miller. "He won't be the first player whose light goes on in a positive way in the last year."

• Late last month, I asked Horne, junior forward Jesse Perry and sophomore forward Solomon Hill what the Wildcats must do to be better than they were a year ago.

All said "offensive rebounding." It was almost an echo. Miller has gotten to them.

"I thought we were very bad a year ago - and it hurt our ability to win - in offensive rebounding," the coach said. "Being able to get more than one shot; that's what today's college game is all about."

Arizona ranked No. 284 of 347 teams in offensive rebounding last year. Only 29.3 percent of its rebounds were on the offensive side. Compare that to national champion Duke, which had 40.3 percent of its rebounds on the offensive end. That's 11 more field goal attempts per game, or about 10 points.

Duke ranked No. 7 of the 347 teams in offensive rebounding. Arizona was a distant ninth in the Pac-10. In that regard, the dogged Perry might be Arizona's most important addition.

It's not a sexy statistic, but I'm buying the importance of it.

• Only two UA opponents, Kansas and BYU, were ranked in the AP's preseason Top 25. It is a good strategy.

In the Olson years, Arizona played as many as 17 games against Top 25 teams (in 2001-02) and was good enough that season to go 24-10 and reach the Sweet 16.

But Miller's second team is in a delicate place. It can't afford to bite off too much too soon.

It is remarkable how closely today's Wildcats parallel Olson's second UA team (1984-85), a club that finished 21-10 and reached the NCAA tournament.

In '84-85, Arizona played just one Top 25 team (UNLV in the Great Alaska Shootout, losing 60-59), but built its confidence in an unusually weak Pac-10 that had no ranked teams. History could repeat this season, one that pro-jects to be uncommonly ordinary in the Pac-10.

Arizona should be able to sweep Cal, Stanford and Oregon. With those six wins in the bank, it merely needs to play .500 against the rest to finish 12-6.

Combined with a relatively soft 13 nonconference games, with Arizona likely to be favored in 10 of them, that computes to a 22-9 regular season and enough equity to merit an NCAA tournament berth.

The next streak begins now.

Contact columnist Greg Hansen at ghansen@azstarnet.com or 573-4362.

Four teams still waiting to reach a Final Four

• Pittsburgh. The Panthers have been an elite team for what seems like forever, but the school hasn't reached the final grouping of four since 1941.

• Gonzaga. Only in 1999, when the Zags were still a refreshing and new story, have the Bulldogs survived to an Elite Eight game.

• Tennessee. The Volunteers are 0 for 17 in school history, a not-so-sweet 17 NCAA appearances, none of which resulted in a Final Four berth.

• BYU. The Cougars reached the regional finals in 1950, 1951 and 1981 but have nothing more to show for their NCAA history than an aged video of Danny Ainge beating Notre Dame in an '81 Sweet 16 game. This could be the breakthrough year.

Big names, big drop-offs

• Oklahoma. At 13-18 last year, the Sooners have stumbled off the NCAA tournament track. OU went from No. 6 in the RPI rankings to No. 128 last year - and is beginning anew with four new starters.

• Rick Majerus. Since he abruptly quit his gig at Utah, Majerus has not been relevant in college hoops. His St. Louis team went 23-13 last year, but the Billikens schedule was so weak it merited only a bid to the CBI tourney.

• Davidson. Once the darling of the midmajors, Davidson skidded to 16-15 last year, unable to replace the dazzling Stephen Curry.

• Northern Iowa. Few stories were better than that of the Panthers last year, 30-5 overall, slayer of Kansas at the Big Dance. Two starters are gone, including league MVP Adam Koch, as is the magic of '09-10.

The best road trips in college hoops, 2010-11

• Cal and Stanford. Not since 1984-85, when the Bears and Cardinal finished at the bottom of the Pac-10 standings, has the Bay Area trip been so inviting. Maybe this year, Sean Miller can enjoy an off-day jaunt to Alcatraz, instead of feeling like he's serving time there.

• South Florida. The Bulls are the only warm-weather site in the frigid Big East, and they have been a hospitable host, going 20-67 in conference games over the last five years. Poor Marquette's February game at USF, located in Tampa, is the Warriors' only warm-weather road trek all season.

• Malibu. NAU makes the winter tour through Big Sky Country every year, to Montana and Idaho in the dead of ice season, but this year, the Lumberjacks have a comfy Thanksgiving weekend trip to play Pepperdine in Malibu.

Three teams to welcome back to prominence

• Florida. After winning back-to-back national titles, the Gators have won just one NCAA tournament game in three seasons. Now, with five starters back, the Gators should roll.

• Illinois. The Illini visited the NIT last year, and played in no postseason games in 2007-08. But coach Bruce Weber's club has all five starters returning from a 21-15 team.

• St. John's. Steve Lavin isn't on the list of big-game coaches, but he inherits a Red Storm team that won 17 games and returns its seven leading players. Perhaps he'll let assistant coach Mike Dunlap call the X's and O's.

The Houston Four (site of the Final Four)

• Duke. Dookie haters everywhere aren't going to enjoy March.

• Pittsburgh. Four starters from a 25-win team, and one of the game's leading coaches.

• Michigan State. This is a recording; it seems like the Spartans are in the final foursome every year.

• Richmond. The Spiders could be this year's George Mason/Butler/Northern Iowa.

The four (leading) freshmen

• Harrison Barnes, North Carolina. The 6-foot-7-inch Barnes left hometown Iowa State to become the Tar Heels' next Big Thing.

• Kyrie Irving, Duke. Isn't Duke the real Point Guard U? Irving is the next in a special line of PGs for the Dookies.

• Jared Sullinger, Ohio State. The 6-9 center has more offensive game than ex-Buckeye Greg Oden and was recruited by former OSU assistant Archie Miller, now at Arizona.

• Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State. The 6-10 power forward is technically a sophomore, having been exiled by an NCAA investigation. But he's a program-changing talent.

Too much love from ESPN carries a price tag

Duke plays 21 games on various ESPN outlets this season. But to get prime-time slots, the Dookies are playing six games that begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and others at 9:30 and 10:15 p.m., in North Carolina. Let's hope Dick Vitale doesn't call all 21 games.

Toughest road trips in college hoops, 2010-11

• Manhattan, Kan. It has never been fun to play at Kansas State in winter semester. But now the Wildcats have a state-of-the-art arena, the Octagon of Doom, a Top 25 team and the most sinister-looking, scowl-laden coach in the game in Frank Martin.

• Logan, Utah. Under Stew Morrill, the Utah State Aggies are 176-13 at the Smith Spectrum, an always-rocking, 10,200-capacity, no-seat-left pit that leads the NCAA in YouTube snippets of unruly fans.

• Anchorage, Alaska. Weber State's schedule maker blew it this year. The Wildcats will spend the day before Thanksgiving playing at Alaska-Anchorage, then spend New Year's Eve at chilly Montana. Happy holidays indeed.

Introducing: This year's overnight stars

• Baylor. Scott Drew has stuck it out for the long haul at Baylor and, with LaceDarius Dunn, could capture the Big 12 and win 30 games.

• San Diego State. With all five starters back, the Aztecs could be the best team in the West, as good as any Pac-10 team and Gonzaga, too.

• Richmond. If you are good enough to challenge for the Atlantic 10 title, as the Spiders are, you are good enough to think about dancing for more than a few games. Six major players from a 26-win team return.

Most daring schedules

• Gonzaga. To pump up their RPI, the Zags play at Kansas State, at Notre Dame, at Baylor, at Wake Forest and at Washington State. There are also games against Illinois, Xavier, Oklahoma State, Memphis and San Diego State. That's a lot of rough terrain.

• Kansas State. You can't say the Big 12's new power dodges anybody. The Wildcats play at Florida, at Wazzu, and get Virginia Tech, Gonzaga and either Duke or Marquette in November.

• IUPUI. The Jaguars play 10 games on the road in November/December against only five home games, including Ohio State, Gonzaga and San Diego State. Those appearance fees should help the school's budget for tennis and golf.

Overloaded with cupcakes

• North Carolina. The Tar Heels play (ugh) Lipscomb, Hofstra, UNC-Asheville, College of Charleston, Evansville, Long Beach State, William & Mary and St. Francis (Pa.). That's more than necessary.

• BYU. Oddly, the Cougars play eight walkovers plus a Dec. 8 game at Vermont and a Dec. 30 game at Buffalo. That's a lot of air miles, in the winter, just to get Jimmer Fredette two "home games" in his native upstate New York area.

• Syracuse. The Jim Boeheim award should be retired. The Orange almost always play the most cupcakes in college hoops. He didn't disappoint this year. Syracuse plays Canisius, Detroit, William & Mary, Cornell, Colgate, Iona, Morgan State and Drexel.

Getting to know you

Soon-to-be Pac-12 member Colorado plays Oregon State on Dec. 4. The Buffaloes haven't beaten a Pac-10 team since 2005 (at Cal) and won't likely be a factor in Pac-12 hoops immediately.

The Buffaloes are 43-77 over the last four years and have not yet carried themselves as a team from an elite conference. Get this: Colorado will play road games this season at Harvard on Thanksgiving weekend and at Cal State-Bakersfield on Jan. 2.

Can you picture New Year's Eve in Bakersfield?

Three Pac-10 predictions

• It won't be difficult to get a ticket at Oregon's new Matthew Knight Arena. In some ways, the Ducks are fortunate that Cal and Stanford project to be so bad. Otherwise, the Ducks could lose every Pac-10 game at the new palace and be 0-18 overall.

• Wazzu's Klay Thompson will be the league's most feared player. Call it the Landry Fields factor. A year ago, Stanford's Fields was excellent, but he got overlooked because Stanford finished 6-12 in conference. Thompson is a better ballplayer.

• ASU coach Herb Sendek will deny his team runs a slow-paced offense. The Sun Devils will average about 68 points a game, their arena will be half-empty, and even jacked-up students in the front row will be caught snoozing by TV cameras in a 51-48 victory over Oregon State.

Five best players of 2010-11

• Jimmer Fredette, BYU. He could have scored 60 against Arizona last year. The push-the-ball Cougar might average 15 this year on free throws alone.

• Kyle Singler, Duke. In his senior year, Singler is the latest incarnation of Tyler Hansbrough.

• Jacob Pullen, Kansas State. Intense and defensive-minded, Pullen's three-point range is ridiculously good.

• Kalin Lucas, Michigan State. It only seems as if he has played for the Spartans since 1999.

• LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor. The big question is: What is a Big 12 player as good as Dunn doing at Baylor and not at Texas or Kansas?

No longer with a tourney streak to brag about, Arizona now has an "era" of postseason success that stretches over 25 seasons.

As part of sanctions levied in July, the NCAA required the UA to vacate its 2008 NCAA tournament appearance because it found players Jamelle Horne and Zane Johnson were ineligible due to benefits received during the 2006 Arizona Cactus Classic recruiting showcase.

At the same time, the UA recognized a 2009 change in NCAA philosophy that meant vacated appearances no longer count toward streaks. That meant the Wildcats' 1999 NCAA tournament game was erased because the NCAA found then-Wildcat guard Jason Terry had accepted money from an agent.

So instead of a 25-year streak that was second only to North Carolina's 27, Arizona now has a 14-year streak (1985 to 1998) and an eight-year streak (2000 to 2007).

In NCAA terminology, vacated is different than forfeited

Since 2000, the NCAA Committee on Infractions has consistently ordered offending schools to vacate games, rather than sometimes forfeit them.

The difference is that under forfeits, an opponent could recognize a victory in a game it had lost on the court - as the UA did with two losses to California in the mid-1990s. But in vacated games, only the violating team's record is affected, and statistics are maintained with asterisks.

According to Gary Johnson, the NCAA's associate director for statistics, regular-season wins are vacated and losses are left alone, while all tournament games are vacated.

Thus, the UA went from 19-15 in 2007-08 to 0-14, after it vacated all 19 wins and its tournament loss to West Virginia.

Vacated games are still recorded as they were scored and statistics are recorded as they were played, only with an asterisk by them, while entire season and coaches' records are affected.

"As historians, we want what actually happened to be listed somewhere," Johnson said.

In the NCAA's history books, the UA's longest tournament streak is listed as 14 (1985-98), but there is a notation saying that the Wildcats assembled an on-court run of 25 straight appearances.

63

Arizona NCAA tournament games, 1985 to 2009

39

NCAA tournament games won

19

Wins vacated, all during the 2007-08 season

12

Sweet 16 appearances by Arizona

7

Elite Eights

5

No. 1 seeds

4

Final Fours (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001)

1

National championship, '07

0

Wins recorded in Kevin O'Neill's season as interim head coach (2007-08)

34

Players drafted by the NBA

10

NBA lottery picks

4

Teams that have played more NCAA tournament games than Arizona between 1985 and 2010 (Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky)

Other high-profile cases

While the UA's streak is the longest to be broken up by NCAA sanctions, other cases have had a high-profile impact.

UCLA had a 15-year string from 1967 to 1981 shortened to 13 when it vacated the 1980 tournament. And coach John Calipari is widely known for being forced to vacate Final Four appearances at two schools - Massachusetts (1996) and Memphis (2008).

Here are some other penalties of note during the UA's tournament era between 1985 and 2009:

School Years Coach Games affected (all vacated unless noted in parentheses)

California 1994-96 Todd Bozeman 28 regular-season wins (forfeited) and 1996 tournament (0-1) vacated

Fresno State 1998-2001 Jerry Tarkanian 49 regular-season wins, 2000 NCAA tournament (0-1)

Michigan 1991-93 Steve Fisher 26 regular-season wins, seven NCAA tournament games

Michigan 1995-97 Steve Fisher 44 regular-season wins, 1997 NCAA tournament (0-1)

Minnesota 1993-98 Clem Haskins Three NCAA tournaments (5-3), two NIT appearances (6-1)

New Mexico State 1991-94 Neil McCarthy Three NCAA tournaments (3-3)

New Mexico State 1996-97 Neil McCarthy All regular-season games (19-9)

North Carolina State 1986-88 Jim Valvano Two NCAA tournaments (0-2)

Ohio State 1998-2002 Jim O'Brien Most regular-season games, four NCAA tournaments (6-4)

Purdue 1995-96 Gene Keady 18 regular-season wins (forfeited), NCAA tournament (1-1)

St. John's 2000-04 Mike Jarvis 46 regular-season wins, 2002 NCAA tournament (0-1)

UCLA 1998-99 Steve Lavin NCAA tournament (0-1)

USC 2007-08 Tim Floyd 21 regular- season wins, NCAA tournament (0-1)

Expansion comes to March Madness; your tournament bracket will get a little tougher

Arizona's chances to return to the NCAA tournament in 2011 increased automatically when the organization opted to add four teams to the field this season.

The "First Four," as it will be known officially, will be played March 15-16 in Dayton, Ohio. It will feature two games between the last four at-large teams, and two games between the last four automatic qualifiers.

The winners will move to second-round games on March 17-18, and third- round games will be played on March 19-20. The at-large teams will likely assume seeds between 11 and 13, while the automatic qualifiers will become No. 16 seeds.

Formerly, the second- and third-round weekend was called the first and second rounds, while the "First Four" replaces the play-in game that involved the two bottom-ranked automatic qualifiers. McKale Center is among the hosts for 2011 second- and third-round games.

The expansion will allow a total of 68 teams in the tournament field, 38 of which will be invited via at-large bids.

Tracy Horne found Buddy's favorite childhood book the other day, and the 6-year-old handwriting in it remains clear as ever.

"If found, please call Jamelle Horne. …"

He couldn't afford to lose it. Entitled "Jamal's Busy Day," the 1991 book featured a young boy who not only had a similar name but also a similar life as Jamelle, the Arizona senior forward still known as Buddy to his mother.

Jamal brushed his teeth and dressed for a day he considered every bit as busy and stimulating as his parents. He worked with numbers in math class. He did research in the library. He attended meetings in the school auditorium and even settled the occasional "disagreements between my co-workers" in the schoolyard.

There was an order, a value, an excitement to Jamal's life and Jamelle saw the same thing in his.

"Jamal made his bed, brushed his teeth. He was prepared for his day," Tracy Horne said. "It's so funny. That's just the person Jamelle is."

The order in Jamal's life dictated a sense of calmness that characterizes Jamelle Horne today, even after a somewhat chaotic first three years in the Arizona basketball program. He has played for three different coaches, been admired for his talent, yet criticized for inconsistency and the occasional head-scratching move during a transition era that has generated emotion on all sides of McKale Center.

He could have fled many times. After his freshman season, Lute Olson temporarily returned from a leave of absence and moved aside interim head coach Kevin O'Neill, then fielded questions in person from Horne's father, Johnnie.

Still, Jamelle stayed.

After his sophomore year, during which Olson retired and Horne went on to start 22 of 35 games under Russ Pennell, Sean Miller took over with a more intense philosophy.

Still, Jamelle stayed.

Then, after his junior year, when Horne became Arizona's second-leading rebounder and the second-best three-point percentage shooter in the Pac-10, Miller pulled him aside and told him he would have to do more if he were to return as a senior.

Miller also went out and signed a hungry junior college recruit, Jesse Perry, partly in case Horne didn't respond.

Still, Jamelle stayed.

"He is the type of kid who will think about things first instead of being explosive," Tracy Horne said. "He analyzes the whole thing. What is the whole picture? What about the situation? He takes ownership."

Jamelle realized he was too busy to leave. There was too much to accomplish.

"I knew I had to come back," Horne said. "I owe Arizona a great season. I definitely owe Tucson a great season. I do, man. I think just to show everybody that maturity is such a huge part of college. I am a senior and need to show I am ready to lead. I think it'll be great for everyone to see."

No question Miller would like to see it. Miller saw Horne put together NBA-caliber games last season - including a 22-point, six-rebound effort against Washington at McKale Center - but he also saw Horne score in single digits during 10 of the Wildcats' 12 final games while they skidded out of the postseason picture.

That wasn't acceptable for Miller, who has aggressively moved to put Arizona back among college basketball's elite programs.

The UA coach had to know two things last spring: Would he want Horne to stick around if things didn't change, and would Horne himself want to stay?

"I wasn't concerned, but that was certainly the conversation," Miller said. "I wanted to make sure that moving forward for the program, and for Jamelle's career, that it made sense for him to be here as a senior, that he cared about graduating and wanted to be part of the team, and improve from his junior to his senior year."

The exact language was fairly blunt, the way Horne described it.

"It was, 'If you're going to come back as a senior, you're going to have to do everything the right way,' " Horne said.

"In the past, guys have let me float and not finish practice, or they used to let me off in practice not playing as hard as I can, and coach Miller is not about that. He's about finishing and attacking everything."

Including the classroom. Horne enrolled in all three of UA's summer sessions in order to get back on course for May graduation.

Staying in Tucson all summer also plunged Horne full time into UA's rigid off-season conditioning program. He bulked up from 210 to 223 pounds with just 8 percent body fat, joking that the effort wasn't all about basketball.

"After the season I'll be able to take a little break to San Diego, just enjoy the beach and be able to take my shirt off," Horne said.

But the reality is, Horne isn't much of a beach guy.

He arrived in Tucson from San Diego High School in 2007 but considers himself a product of Tacoma, Wash., where Tracy still lives with her three daughters. He doesn't go to the beach much and his one surfing experience literally left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Salt water is terrible," he said.

Horne transferred to San Diego during his freshman year after his parents had split up, and his father, Johnnie, suggested his basketball future might be better off if he moved south with him.

"In Tacoma, there's a lot of basketball players but most of them don't make it out because it's a pretty (rough) neighborhood," Horne said. "I'm from the east side and it's pretty bad, so my dad said, 'Come to Cali and maybe we'll have a better shot.' Turned out pretty good."

Johnnie Horne, who was unavailable to comment for this story, has been firmly behind his son's basketball career ever since. The two are so close that Johnnie actually moved in with him this summer in Tucson, while the two worked out, watched movies and just talked to each other.

The chats weren't always easy, however.

"He kept asking me, 'How come some games you turn it on and some games you can't?' " Horne said. "I sat back and looked at myself and said, 'I'm just super inconsistent.' … You can't have 14 points and 15 rebounds one day and have nine points the next day. I've had long talks with my father and also coach. It's not a matter of 'Can Jamelle Horne do it?' It's a matter of consistency. It's always been an issue of mine."

So if fans wonder why Horne isn't producing more, if Miller wonders why he isn't producing more, it won't be anything new.

Horne has heard it, and he's already turned it into a positive.

"It's fair, man," Horne said. "I'm not going to say I appreciate it or I enjoy it, but I've a great opportunity looking me dead in the face. I know we have a lot of ability to do a lot of great things this year and I just want to be a part of that.

"Whether I do great or do mediocre, I just want to be a part of winning. We've gotta win."

It will be a busy year.

Turns out, Sean Miller never had to sweat over that 25-year tournament streak.

In the eyes of the NCAA, there never was one.

But there's still plenty of pressure on Miller in his second season as Wildcats coach.

It is Arizona basketball, after all.

Even considering the now-vacated appearances in 2008 and 1999, the Wildcats still played in 23 NCAA tournaments over the previous 26 seasons, the third-most appearances in that span of any college basketball team.

So now it's up to Miller to start a new streak, and he may have enough on hand to do so this season.

The Wildcats are still young, but they are deeper and more experienced than the team that went 16-15 in Miller's first season, losing only point guard Nic Wise.

Arizona was picked to finish second in the Pac-10 by the league's official media poll, and doing so would all but assure it of an NCAA tournament berth.

"I hope we finish in second," Miller said. "That means we're competing for the Pac-10 championship, and that is one of the expectations here. … It's competing for a Pac-10 championship, being part of an NCAA tournament, having teams that advance in the NCAA tournament and move toward that final weekend of the college basketball year, and the next year being able to do it again and again and again.

"From my perspective, the starting point of doing that isn't around the corner. The starting point was two Aprils ago."

Two Aprils ago, Miller was picking up the pieces left from two fragmented seasons of interim coaching during Lute Olson's messy departure. Miller quickly assembled a five-man spring recruiting class that included the little-known Derrick Williams, and led the Wildcats to a winning season that nearly finished in the NIT.

Now, Williams returns after winning the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year award along with three other key sophomores. There's also veteran help from forward Jamelle Horne and guard Kyle Fogg, along with three newcomers who could all play significant roles.

Is that enough for a tournament bid? Here are 10 keys that will reveal the answer:

1. Miller's buy-in

Miller has had a full two off-seasons to implement his system, philosophy and conditioning, cultivating a roster that is already composed of mostly players he recruited. Since he arrived, guard Zane Johnson, guard Garland Judkins and forward D.J. Shumpert have all transferred, and the holdovers who remain from the O'Neill/Pennell years have accepted Miller's system.

It took time, both for the players and for Miller's staff, to mesh together.

"It's something I know now that maybe I didn't a year ago," Miller said. "You almost automatically assume you're going to have buy-in right away because you're a coach that came from a place that was successful - you really believe, as does your staff, in how you do things - but really, why should they trust you? Especially if you're a new coach in a place that's had several coaches and really no continuity in the recent past."

The feeling changed as last season progressed, and after the season. Miller said the returners were "anxious" to get under way with a spring program, finding some continuity for a change, and they haven't appeared to mind it even with conditioning coach Chris Rounds breathing down their necks during the summer, and now with Miller doing so in practice.

"I'd say he's more strict," sophomore forward Solomon Hill said of Miller. "He took his first year to try to put in plays and see who could do what. After a year he knows what to expect out of certain people and what they should be doing on the court. He'll let you know in practice and if you don't deliver, who knows what you'll be doing."

2. The new guys

Arizona isn't quite as dependent on its 2010 recruits as its 2009 class, which gave Wise a functioning team to work with, but the three newcomers could be the difference in reaching the postseason.

Daniel Bejarano, of Phoenix North High School, is expected to bring shooting off the bench behind Fogg and create a battle for playing time with junior Brendon Lavender.

Jesse Perry, a junior college transfer from St. Louis, brings toughness and rebounding to a frontcourt too soft on the boards for Miller's taste last season.

And Jordin Mayes may have a surprisingly deep impact, both backing up MoMo Jones at point guard and possibly taking some minutes at shooting guard, with a poised perimeter presence that stems from his days at powerhouse Westchester High School in Los Angeles.

"I think as you watch him evolve, you're going to see that he has that look as a guard that you want to see," Miller said of Mayes. "He's smart, and he knows what to do, and he comes to us already a very good shooter. That's one thing as a perimeter player (that) can make your transition easier. I think both Jordin and Daniel Bejarano have that going for them entering college."

Together the three newcomers are intriguing enough that the only difficult thing for the Wildcats has been immersing them in Miller's system, so they can begin delivering on their potential.

"They don't know what they're doing, and because they will have big roles with us, sometimes it's frustrating to see them mess up," Hill said after a week of practice. "But you have to think we were in their shoes last year."

3. The schedule

With a still-developing roster and several rough nonconference games away from home - including Kansas in Las Vegas, BYU in Salt Lake City and at North Carolina State - Miller softened up the Wildcats' home slate.

While home games such as Cal State-Fullerton, Bethune-Cookman, Robert Morris, Northern Colorado and Idaho State should help send the Wildcats en route to a 20-win season, those games will also lower the Wildcats' RPI. That means they'll likely have to win more than 20 to reach the NCAA tournament.

There were two late changes. Arizona replaced a game against Bryant University (346 RPI last season) with Robert Morris (133) - thus improving their potential RPI - although they were forced to replace loaded San Diego State with New Mexico State because of an SDSU scheduling conflict.

"It's a very competitive schedule," Miller said.

4. Offensive rebounding

One of Miller's two primary objectives is to improve on the Wildcats' offensive rebounding, in which Arizona trailed its opponents in nonconference and conference games alike. UA averaged only 9.7 offensive boards overall per game.

"Today's game in college is about getting them," Miller said. "Being bigger, stronger, deeper, and adding someone like Jesse Perry to what we already have (will help). Getting second shots has a funny way to go to replace someone like Nic Wise, who meant a lot to our team last year."

5. Defense inside the arc

Miller also badly wants to improve the Wildcats' two-point field goal defense. Arizona held its own against three-point shooters, allowing Pac-10 teams to shoot 30.9 percent from beyond the arc, but gave up 48.8 percent shooting in two-point range in league play and 50.3 percent in nonleague games.

"It has to do with how big you are, how strong you are, and being in the right place," Miller said. "I would say we were equally bad at that (compared with offensive rebounding) a year ago. It's a reflection of our youth, our newness and maybe our lack of size and strength."

That's where Miller hopes the off-season conditioning program instilled by Rounds pays off.

"It's not like we've recruited five 6-foot-9 players that make us a lot bigger this year," Miller said. "But we returned so many players I think are physically bigger and stronger. They can be in the right position."

6. Frontline versatility

With Perry, the Wildcats have a virtual two-deep at each forward and center spot - and there's considerable variation between players at every position.

At small forward, Arizona has the court vision of Hill and the defense and rebounding of Kevin Parrom, while at power forward there's the ability to put the ball on the floor with Perry and the shooting of Horne. At "center," where crafty forward Derrick Williams usually resides, there's also big men Kyryl Natyazhko and Alex Jacobson available for when fouls and matchups dictate.

"I don't think I'd be a very good coach if I changed that a whole lot because of how much success (Williams has) had," Miller said. "But getting Kyryl or Alex in the game, and having a chance to get a lot more out of a bigger player, we can do that."

7. The target on Williams' back

A year ago, Williams was the fifth-most heralded of UA's five freshmen, a would-be USC Trojan who left his hometown school after coach Tim Floyd departed.

Now Williams is a fringe preseason All-America candidate, a guy everybody knows, and a guy everybody will be going after.

"He'll have to learn about being a marked man and being able to take over games without Nic being there," Miller said. "I'm sure there will be a progression, but I have no doubts he has the talent to do it."

8. Parrom's health

Parrom's production isn't best measured by the box score. It's the physicality he brings, how he can change the way opponents react.

But his body hasn't always kept up with his rugged pace. Parrom missed 10 games at the start of last season with a foot stress fracture and sat out another four toward the end of the season with left foot pain.

This season, he has already missed a week of practice with a concussion, after colliding with teammate Fogg.

"Kevin helps us. We struggle less," Miller said after Parrom went down for the second time last season. "I don't necessarily think we're this great defensive team (with him), but we're harder to score against, we're more consistent, we're bigger, more aggressive, a better rebounding team."

9. Horne's last stand

It's the final go-round for the talented but somewhat mercurial Horne. Will the light turn on this time?

Horne says it will, that he owes Arizona fans a strong senior season. If that isn't enough motivation, there's always Perry directly behind him. Last season, if Horne struggled, Miller often had to shift other players around to compensate.

"I think (Perry) has a relentlessness to him, a quickness to him that really allows him to come in and push Jamelle every day," Miller said. "We have a guy we didn't necessarily have a year ago, someone (who isn't) coming from another position to help. We have someone who is hungry and eager to play more."

10. Jones' transition

Probably the single biggest personnel question about this season's Wildcats is whether sophomore MoMo Jones can slide adequately into Wise's role after arriving as a scoring-minded combo guard.

Miller says Jones can, especially in a committee that could also include Mayes and steady combo guard Fogg, the likely starter at shooting guard.

"Our point guard this year is going to be more of the quarterback you have in college football," Miller said. "You want him to be smart, manage the game, run your system, and improve as the year grows. That's what we need to have happen for MoMo Jones, Jordin Mayes, and maybe Kyle Fogg in a certain period of time."

While Jones' effectiveness might not be significantly tested until the Wildcats face Kansas later this month, his ever-vocal game has already shown changes on and off the court.

Whereas a year ago, Jones was demonstrative, referred often to his New York roots and spoke of high goals, he now is content to let his team's play do the talking.

"Our expectation is just to get better and learn our system," Jones said. "Everything else will come along. The tournament will find us if we do what we have to do."

November

14 Idaho State 3 p.m.

18 NEW MEXICO STATE 6:30 p.m.

Las Vegas Invitational

21 NORTHERN COLORADO 3 p.m.

23 BETHUNE-COOKMAN 8:30 p.m.

26 Santa Clara (in Las Vegas) 8:30 p.m.

27 Kansas (in Las Vegas) 8:30 p.m.

December

1 at Rice 6 p.m.

5 OKLAHOMA 2 p.m.

8 CAL STATE-FULLERTON 6:30 p.m.

11 vs BYU (in Salt Lake City) 4 p.m.

16 NORTHERN ARIZONA 7:30 p.m.

19 at North Carolina State 2:30 p.m.

22 ROBERT MORRIS 6:30 p.m.

30 at Oregon* 8 p.m.

January

2 at Oregon State* 8 p.m.

6 CALIFORNIA* 8:30 p.m.

8 STANFORD* 4:30 p.m.

15 ARIZONA STATE* 12:30 p.m.

20 at Washington* 8:30 p.m.

22 at Washington State* 6 p.m.

27 UCLA* 7 p.m.

29 USC* 5:30 p.m.

February

3 at Stanford* 7 p.m.

5 at California* 6 p.m.

13 at Arizona State* 7 p.m.

17 WASHINGTON STATE* 6:30 p.m.

19 WASHINGTON* 4 p.m.

24 at USC* 8:30 p.m.

26 at UCLA* 2 p.m.

March

3 OREGON STATE* TBA

5 OREGON* TBA

*Pac-10 conference game

ROBERT ARVIZU

Freshman, guard, No. 5

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-0, 182

• From: Phoenix

• Fantasy Final Four: Us, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … would be excited.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Usually watch the upsets, those are always fun to watch, and the game-winners.

• One shining moment: Probably my junior year when I hit the winning shot for the state championships.

• First car: Escalade. It's back in Phoenix right now.

• Fresh kicks: Probably the ones that light up - when I was little.

DANIEL BEJARANO

Freshman guard, No. 2

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-4, 208

• From: Phoenix

• Fantasy Final Four: Us, Duke, North Carolina and Georgetown. Duke won it last year and I always want to play the best team. I always like to play against the top players and top teams.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will be excited.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I wasn't even thinking about college when I was in high school. I wasn't thinking about high school when I was in eighth grade or seventh grade. But I watched Duke play the final game, I watched a couple of games.

• One shining moment: Junior and senior years (at Phoenix North High School) we won the title. I had a lot of great moments but junior year was better than senior year. The whole season.

• First car: Dodge R/T Stratus, but I crashed it this summer.

• Fresh kicks: Hyperdunks and Air Force 1.

KYLE FOGG

Junior guard, No. 21

• Age: 20

• Height, weight: 6-3, 180

• From: Brea, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will get ready for the next game.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I enjoy watching it.

• One shining moment: Hitting a three-pointer when I was in the fourth grade. We were the 76ers in a rec league.

• First car: Chrysler Voyager, a van. It broke down on me. It was white, from the '80s. It had white shag carpeting.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Hyperdunks, red. Had them two years ago.

SOLOMON HILL

Sophomore forward, No. 44

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-6, 226

• From: Los Angeles

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will dunk on an opposing team's center.

• NCAA tourney ritual: To watch and want one of my friends' teams to win.

• One shining moment: I scored 38 points and had 28 rebounds on my birthday when I turned 9. It was an AAU team. Killin' em.

• First car: 1997 red Camaro. I still have it.

• Fresh kicks: Black Jordan 3s.

JAMELLE HORNE

Senior forward, No. 42

• Age: 22

• Height, weight: 6-7, 224

• From: San Diego

• Fantasy Final Four: Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Arizona.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … want to win.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Absolutely not. We play and practice so much, it's nice to sit back and watch. I kinda tuned out (last season). It sounds bad, but it was kinda nice to get a real break. Obviously, we wanted to be there.

• One shining moment: I played for the Tacoma Regulators in fifth grade. I made a little-kid three-pointer to win the game.

• First car: '06 Ford Five Hundred. That's my baby.

• Fresh kicks: I'd have to say Nike Huarache 2K5s. Best pair of basketball shoes I've ever worn. White and red.

ALEX JACOBSON

Junior, center, No. 50

• Age: 22

• Height, weight: 7-0, 251

• From: Santa Ana, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Us, Duke - I hate 'em. I'll try to kick their butts - and let's go with Syracuse. And Kansas, because I love playing Kansas.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … hope we make it all the way.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I usually fill out a bracket just for fun, me and a couple of my friends. Since we've never made it to the Final Four, we have a Final Four party.

• One shining moment: I went to Skyview Middle School in Minnesota. I made a desperation shot. I don't think it was half-court. There was one second left. Won the game.

• First car: GMC Sierra 2000. Current car. It's falling apart.

• Fresh kicks: The most comfortable would be Asics basketball shoes. I got a pair my sophomore year in high school. They were the single most comfortable pair of shoes I ever wore in my life.

LAMONT "MOMO" JONES

Sophomore, guard, No. 12

• Age: 20

• Height, weight: 6-0, 196

• From: Harlem, N.Y.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Duke, North Carolina and UConn. Duke was my favorite school. Mike Krzyzewski is a great coach. North Carolina, a couple of my boys play there and UConn, I played in a backcourt with Kemba Walker, so being able to play against him in a game would be great.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will wreak havoc.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Just watching.

• One shining moment: My sophomore year (at New York Rice High School), I hit the game-winning shot at the PrimeTime Shootout (a tournament in New Jersey).

• First car: None

• Fresh kicks: Any Jordans. I probably have over 200 Jordans.

BRENDON LAVENDER

Junior guard, No. 24

• Age: 20

• Height, weight: 6-5, 215

• From: Mesa

• Fantasy Final Four: Us, Duke - they're always one of the strongest teams - UConn and Syracuse. Their games are always crazy. It'd be fun to play against them.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will win the game.

• NCAA tourney ritual: You can never be too tired of basketball. I usually hang out with my pops. He's a big sports guy. I relax, lounge on the couch. If I'm not there, I'm wishing I can be there.

• One shining moment: I had a high school moment my senior year where I got really sick before the game and didn't think I'd be able to play. We were down by 25 and finally I said, "Coach put me in the game," and before halftime I had 27 points and brought us back.

• First car: Nissan Maxima. Black on black, 2006 with custom rims.

• Fresh kicks: My black and red 2011 Jordans. Yes, sir.

JORDIN MAYES

Freshman guard, No. 20

• Age: 18

• Height, weight: 6-2, 185

• From: Los Angeles

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina and Duke

• NCAA tourney ritual: I don't really do anything that special for the tournament. I always watch the games and want to know what's going on and who's winning, but that's pretty much about it.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA Tournament, I … want to see us go far and I want to compete at the highest level possible.

• One shining moment: Winning my first state championship in high school when I was a junior was special. It was also good to repeat my senior year and get another one before I came here.

• First car: White Ford.

• Fresh kicks: Blue and yellow suede Air Jordan 14s.

SEAN MILLER

KYRYL NATYAZHKO

Sophomore center, No. 1

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-11, 264

• From: Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine

• Fantasy Final Four: U of A, Florida, Kansas - because we're going to play them in Vegas - and North Carolina.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will be looking forward to winning the championship.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Last year I was kind of sad we didn't make it. So wasn't a big deal for me. But before (during high school in Florida) we did some brackets.

• One shining moment: Playing for the (Ukraine) National Team during the summer.

• First car: Don't have one.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Hyperdunks.

KEVIN PARROM

Sophomore guard/forward, No. 3

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-6, 205

• From: Bronx, N.Y.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Pittsburgh, Xavier and ASU. That would be fun if they (Sun Devils) were there too.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA Tournament, I … want to be the best defensive player in the tournament.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I don't fill out a bracket or anything like that. I just like watching the games and see if there's anyone I've played against that's playing. It's just fun watching the games and seeing the crazy endings.

• One shining moment: I was a freshman playing varsity and I actually had a double-double, 20 points, and 10 rebounds and I hit the game- winning shot. It was against Christ the King (N.Y.).

• First car: I'm from New York. I don't drive. But, I play around in the parking lot with Kyle Fogg's car. He's got a little car. I don't even know what it is.

• Fresh kicks: Air Jordan 9s.

JESSE PERRY

Junior, forward, No. 33

• Age: 21

• Height, weight: 6-7, 210

• From: St. Louis

• Fantasy Final Four: I want to see Arizona, Arizona, Arizona and Arizona. I just want to get to the Final Four. I've never been there before. So, as long we're there, I don't care who else is.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … want us to win it all.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I just like watching all the games and seeing everyone play. I do my own thing during the tournament.

• One shining moment: I played on a high school team with my two best friends. They were like my brothers. That was the best sports experience of my life.

• First car: All-black 2001 Buick Regal. It had black-tinted windows. I loved that car.

• Fresh kicks: All-white Adidas shoes.

MAX WIEPKING

Sophomore forward, No. 52

• Age: 20

• Height, weight: 6-6, 200

• From: Englewood, Colo.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Denver, Colorado, Pepperdine.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA Tournament, I … would be really excited and hopeful that I could get in at the end of the game.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I have two TVs in my house and if one of my teams is losing, I'll turn it off and find another game to watch.

• One shining moment: When I was like 5 or 6, I played in my first hockey game and really didn't know what I was doing and I scored five goals.

• First car: Expedition

• Fresh kicks: My pair of space jams.

DERRICK WILLIAMS

Sophomore forward/center, No. 23

• Age: 19

• Height, weight: 6-8, 241

• From: La Mirada, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Us, Duke, Michigan State and North Carolina. If you get that far you're going to have to play against the best.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … would be excited. We ended the streak last year but it's a new era, new coach, new team.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Don't have any. Watched in high school a little, especially when basketball started to get more important to me.

• One shining moment: Halfway through Pac-10 (last season) when we beat Cal. That was a big turning point for our season. We got to be in first place, and our crowd was really into it. It was a great feeling.

• First car: Chevy Tahoe

• Fresh kicks: I like the Air Force 1s.

DONDRE WISE

Junior guard, No. 0

• Age: 21

• Height, weight: 6-1, 214

• From: Houston

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas. Kansas and Kentucky have great tradition and Texas is where I'm from so it's like my hometown team.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA Tournament, I …hope we win it.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I used to fill out my bracket every year, but it was always wrong because of all the upsets. So, now I don't fill out a bracket and I just watch the games.

• One shining moment: Winning a state championship my sophomore year of high school. I didn't play that much on that team. We went back the next two years, but didn't win it, so my sophomore year is the one that stands out.

• First car: Black Lexus.

• Fresh kicks: White and black Air Jordan 11s.

Head coach

• Age: 41

• From: Beaver Falls, Pa.

• Fantasy Final Four: I would just like to be there. It wouldn't matter who we're playing. If we're fortunate enough to be in the Final Four that's what it's all about.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … would be very excited for our team. It's going to take a lot of hard work. Our margin of error isn't very great to get there and if we're fortunate enough to get there, there would be a lot of hard work and togetherness. Being able to return back there in our second year would be an amazing accomplishment.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I just try to stay focused on our team and making sure they're ready. You hear coaches say this: If you're in the tournament, you don't really understand the total perspective of it because you're so engaged on what you're doing. That would be my ritual - trying to win.

• One shining moment: I would say one of the greatest moments I had was being in the Elite Eight in Phoenix (coaching Xavier) against UCLA. That team was 30-7 and to be in the game that leads to the Final Four is an incredible feeling. And I'll also tell you that being in it makes you hungry to get back again. It's being in that game at the tip knowing if you win you go the Final Four. That's what makes you want to coach college basketball.

• First car: (Oldsmobile) Cutlass Calais

• Fresh kicks: Anything Nike is my favorite.

ARCHIE MILLER

Associate head coach

• Age: 32

• From: Beaver Falls, Pa.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Ohio State, Xavier and Duke.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I ... will feel really good about the way we've been playing and working hard.

• NCAA tourney ritual: I guess when you're younger, you have more fun with it. But if you're in it, you're busy coaching and if you're not, you usually don't watch it.

• One shining moment: I don't really like to think about it, but as a player, North Carolina State hadn't been to the NCAA tournament in 11 years and we made it my senior year and beat Michigan State."

• First car: Chevy Blazer

• Fresh kicks: Jordans. I wish I could still have 'em.

JAMES WHITFORD

Assistant coach

• Age: 39

• From: Madison, Wis.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Duke, Michigan State and Miami of Ohio - their coach (Charlie Coles) is still a good friend of mine. Duke, I respect but would love to get the chance to beat them.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … will embrace the challenge.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Honestly, if we're not in it, it's a recruiting time and usually we're in it. So it's a busy time because you've got so much to do. I don't get a lot of sleep.

• One shining moment: We went to state (Wisconsin high school tournament) my sophomore year.

• First car: Chevrolet Cavalier, which I bought in '95 for $700. And I probably got ripped off.

• Fresh kicks: My Cole Haan dress shoes. I wear them recruiting a lot. They're a little bit trendy.

BOOK RICHARDSON

Assistant coach

• Age: 37

• From: Queens, N.Y.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State. Great programs and great coaches.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I … would expect us to play extremely hard, be motivated and in attack mode.

• NCAA tourney ritual: Nothing. If we're playing in it, you try to be the same as you've been. Don't mess with it.

• One shining moment: I'm extremely fortunate I've been in the tournament twice (as a coach) and also in the Sweet 16 in Division II as a player. I was a guy who had the ball in my hands 80, 90 percent of the time. I was always fortunate.

• First car: Honda Accord

• Fresh kicks: Air Force 1s, and I played in Jordans.

IDAHO STATE BENGALS

• Location: Pocatello, Idaho

• Last year: 7-22 (4-12 Big Sky)

• Who left: G Amorrow Morgan, G Austin Kilpatrick, F-C Demetrius Monroe, F Chron Tatum

• Returners/newcomers: G Broderick Gilchrest, C Deividas Busma / F Brandon Glanz, C Kamil Gawrzydek.

• All in a name: Deividas Busma

• Overview: The Bengals lost four starters, but maybe that's not all bad - they finished eighth in the conference last season. Four of their newcomers are presumably hungry juco transfers, but they will need to fight off Sacramento State to stay out of the Big Sky cellar.

• Tourney moment: Bengals beat UCLA 76-75 in 1977 West Region semifinals.

• Number: 23 - years since Idaho State has reached the NCAA tournament.

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 2, 2:05 p.m. vs. Portland State (Altitude)

• On the Web: isubengals.com

NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES

• Location:Las Cruces, N.M.

• Last year: 22-12 (11-5 WAC)

• Who left: G Jahmar Young, G Jonathan Gibson

• Returners/newcomers: G Hernst Laroche, C Tshilidzi Nephawe, F Wendell McKines, F Robert Lumpkins, F Troy Gillenwater, G Gordo Castillo / G Christian Kabongo

• All in a name: Tshilidzi Nephawe

• Overview: The Aggies lost two top scorers from a team that lost by only three points to Michigan State in the first round of last season's NCAA tournament. But they are tough up front, having returned everyone else and have received their 13th scholarship back after low APR scores took it away the past two seasons.

• Tourney moment: The Aggies were forced to vacate three straight appearances from 1992-94, including a 1992 Sweet Sixteen, because of academic fraud.

• Number: 38 - NMSU wins over Arizona, the fifth most of any UA opponent.

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 22, 9 p.m. at Utah State (ESPNU)

• On the Web: nmstatesports.com

NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS

• Location: Greeley, Colo.

• Last year: 25-8 overall (12-4 Big Sky)

• Who left: G Will Figures, G Yahosh Bonner

• Returners/newcomers: F Taylor Montgomery, G Xzaivier James, G Devon Beitzel, F Mike Proctor, F Neal Kingman, F Chris Kaba, G Elliott Lloyd / F Emmanuel Addo, G Paul Garnica, G Tevin Svihovec

• All in a name: Xzaivier James

• Overview: Tad Boyle did so well with the Bears last season, finishing 12th in the mid-major Top 25, that he was named Colorado's head coach and as such won't have to face Arizona until the 2011-12 Pac-12 season. But his former assistant, B.J. Hill, was promoted to take over a team that's strong up front and is picked to finish between second and fourth in the Big Sky.

• Tourney moment: The Bears have never been to the tournament, becoming full Division I members only in 2007-08.

• Number: 3 - times in 106 seasons of basketball that Northern Colorado has reached 20 wins, including last season.

• Set your TiVo: Feb. 19, TBA, Bracket Busters (ESPN)

• On the Web: uncbears.com

BETHUNE-COOKMAN WILDCATS

• Location:

Daytona Beach, Fla.

• Last year: 17-16 overall (7-9 MEAC)

• Who left: F Tyrel Adams

• Returners/newcomers: G C.J. Reed, F Alexander Starling, G Albert Abrahams, G Stanley Elliott, G Aric Miller/ F Garrius Holloman, G Kenny Williams, G Mikel Trapp.

• All in a name: Garrius Holloman

• Overview: Coach Cliff Reed returns his key players, most notably son C.J. Reed, a preseason first-team all-MEAC pick. Juco transfers Holloman and Williams could help push them in the MEAC race though they are expected to finish in the middle of the conference.

• Tourney moment: The Wildcats won the 2005 Florida Regional to become the first MEAC team to win a Division I regional - in softball.

• Number: 9 - Number of Division I teams, including Arizona and Bethune-Cookman, that are named Wildcats.

• On the Web: b-cuathletics.com

SANTA CLARA BRONCOS

• Location:

Santa Clara, Calif.

• Last year: 11-21, 3-11 (WCC)

• Who left: G Troy Alexander (transfer)

• Returners/newcomers: F Marc Trasolini, G Kevin Foster, G Robert Smith, F Ben Dowdell, F Troy Payne, G Michael Santos, F Raymond Cowels, F Niyi Harrison / G Julian Clarke

• All in a name: Yannick Atanga

• Overview: This could be the year former UCLA assistant Kerry Keating makes a move as the Broncos' head coach. Santa Clara returns virtually everybody including star guard Kevin Foster, who suffered a season-ending foot injury early last season. But the Broncos must improve their 29.9-percent three-point shooting mark.

• Tourney moment: Steve Nash hit six straight free throws late in the game to help his 15th-seeded Broncos knock off second-seeded Arizona 64-61 in the first round of the 1993 tournament, an upset still considered one of the biggest in NCAA tournament history.

• Number: 0.64 - Santa Clara's assist-turnover ratio last season

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., vs. Gonzaga (ESPNU)

• On the Web: santaclarabroncos.com

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

• Location:Lawrence, Kan.

• Last year: 33-3 (15-1 Big 12)

• Who left: C Cole Aldrich, G Sherron Collins, G Xavier Henry

• Returners/newcomers: G Tyshawn Taylor, G Jordan Juenemann, G Brady Morningstar, G C.J. Henry, C Markief Morris, F Marcus Morris, G Travis Releford / G Royce Woolridge, G Josh Selby (eligibility in question)

• All in a name: Jordan Juenemann

• Overview: The Jayhawks lost three players to the NBA, but you can't expect them to fall far. It's Kansas, after all. KU still returns budding star Marcus Morris inside, plenty of help around him and guards Tyshawn Taylor and Brady Morningstar. If the Jayhawks can get possible 2011 lottery pick Selby eligible, another deep NCAA tournament run is expected.

• Tourney moment: It's hard to pick one from Kansas' storied basketball history, but recent memory is topped by Mario Chalmers' three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation in the 2008 NCAA final against Memphis, which the Jayhawks went on to win (and Memphis later went on to vacate, thanks to NCAA sanctions).

• Number: 5 - National championships for Kansas

• Set your TiVo: Feb. 14, 7 p.m., at Kansas State (ESPN)

• On the Web: kuathletics.com

RICE OWLS

• Location: Houston

• Last year: 8-23 (1-15 CUSA)

• Who left: G Lawrence Ghoram

• Returners/newcomers: G Tamir Jackson, G Connor Frizzelle, F Arsalan Kazemi, C Trey Stanton, F Lucas Kuipers, G Cory Pfliger F Suleiman Braimoh / F David Chadwick, 7-1 Omar Oraby

• All in a name: Suleiman Braimoh

• Overview: The Owls slid to the bottom of C-USA in former Cal coach Ben Braun's second year last season, though at least they had the excuse of youth. Now the core of that team is older - including Iranian forward Arsalan Kazemi and guard Tamir Jackson , so Rice should be competitive this time around.

• Tourney moment: A bye in the 32-team 1954 NCAA tournament put Rice it in the Sweet 16 (before it lost to Oklahoma State).

• Number: 64.7 - Rice free throw percentage last season

• Set your TiVo: Nov. 27, 2 p.m. at Texas (Fox College Sports)

• On the Web: riceowls.com

OKLAHOMA SOONERS

• Location: Norman, Okla.

• Last year: 13-18 (4-12 Big 12)

• Who left: G Willie Warren, G Tommy Mason-Griffin, G Tony Crocker, F Tiny Gallon

• Returners/newcomers: G Cade Davis, G Steven Pledger, F Andrew Fitzgerald / F Abdul Ahmed, G T.J. Taylor, F C.J. Washington, G Carl Blair, F Tyler Neal, F Nick Thompson.

• All in a name: Abdul Ahmed

• Overview: The Sooners imploded last season despite having a roster littered with NBA talent. Four key players are gone, but at least the slate is clean, and juco transfers Nick Thompson and C.J. Washington may help accelerate the healing somewhat.

• Tourney moment: The Sooners negated Sean Elliott's 31 points and 11 rebounds to beat Arizona 86-78 in the 1988 NCAA tournament semifinals and reach their only NCAA title game - where they were upset by Kansas.

• Number: 8 - New players coach Jeff Capel added to his roster last spring.

• Set your TiVo: Nov. 22, 3:30 p.m. vs. Kentucky at Maui Invitational (ESPN)

• On the Web: soonersports.com

CAL STATE-FULLERTON TITANS

• Location: Fullerton, Calif.

• Last year: 16-15 (8-8 Big West)

• Who left: F Gerard Anderson, G Jacques Streeter, G Aaron Thompson, C Bryce Webster

• Returners/newcomers: F Jer'Vaughn Johnson, G Devon Peltier, F Orane Chin / G Isiah Umipig, G Perry Webster, G Orlando Brown, F Andre Hardy

• All in a name: Isiah Umipig

• Overview: The Titans lost four starters, but the experience level won't drop too far with Webster, an accomplished juco point guard, and Oral Roberts transfer Andre Hardy. They also have possibly the Big West's top freshman in Umipig.

• Tourney moment: The Titans became the team from "Cal State Disneyland" in 1978 thanks to their Cinderella run to the Elite Eight, getting wins over Michael Cooper's New Mexico Lobos as well as San Francisco.

• Set your TiVo: Feb. 19, TBA, Bracket Buster game

• On the Web: fullertontitans.com

BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS

• Location: Provo, Utah

• Last year: 30-6 (13-3 Mountain West)

• Who left: F Jonathan Tavernari, G Tyler Hawks, C Chris Miles.

• Returners/newcomers: G Jimmer Fredette, F Noah Hartsock, F Brandon Davies, G Jackson Emery, G Brock Zylstra, Charles Abouo / G Kyle Collinsworth, G Anson Winder.

• All in a name: Jimmer Fredette

• Overview: Arizona learned what a Jimmer was well before most NCAA tournament fans did last spring, when Fredette dropped a McKale Center-record 49 points on the Wildcats during BYU's 99-69 win on Dec. 28. Fredette pulled out of the NBA Draft pool after the season and, with with backcourt mate Jackson Emery also back, the Cougars should contend for another MWC title. Only the frontcourt needs help.

• Tourney moment: Danny Ainge dribbled through five Notre Dame players, including Orlando Woolridge, in four seconds to make a layup at the buzzer that beat the Irish in the 1981 East Regional semifinals 51-50 and sent BYU to its only NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

• Number: 83.1 - Points BYU averaged last season, the second most in the NCAA.

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 18, 2:30 p.m. vs. UCLA in the Wooden Classic at Anaheim, Calif. (FSA)

• On the Web: byucougars.com

NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS

• Location: Flagstaff

• Last year: 14-14 (8-8 Big Sky)

• Who left: F Nick Larson

• Returners/newcomers: G Cameron Jones, G Stallon Saldivar, G Eric Platt, F Shane Johannsen, F DeAngelo Jones, C Josh Lepley, G Gabe Rogers / G Danny Redmon, F Austin Smith, F Gaellan Bewernick

• All in a name: Stallon Saldivar

• Overview: Jones, whom McKale Center fans might recall as the guy who scored 29 points in Sean Miller's debut at Arizona, is back as a Big Sky MVP candidate. His surrounding cast is stronger, too, with the Lumberjacks returning all but one starter and adding juco guard Danny Redmon.

• Tourney moment: Second-seeded Cincinnati needed a three-pointer from D'Juan Baker with four seconds left to put away the 15th-seed Lumberjacks 65-62 in their first NCAA tournament appearance, a 1998 opening round game at Boise.

• Number: 36.9 - Three point shooting in 2009-10, well below the "recruit to shoot" standard NAU set over the past 14 seasons (when the Lumberjacks shot 39 percent or better from long range 10 times).

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 8, 6:35 p.m., vs. Weber State (FSA)

• On the Web: nauathletics.com

NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK

• Location: Raleigh, N.C.

• Last year: 20-16 (5-11 ACC)

• Who left: F Dennis Horner, G Farnold Degand, G Julius Mays

• Returners/newcomers: F Tracy Smith, G Enrico Kufuor, G Javier Gonzalez, S Scott Wood, F Richard Howell, C Jordan Vanderberg, F C.J. Williams / F C.J. Leslie, G Ryan Harrow, G Lorenzo Brown.

• All in a name: Enrico Kufuor

• Overview: Good recruiting may save coach Sidney Lowe's job yet: The Wolfpack pulled in Top 20 forward Leslie, who was once on UA's radar, and also has combo guard Brown eligible after he went to a prep school last season when he failed to qualify. It's NCAA tournament or bust for Lowe - and he probably won't bust with this talent.

• Tourney moment: N.C. State knocked off perennial power UCLA in the 1974 semifinals and went on to beat Marquette for that season's championship, but who can forget the image of euphoric coach Jimmy Valvano racing frantically across the floor after winning the 1983 NCAA tournament?

Number: 0 - Number of times N.C. State has reached the NCAA tournament under Lowe in four seasons.

Set your TiVo: Dec. 1, 5:15 p.m., at Wisconsin (ESPN2)

On the Web: gopack.com

ROBERT MORRIS

• Location: Moon Township, Pa.

• Last year: 23-12 (15-3 Northeast Conference)

• Who left: F Rob Robinson, G Mezie Nwigwe, F Dallas Green.

• Returners/newcomers: G Karon Abraham, G Velton Jones, F Russell Johnson, G Gary Wallace / F Lawrence Bridges, F Yann Charles.

• All in a name: Yann Charles

• Overview: Can't blame former Colonials coach Mike Rice for leaving last spring - he led Robert Morris to the NCAA tournament, and was losing five of nine key players. So with Rice off to Rutgers, Robert Morris promoted 30-year-old Andy Toole, who will try to rebuild around sophomore guard Karon Abraham, the NEC's Rookie of the Year last season.

• Tourney moment: Colonials beat Georgia Southern in the first round of the 1983 tournament, and are one of three NEC teams to win a tournament game.

• Number: 64 - Points Arizona beat Robert Morris by in 1996-97, the biggest margin of victory in UA history.

• Set your TiVo: Nov. 16, 6 a.m., at Kent State (ESPN)

• On the Web: rmucolonials.com

Compiled by Bruce Pascoe

ARIZONA WILDCATS

• Location: Tucson

• Last year: 16-15 (10-8 Pac-10)

• Coach: Sean Miller

• Who left: Point guard Nic Wise, who averaged 14.4 points but shot only 39 percent last year.

• Returners: Forwards Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne, who combined for 25.1 points a game last season.

• Newcomers: Guards Daniel Bejarano and Jordin Mayes join forward Jesse Perry in the UA's rotation.

• All in a name: G MoMo Jones

• Overview: The Wildcats seem well-positioned to start a new NCAA tournament streak.

• Tourney moment: Miles Simon scored 30 points in a game that featured 18 lead changes to defeat Kentucky in overtime and win the 1997 national championship.

• The number: 23 - 20-win seasons for the UA from 1984-85 through 2009-10, tied with North Carolina for the fourth-most in the country, behind Kansas, Syracuse and Duke.

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 5 vs. Oklahoma, 2p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.arizonawildcats.com

Arizona State Sun Devils

• Location: Tempe

• Last year: 22-11 (12-6)

• Coach: Herb Sendek

• Who left: Guard Derek Glasser and six others, including four underclassmen.

• Returners: Guards Ty Abbott and Jamelle McMillan and forward Rihards Kuksiks started last season.

• Newcomers: Swingman Keala King could emerge as one of the Pac-10's best young stars.

• All in a name: F Chanse Creekmur

• Overview: ASU has won 20-plus games in three straight years for the first time since 1961-63; to make it four, King will need to star and a minutes-eating post player needs to emerge.

• Tourney moment: James Harden made only one field goal, but ASU defeated Temple in the first round in 2009 to reach 25 wins for the first time since 1975.

• The number: 8 - Sendek protégés who are now head coaches, most in America - Drake's Mark Phelps, Ohio University's John Groce, TCU's Jim Christian, Western Carolina's Larry Hunter, Miami (Ohio's) Charlie Coles, IUPUI's Ron Hunter, Ohio State's Thad Matta and Arizona's Sean Miller

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 15 at Arizona, 12:30 p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.thesundevils.com

Cal Golden Bears

• Location: Berkeley, Calif.

• Last year: 24-11 (13-5)

• Coach: Mike Montgomery

• Who left: Star guards Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher were two of the league's best players.

• Returners: Defensive stalwart Jorge Gutierrez and forward Harper Kamp are the only two familiar names to Pac-10 watchers.

• Newcomers: Angeleno Allen Crabbe, a guard, was the Golden State's prep player of the year last season.

• All in a name: F Bak Bak

• Overview: After winning their first conference title in 50 years, the Golden Bears have the league's toughest task - replacing 65.1 points per game lost to departing players.

• Tourney moment: Pete Newell's Golden Bears beat Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson in the Final Four and West Virginia's Jerry West in a 71-70 final to win the 1959 NCAA championship.

• The number: 593 - Career wins by Montgomery, 10th-most among Division I active coaches

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 4 at Iowa State, noon (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.calbears.com

Oregon Ducks

• Location: Eugene, Ore.

• Last year: 16-16 (7-11)

• Coach: Dana Altman

• Who left: Forward Michael Dunigan, the Ducks' best player, signed to play professionally in Israel after two years of college. Four others transferred.

• Returners: With Tajuan Porter graduated, Malcolm Armstead will be the Ducks' go-to guard.

• Newcomers: Guard Jay-R Strowbridge was ruled eligible by the NCAA on Oct. 14 and will play this season after two years at Nebraska and one at Jacksonville State.

• All in a name: G Jay-R Strowbridge

• Overview: The Ducks lost their best player and almost an entire recruiting year while trying to find a coach, so they figure to break in Matthew Knight Arena with the conference's worst team.

• Tourney moment: Oregon's "Tall Firs" won the first-ever NCAA Division I men's basketball championship by winning an eight-team tournament in 1939.

• The number: $200 million - The cost of Matthew Knight Arena, which the Ducks will move into in January

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 2 vs. Missouri, 9p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.goducks.com

Oregon State Beavers

• Location: Corvallis, Ore.

• Last year: 14-18 (8-10)

• Coach: Craig Robinson

• Who left: Center Roeland Schaftenaar, who fit the Princeton-type offense perfectly, is playing professionally in Spain.

• Returners: Senior wing Calvin Haynes led the team with 12.5 points and started all but five games last season.

• Newcomers: Guard Roberto Nelson redshirted because of academics last season but is probably the Beavers' most outstanding player.

• All in a name: F Angus Brandt

• Overview: Robinson's past two seasons have been OSU's most successful two-year run, in terms of wins, in 19 years; still, the Beavers need to make the NCAA tournament for most fans to consider it progress.

• Tourney moment: In 1963, Slats Gill led the Beavers to the Final Four for the second time in 14 years. The Beavers finished fourth both times, losing in 1963 to Duke and then Cincinnati.

• The number: 16 - Teams that have more NCAA wins, all-time, than Oregon State; the Beavers boast 1,608 victories

• Set your TiVo: Jan. 22 vs. Oregon, 4p.m (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.osubeavers.com

Stanford Cardinal

• Location: Stanford, Calif.

• Last year: 14-18 (7-11)

• Coach: Johnny Dawkins

• Who left: Forward Landry Fields led the Pac-10 in scoring before being drafted by the New York Knicks.

• Returners: Guards Jeremy Green and Jarrett Mann and forward Jack Trotter started at least 29 games last season.

• Newcomers: The Cardinal's recruiting class features six players, led by Canadian forward Dwight Powell.

• All in a name: C Matei Daian

• Overview: Recruiting experts love the Cardinal's incoming class, but Stanford lost almost 43 percent of its scoring from a hardly intimidating 2009-10 squad.

• Tourney moment: Averaging 6 feet 4 inches, Stanford's starting five of Bay Area high school graduates beat Dartmouth 53-38 to win its only NCAA men's basketball championship in 1942.

• The number: 3 - ACL tears suffered by forward Andy Brown in the same right knee, the latest in August, ending his season

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 18 at Butler, noon (CBS)

• On the Web: www.gostanford.com

UCLA Bruins

• Location: Los Angeles

• Last year: 14-18 (8-10)

• Coach: Ben Howland

• Who left: Guard Michael Roll went from role player to leader last season and is now playing for money in Turkey.

• Returners: When healthy, Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson, both sophomores, make up the best forward tandem in the Pac-10.

• Newcomers: Remember Matt Carlino, the Russ Pennell-coached youth protégé from Scottsdale who moved to Indiana and committed to play for the Hoosiers? He's at UCLA now.

• All in a name: F Alex Schrempf

• Overview: The most disappointing UCLA season in a generation should be followed by an NCAA tournament berth - Honeycutt and Nelson are too good, and the team's recruits too heralded, for the Bruins to miss the postseason again.

• Tourney moment: In probably the greatest NCAA tournament performance ever, center Bill Walton made 21 of 22 shots and two free throws to torch Memphis for 44 points in the 1973 championship game.

• The number: 18 - Final Four appearances, including 11 national championships, in UCLA history

• Set your TiVo: Feb. 5 vs. St. John's, 11a.m. (CBS)

• On the Web: www.uclabruins.com

USC Trojans

• Location: Los Angeles

• Last year: 16-14 (8-10)

• Coach: Kevin O'Neill

• Who left: Swingman Dwight Lewis was one of the Pac-10's most steady players during his four years at USC.

• Returners: Nikola Vucevic is the only returner to start every game last year and is the leading returning scorer with 10.7 points.

• Newcomers: Guard Jio Fontan, a former Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year at Fordham, will be eligible to play at Galen Center in December.

• All in a name: G Jio Fontan

• Overview: After an impressive 8-10 league record last year, considering the NCAA's postseason ban, O'Neill needs scoring to match his team's defensive intensity.

• Tourney moment: Forrest Twogood, a Navy officer during World War II, took the Trojans to the semifinals of the 1954 Final Four, USC's second, and last, trip there.

• The number: 57.2 - Points per game allowed by the Trojans last year, fewest in the Pac-10

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 5 vs. Texas, 8:30p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.usctrojans.com

Washington Huskies

• Location: Seattle

• Last year: 26-10 (11-7)

• Coach: Lorenzo Romar

• Who left: All-Pac-10 forward Quincy Pondexter finished third in Huskies history in points and now plays for the New Orleans Hornets.

• Returners: Junior guard Isaiah Thomas might be the preseason favorite as the league's best player.

• Newcomers: Junior college transfer Aziz N'Diaye is the second 7-footer to ever play for a Romar-coached Huskies team.

• All in a name: C Aziz N'Diaye

• Overview: No team in the league has better players, or more experienced ones, than the Pac-10's presumptive No. 1 team.

• Tourney moment: After flying a propeller plane to Kansas City, Mo., to face Kansas in the 1953 Final Four, the Huskies settled for third place. They haven't reached the Final Four since.

• The number: 79.2 - Points averaged by the Huskies last year, the most in the Pac-10

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 4 vs. Texas Tech, 2 p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.gohuskies.com

Washington State Cougars

• Location: Pullman, Wash.

• Last year: 16-15 (6-12)

• Coach: Ken Bone

• Who left: Guard Nikola Koprivica was second on the Cougars with 43 three-pointers last season and now plays in Serbia.

• Returners: Forward DeAngelo Casto and guards Reggie Moore and Klay Thompson combined for 43 points a game last year.

• Newcomers: Forward Patrick Simon set a Washington 2A prep tournament single-game record by scoring 48 points as a senior.

• All in a name: G Faisal Aden

• Overview: The Cougars return three of the best 20 players in the league; this time, they should be able to win more than one-third of their league games.

• Tourney moment: How does a team win the national title without playing in a tournament? The Cougars went 25-1 in 1917, years before the tournament began. The team would later be named the mythical 1917 champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation.

• Number: 63 - Games it took Thompson to top 1,000 points, the third-fastest mark in school history

• Set your TiVo: Dec. 8 vs. Gonzaga, 9p.m. (FSAZ)

• On the Web: www.wsucougars.com

Complied by Patrick Finley

The Pac-10's most dominant team from last season is no longer.

Five players and 81 percent of Cal's scoring - including Pac-10 Player of the Year Jerome Randle - ran out of eligibility. Fate took care of the rest.

Omondi Amoke was thrown off the team, D.J. Seeley transferred and Max Zhang left early to play for the Shanghai Sharks.

After winning their first league title in 50 years, the Golden Bears are starting over. Only one returning player - guard Jorge Gutierrez - averaged more than 14 minutes per game last season.

"This is probably the youngest team I've ever had," said Mike Montgomery, starting his 29th year as a head coach. "It's going to be a challenge for us."

Last year saw stalwarts Arizona and UCLA miss the NCAA tournament. Oregon, with two Elite Eight appearances in the past decade, fired coach Ernie Kent.

Those looking for this season to return to normalcy might want to look away.

Media members picked Cal, the defending champs, to finish seventh. Oregon, despite moving into Matthew Knight Arena, is forecast to be last.

"It's just like last year - any team can finish first," ASU guard Jamelle McMillan said. "I'm not set on any one team finishing first. Every team has talent."

The only known entity is Washington, which received 33 of 35 first-place votes in the media poll.

"I wish they would give us the conference championship because of the voting," coach Lorenzo Romar quipped.

The Huskies' first-ever No. 1 prediction was obvious. Before being eliminated from the NCAA tournament by eventual Final Four team West Virginia, Washington won nine straight.

From its regular rotation last year, the Huskies return all but forward Quincy Pondexter and role player Elston Turner.

"Everybody's used to what you're doing and used to the system," said guard Isaiah Thomas, who has scored more points in his first two years than any UW player ever. "You don't have to take as much time out of practice to explain what you're doing.

"We have lots of veterans ready to be coaches on the floor."

UCLA coach Ben Howland, who vowed to put the 14-18 (8-10) season in the "rearview mirror," praised the Huskies.

"You definitely need to look at them," he said. "They have a lot coming back.

"Arizona is a very talented team. Then after those two, it could be anybody else."

UA coach Sean Miller, whose team was picked second, said half the conference could contend for second.

That list could include Washington State, which finished last in the conference last season.

"I think we have the talent to go worst-to-first," said junior guard Klay Thompson, a member of last year's all-conference team. "We showed we could compete last year.

"I think we have a chance to be as good as Wazzu's ever been. … I think we have a chance to be special."

Most teams, save Oregon, could make the same argument.

Almost all have questions, however. Stanford has nine players who didn't participate last season. Arizona State, off a National Invitation Tournament trip last year, is replacing seven departed players.

And then there's Cal.

"I need to be patient," Montgomery said. "Which is not my strong suit."

Toughest guy in the league to guard:

Arizona forward Derrick Williams: Myself.

Cal's Harper Kamp: For me, I haven't played in two years, and he's already gone, but Taj Gibson at USC. He's so long and athletic.

ASU's Ty Abbott: Isaiah Thomas at Washington.

Washington's Isaiah Thomas: Reggie Moore (from WSU). How he goes about his game - he's just a good guard.

Oregon State's Calvin Haynes: Me.

WSU's Klay Thompson: Derrick Williams (at Arizona). He's got such a big athletic body.

Best uniforms?

Derrick Williams: Oregon.

Harper Kamp: We do, by far. We got Jordan uniforms.

Ty Abbott: Oregon's got so many of them.

Isaiah Thomas: Our black ones are the best in the country.

Calvin Haynes: Arizona.

Klay Thompson: Oregon, just because they've got such a variety.

Your coach in one word:

Derrick Williams: Tough.

Harper Kamp: Old? Wise - that's the nice word for old.

Ty Abbott: Intense.

Isaiah Thomas: Great person.

Calvin Haynes: Brilliant.

Klay Thompson: Passionate. I'll go to the gym at 7 and he'll be in the office watching film.

No. 1 overall seed in NCAA tourney:

Derrick Williams: Probably Duke.

Harper Kamp: Who won it last year? Duke.

Ty Abbott: Probably Duke.

Isaiah Thomas: Duke.

Calvin Haynes: Duke.

Klay Thompson: I wanna say Washington State, but probably Duke.

Most points ever scored in high school:

Derrick Williams: 47 - against (UCLA's) Tyler Honeycutt

Harper Kamp: 44.

Ty Abbott: 32.

Isaiah Thomas: 55.

Calvin Haynes: 38.

Klay Thompson: 40.

If there is one player from a Pac-10 team you could add to yours, it would be:

Derrick Williams: UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt

Harper Kamp: Ty Abbott can do so many things on the floor.

Ty Abbott: It'd be good to have another shooter. Klay Thompson.

Isaiah Thomas: Reeves Nelson (at UCLA). He's like another Jon Brockman.

Calvin Haynes: Isaiah Thomas.

Klay Thompson: Nikola Vucevic from USC. He'd give us some more size, and he's really skilled.

Kevin O'Neill in one word:

Derrick Williams: Crazy.

Harper Kamp: His-face-gets-really-red-when-he-gets-angry.

Ty Abbott: A traveler.

Isaiah Thomas: His glasses are funny. So, glasses.

Calvin Haynes: Competitive.

Klay Thompson: Angry.

Best arena:

Derrick Williams: Oregon's gonna have the best arena. Otherwise, Washington.

Harper Kamp: Other than Haas Pavilion, Washington.

Ty Abbott: Oregon, soon.

Isaiah Thomas: Washington.

Calvin Haynes: Arizona.

Klay Thompson: USC. It's not filled all the time, but it's so nice.

Where will your team be seeded in the NCAA tournament?

Derrick Williams: We'll be top 12, so probably a 3.

Harper Kamp: Hopefully, we can find a way to just get in.

Ty Abbott: 5.

Isaiah Thomas: Hopefully No. 1.

Calvin Haynes: 7.

Klay Thompson: People don't give the Pac-10 much respect, so I'd say a 3.

When you're adding seven players for the first time in your career, you don't take anything for granted.

And that is why Arizona State basketball coach Herb Sendek made sure his staff explained his team's terminology, even at the most basic level, when practice began this season.

"We have to start by defining terms," he said, "so that when we communicate, everybody is on the same page."

It might take some work.

After a 22-11 season, ASU lost seniors Derek Glasser, Jerren Shipp and Eric Boateng - plus four unexpected transfers.

Demetrius Walker left for New Mexico, and Victor Rudd for South Florida. Taylor Rohde and Brandon Thompson transferred, too.

"It's an experience; it's a project," senior point guard Jamelle McMillan said. "So far, the guys have done a great job catching up. They ask a lot of questions and have done a great job adjusting to this level so far.

"I think it takes a certain kind of player to play for coach Sendek. Those guys came in, and they tried it and it didn't fit their style of ball, which is the case all across the country. So they did what they had to do."

Picked fourth in the Pac-10 this year, ASU hopes to again contend for an NCAA tournament berth. That will happen only if the Sun Devils newcomers make up, as expected, for the attrition.

From Compton, Calif., Keala King is the prize of the incoming class. He is joined by former NBA star Hersey Hawkins' son, Corey, and wing Chanse Creekmur.

Brandon Dunson, a junior college transfer, will be a reserve guard. Forward Kyle Cain is from Illinois, and center Jordan Bachynski comes from Canada by way of a Mormon mission.

Four of the newcomers are left-handed, but only King reminds his teammates of former ASU great James Harden.

"They're spitting images, to be honest," McMillan said. "James had a little bit bigger frame. Keala moves in a different way, a little quicker. James jumped higher.

"They do play very similar - the jab step, getting into the lane, drawing contact, finishing around the rim, the way they're able to pick their spots.

"Not to say Keala's going to be a No. 3 pick or anything, but you can see a similarity in their games."

All-Pac-10 wing Ty Abbott said King "tries to match the intensity of the guys who have been here."

McMillan, Abbott and sharpshooting forward Rihards Kuksiks provide the young team with senior leadership.

"They're willing to learn from anybody who can help them," McMillan said. "If a fan could help them, they'd listen to that, too."

Sendek admitted the Sun Devils learned last year that they can't "erase what happens in November and December."

To that end, he said it's key for ASU - and the Pac-10 in general - to play better in nonconference games. ASU finished second in the Pac-10 last year, but its RPI of 63 kept it out of the NCAA tournament.

The Sun Devils were instead a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament - only to lose at home to Jacksonville in the first round.

A fresh roster helps ASU forget about the game, which had followed a disappointing early Pac-10 tournament exit.

"That's something we've moved on from," McMillan said. "It's a deal where we have a new team and a new roster. It's a new day and a new year."

2010-11 SCHEDULE

November

16 at New Mexico 8 p.m.

20 UAB 2 p.m.

Great Alaska Shooutout

25 vs. Houston Baptist 7 p.m.

26 vs. Weber St. or Anchorage TBD

27 vs. TBD TBD

December

2 at Baylor 5 p.m.

5 RICHMOND noon

11 GARDNER-WEBB noon

17 at Nevada 7 p.m.

21 LONG BEACH STATE 5 p.m.

23 NORTH CAROLINA A&T noon

30 at Oregon State* 8:30 p.m.

January

1 at Oregon* TBA

6 STANFORD* 6:30 p.m.

8 CALIFORNIA* 12:30 p.m.

12 TULSA* 6:30 p.m.

15 at Arizona* 12:30 p.m.

20 at Washington State* 8 p.m.

22 at Washington* 2 p.m.

27 USC* 6:30 p.m.

29 UCLA* 1:30 p.m.

February

3 at California* 9 p.m.

5 at Stanford* 4 p.m.

13 ARIZONA* 7 p.m.

17 WASHINGTON* 6:30 p.m.

19 WASHINGTON STATE* noon

24 at UCLA* 9 p.m.

26 at USC* 5:30 p.m.

March

3 OREGON* TBA

5 OREGON STATE* TBA

*Pac-10 conference game

Times subject to change

Northern Arizona opened its season Nov. 12 at Iowa State, but everyone associated with the Lumberjacks program was more concerned with where the season will end.

NAU has four starters back, and all but two players from last year's 14-14 team, and believes it can contend for a Big Sky Conference title and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2000.

"This year has a chance to be real special for us," senior guard Cameron Jones said. "If we don't make the tournament, it will be disappointing to everyone."

If the Lumberjacks make the NCAA tournament, Jones would play a big role. The Los Angeles native returns for his final season after averaging 19.3 points per game as a junior. He was a first-team All-Big Sky pick and was the only player in the league to finish in the top 16 in points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage.

He had a season-high 29 points against Arizona at McKale Center, and entered his name in the NBA draft after the season, then opted later to stay at NAU.

"He's done a tremendous job, on and off the court," NAU coach Mike Adras said. "Cam refuses to finish in second in anything he does. I've always heard head coaches say you have a chance to be good if your best players are your hardest workers, and that's the case with us this year."

Jones will get some much-needed help inside with the addition of former Ironwood Ridge High School standout Austin Smith. The 6-foot-9-inch post player transferred to NAU from Liberty (N.C.) after his freshman season in 2008-09 and had to sit out last year because of NCAA transfer rules.

The sophomore averaged the second most minutes on the team's five-game Canadian exhibition tour in August and averaged 10.6 points per game to go with a 4.6 rebound average.

"I'm very excited for Austin," Adras said. "It was hard last year, having a talent like him and never being able to put him in a game.

"He has a great motor. He just keeps going and going, and it's helped us a lot. He's made all of our post guys better."

The Lumberjacks will visit Tucson on Dec. 16 to play Arizona; NAU opens Big Sky play Dec. 29 at Montana.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

November

14 at Creighton noon

16 vs. Alabama State in Prescott 7 p.m.

19 SOUTHWESTERN 7:35 p.m.

22 at Kennesaw State 5:30 p.m.

28 at Pepperdine 2 p.m.

30 at Cal State-Bakersfield 8 p.m.

December

4 BETHANY 6:35 p.m.

8 TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN 6:35 p.m.

11 at USC 2 p.m.

16 at Arizona 7:30 p.m.

22 AIR FORCE 6:35 p.m.

29 at Montana* 1:05 p.m.

31 at Montana State* 4:05 p.m.

January

6 IDAHO STATE* 6:35 p.m.

8 WEBER STATE* 6:35 p.m.

15 SACRAMENTO STATE* 6:35 p.m.

20 at Eastern Washington* 8:05 p.m.

22 at Portland State* 6:05 p.m.

31 NORTHERN COLORADO* 6:35 p.m.

February

3 MONTANA STATE* 6:35 p.m.

5 MONTANA* 6:35 p.m.

10 at Weber State* 7:05 p.m.

16 E. WASHINGTON* 6:35 p.m.

19 ESPNU Bracketbusters TBA

24 at Sacramento State* 8:05 p.m.

26 at Northern Colorado* 7:05 p.m.

March

2 PORTLAND STATE* 6:35 p.m.

*Conference game

Home games in capital letters Times are subject to change

Much has changed for the Pima College men's basketball program since the Aztecs went to the national tournament last season.

Coach Karl Pieroway left his job, citing the stress of coaching while also teaching at a middle school.

Roderick Gary took over in July and assembled his own staff. Just two players returned from last season's squad.

Gary said the team is learning its identity. With 12 eligible players early in November, the Aztecs don't have a lot of size. The frontline consists of 6-foot-6-inch, 6-5 and 6-4 players, which is passable at Division II but small against Division I foes, Gary said.

Both levels compete in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, which often has nationally ranked teams.

"We lost some height to eligibility issues we're still working on, so we may add a kid or two at the holiday break," Gary said.

The team has two sophomores - Daniel Conorque from Sahuarita High School and Brian Hill from Tucson High School.

Both were on last season's team that finished 20-16 and placed seventh at nationals.

Conorque averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds last season and likely will be a go-to player for the Aztecs.

The team lost Traveres Peterson and Jeremy Harden, who both received all-conference and all-region honors last season.

"We want to get up and down the floor," Gary said. "We have offensive weapons, even though we're small. I can go to 10 or 11 guys who can get it done."

Besides Conorque and Hill, the rest of the starting lineup includes Phoenix native Justin Chambers, Avondale native James Pierce and Jose Carmargo, a Rincon/University grad.

The Aztecs started this season 1-2 in a tournament at New Mexico Junior College.

Gary said he is familiar with both Pima and the ACCAC. He served as an assistant coach at Pima in 1989-90 and 1998-99. He was an assistant boys coach at Sahuaro and played basketball at Cochise College in 1976-77.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

November

17 at Chandler-Gilbert* 7:30 p.m.

20 SCOTTSDALE CC* 7:30 p.m.

December

1 at Phoenix College* 7:30 p.m.

4 CENTRAL ARIZONA* 4 p.m.

8 at Yavapai* 7:30 p.m.

11 MESA CC* 4 p.m.

18 at Arizona College* 4 p.m.

January

5 COCHISE* 7:30 p.m.

8 SOUTH MOUNTAIN* 4 p.m.

12 at Eastern Arizona* 7:30 p.m.

15 at Glendale CC* 4 p.m.

19 ARIZONA WESTERN* 7:30 p.m.

22 CHANDLER-GILBERT* 4 p.m.

26 at Scottsdale CC* 7:30 p.m.

29 PHOENIX* 4 p.m.

February

2 at Central Arizona* 7:30 p.m.

5 YAVAPAI* 7:30 p.m.

9 MESA* 7:30 p.m.

12 at Cochise* 7:30 p.m.

16 at South Mountain* 7:30 p.m.

19 EASTERN ARIZONA* 4 p.m.

22 GLENDALE* 7:30 p.m.

25 at Arizona Western* 7:30 p.m.

*ACCAC game

Times subject to change

It can't be seven months ago that Gordon Hayward's shot from halfcourt came so close to providing one of the greatest endings in sports history.

It can't be eight months ago that a lot of people learned in a hurry to correctly pronounce Ali Farokhmanesh, after the Northern Iowa guard hit the three-pointer that everybody else tries to.

Time to file away those memories of Butler and Duke's epic title game, of Northern Iowa beating top-ranked Kansas on a jaw-dropping three. A new season began last Monday and the biggest change will come in March when, for the first time, people fill out NCAA tournament brackets that have three more teams and three more games.

But first comes four months of the regular season.

It starts with Duke a solid preseason No. 1 in most polls, and Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski's title collection now includes a gold medal from the World Championships. His roster includes seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, back to defend their national championship.

"I've been fortunate. I had to close last season right away to coach the U.S. team, so last season seems to me like a lot of years ago," said Krzyzewski, whose four national titles are tied with Adolph Rupp and behind only John Wooden (10). "I just jumped right into that. It's probably the easiest for me to put last season behind."

Singler and Smith have a chance to join the Duke elite with a second title.

"You're going to hear this a lot from us: We're not defending last year and not trying to repeat," said Singler, a preseason All-American for the second straight season. "We know for the freshmen coming in, they're hungry to win the national championship. At the same time, we're trying to win another one. That's our main focus. We're just trying to stay motivated and Coach is also helping us in doing that."

This season's versions of Duke and No. 17 Butler meet Dec. 4 at the Meadowlands, one of two games the Blue Devils play against last season's Final Four. They meet No. 2 Michigan State on Dec. 1 and, eight days earlier, will have faced No. 12 Gonzaga or No. 3 Kansas State in the CBE Classic.

"Someone asked me if we don't win a national championship, will it ruin the year?" Singler said. "You just never know what to expect in the year and toward the end of the year, we're not worried about that right now. There's so much we can accomplish, especially at the beginning of the year and the middle of the year."

No program lost as much talent as Kentucky did from a team that was ranked in the top five all season. Five underclassmen - including freshmen All-Americans John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins - were taken in the first round of the NBA draft.

No problem for coach John Calipari, who brought in a recruiting class considered so good that the Wildcats are No. 11 in the preseason Top 25. Led by Brandon Knight, considered the best prep point guard last season, this class of Wildcats will have to live with the comparisons to Wall and Co., who were beaten by West Virginia one game shy of the Final Four.

"Anybody compared to that group of kids, you're going to be on the short end," Calipari said. "This is a totally different team."

There are plenty of other quality newcomers, led by Harrison Barnes, the 6-foot-8 forward who is the first freshman to be selected to The Associated Press' preseason All-America team and the player who is being looked to lead a quick turnaround for North Carolina.

It will be hard for any story this season to match Purdue's Robbie Hummel. He worked hard in the offseason, rehabbing from knee surgery that kept him out of the final month of last season. In the first few days of practice, the senior tore the same ACL and is out for the season, one that starts with the Boilermakers still ranked 14th.

That's where they start, at least. Where teams end up in March is anyone's guess.

Preseason All-America Team

The Associated Press' 2010-11 preseason All-America team, with school, height, year and votes from a 65-member national media panel (key 2009-10 statistics in parentheses):

Kyle Singler

Duke, 6-8, senior, 62 votes (16.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg)

Jacob Pullen

Kansas State, 6-0, senior, 53 (19.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 82.2 ft pct, 1.8 steals)

Jimmer Fredette

BYU, 6-2, senior, 49 (22.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 45.8 3-pt fg pct, 89.2 ft pct.)

JaJuan Johnson

Purdue, 6-10, senior, 46 (15.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 50.7 fg pct, 2.1 blocks)

Harrison Barnes

North Carolina, 6-8, freshman, 17 (19.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 60 fg pct. at Ames (Iowa) HS)

Others receiving votes (alphabetical): Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech; Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech; LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor; Austin Freeman, Georgetown; Elias Harris, Gonzaga. John Henson, North Carolina; Kyrie Irving, Duke; Brandon Knight, Kentucky; Anthony Jones, Baylor; Kevin Jones, West Virginia. Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; Jon Leuer, Wisconsin; Shelvin Mack, Butler; Demetri McCamey, Illinois; Marcus Morris, Kansas. Mason Plumlee, Duke; Nolan Smith, Duke; Jared Sullinger, Ohio State; Durrell Summers, Michigan State; Isaiah Thomas, Washington; Trey Thompkins, Georgia; Kemba Walker, Connecticut

PRESEASON AP POLL

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' preseason 2010-11 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final 2009-10 record, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and 2009-10 final ranking:

Record Pvs

1. Duke (55) 35-5 3

2. Michigan St. (8) 28-9 13

3. Kansas St. (2) 29-8 7

4. Ohio St. 29-8 5

5. Pittsburgh 25-9 18

6. Villanova 25-8 9

7. Kansas 33-3 1

8. North Carolina 20-17 -

9. Florida 21-13 -

10. Syracuse 30-5 4

11. Kentucky 35-3 2

12. Gonzaga 27-7 22

13. Illinois 21-15 -

14. Purdue 29-6 10

15. Missouri 23-11 -

16. Baylor 28-8 19

17. Butler 33-5 11

18. Washington 26-10 -

19. Memphis 24-10 -

20. Georgetown 23-11 14

21. Virginia Tech 25-9 -

22. Temple 29-6 12

23. Tennessee 28-9 15

24. BYU 30-6 17

25. San Diego St. 25-9 -

Others receiving votes: Wisconsin 126, Texas 107, Georgia 67, West Virginia 65, Minnesota 55, Florida St. 28, Wichita St. 28, UNLV 21, Richmond 17, Murray St. 15, Vanderbilt 14, N.C. State 10, Arizona 8, Connecticut 8, Colorado 7, Mississippi St. 7, UCLA 5, Miami 4, Ohio 4, Utah St. 4, Xavier 4, Dayton 3, Old Dominion 2, Georgia Tech 1, New Mexico 1, Wofford 1

For Tucson and the University of Arizona, there are plenty of benefits to hosting first-weekend NCAA tournament games.

Giving the Wildcats a chance to play at home is not one of them.

Because NCAA rules forbid a team from playing tournament games at any site it played at for more than three regular-season games, the Wildcats will be shipped out of town should they be invited to the 2011 tournament.

A team also cannot play in any arena where its school serves as a tournament host, although it can play in a nearby arena if another school or its conference hosts the games, according to David Worlock, associate director of the NCAA men's basketball championships. That's why Villanova was allowed to play Arizona in Philadelphia in the 2006 tournament - the games were at a part-time home (the Wachovia Center) and Villanova was not the official host.

So instead come March, Arizona will gain via exposure to the school and city, as well as boosting local businesses - many of which are partners with UA athletics.

"We do it for the community," said Suzy Mason, UA's associate AD for event management. "March Madness is something the world pays attention to. It's a great marketing thing for Arizona.

The Tucson games will be held during the first weekend of the tournament in what are now known as second- and third-round games.

The NCAA tournament has added a "First Four event" for eight teams during the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the second and third rounds.

Tucson has not hosted NCAA tournament games since 2005, though it has done so 11 times before. Mason said UA has sold about 61 percent of its available tickets, which often sell out in the week before the games.

TUCSON GAMES

• What: NCAA tournament 2nd- and 3rd-round games

• When: Thursday, March 17 and Saturday, March 19

• Who: Eight teams, divided into two four-team pods

• Tickets: $243 for all sessions (six games), only via Ticketmaster. Not available at UA's website or ticket office until the day of the event, if tickets remain. Single-session tickets not available until day of event, if tickets remain.

• Look for: Tip-off times to be announced March 13 or 14. Four games to be played on March 17; two games on March 19.

Other 2nd/3rd round sites: Denver, Tampa, Fla., Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Cleveland, Tulsa, Okla.

Regional sites (fourth and fifth rounds): West: Anaheim, Calif. Southeast: New Orleans East: Newark, N.J. Southwest: San Antonio

Final Four: Houston

During a team-building exercise near the Arizona soccer field, the Wildcat women's basketball players had to strategize how to help each other climb a 12-foot wooden wall.

The players devised a plan, modified it, then executed it.

The team's strongest player, Taylor Dalrymple, went first. She helped pull others to the top. Two players at the bottom of the wall helped hoist one teammate at a time, while two players at the top of the wall helped pull them up.

Candice Warthen, the Wildcats' smallest player, went last, and Ify Ibekwe used her long arms to lower a rope for Warthen to grab.

"It was just awesome to see. We have a group of very strong, powerful women," assistant coach Sue Darling said. "They imposed their will on the wall, and they'll impose their will on other teams."

The Cats enter the new season with a higher confidence, a deeper, more talented squad and with the hope they can qualify for the NCAA tournament, which they last did in 2005.

In her third season at the helm, coach Niya Butts said the Cats have been changing the program, creating a culture of winning. Players are expected to play hard and make no excuses. The Cats' records have improved each season under Butts, from 10-20 before she arrived to 12-19 to 14-17 last season.

"Every year we get better and better," said Butts, a former University of Tennessee player. "When you talk about the approach to the game, especially the mental approach, attitude, we can see that so much in this year's team. If we couldn't believe it, we wouldn't be able to do what we need to do, so I feel really good about where we are now, and the attitude of the team is different."

Players say they feel confident because the team has more talent, and the newcomers are pushing the returning players in practice. The veterans also have taken on leadership roles, talking to their younger teammates when they make mistakes and showing them how to perform drills in practice.

"There's a lot of competition in practice that we haven't been able to see in the last three years I've been here," junior guard Tasha Dickey said. "It's either (we have been) injured, so we can't compete, or just the talent wasn't there.

"But this year, we're actually competing for positions, competing for playing time. We can do drills the coaches haven't been able to put in with past teams."

The players have also bought into Butts' message, as well as her intensity, which she exhibits during games by raising her arms to excite the crowd.

"You can't be lollygagging, because she's going to be fired up," said Ibekwe, a senior forward and two-time All-Pac-10 honoree. "She makes us push more. If we feel like we don't have it, she's over there on the sidelines, saying, 'C'mon!' She has energy and that feeds off on us."

The team hopes to reflect Butts' energy. She has imprinted her stamp on the program - eight of the 11 players are her recruits, and the Cats will employ a fast-paced, transition game. Butts seeks high-energy recruits, as well as players who do well away from the basketball court.

Her recruits have included 2009-10 Pac-10 freshman of the year Davellyn Whyte, Arkansas transfer Shanita Arnold, who will be the team's point guard, and Warthen, a quick freshman who also will see time at point guard. She averaged 28.5 points in her senior year at Warren County (Ga.) High School.

"I like high energy," said Butts, who was the Southeastern Conference's top defensive player in 1997 at Tennessee. "I like a kid that's generally athletic. I like a skilled kid as well. (I look at) attitude on the bench, demeanor when the coach takes them out of the game, what are they doing when things get tough. We look at those things, because that's what you're going to get."

Dickey and other players in the program for the last three years have gone through a transition, she said. They've gone from learning what Butts wants and expects, and what practice will be like, to embracing her message and wanting to guide the UA program to the NCAA tournament.

"It's like our family is whole," Dickey said. "We all understand each other. We know what to expect. It's not like that awkwardness anymore (in a coach's first season).

"We all expect to go out and do the best we can, and everyone wants to win," Dickey added. "I hope we come out and make an impact. The first year we did, 'Eh.' The second year, we did better. This is the third year, the year to get things done."

REMAINING SCHEDULE

November

15 NORTHERN ARIZONA 7 p.m.

18 at Mississippi 6 p.m.

22 ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 11 a.m.

Cancun Thanksgiving Classic

26 vs. Texas A&M 8:30 p.m.

27 Bradley 5:15 p.m.

December

2 at Nevada 7 p.m.

7 at New Mexico 7 p.m.

19 NEW MEXICO STATE 2 p.m.

21 NORTH TEXAS 1 p.m.

28 IONA 7 p.m.

31 OREGON* 3 p.m.

January

2 OREGON STATE* 1 p.m.

6 at Stanford* 8 p.m.

8 at California* 3 p.m.

16 at Arizona State* 3 p.m.

20 WASHINGTON* 7 p.m.

22 WASHINGTON STATE* 2 p.m.

27 at USC* TBA

29 at UCLA* 3 p.m.

February

3 CALIFORNIA* 7 p.m.

5 STANFORD* 2 p.m.

13 ARIZONA STATE* 2 p.m.

17 at Washington State* 8 p.m.

19 at Washington* 1:30 p.m.

24 UCLA* 7 p.m.

26 USC* 8:30 p.m.

March

3 at Oregon State* TBA

5 at Oregon* 3 p.m.

*Pac-10 Conference game

Shanita Arnold

Redshirt junior point guard, No. 5

• Age: 21

• Height: 5-5

• From: Fort Smith, Ark.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona. Just because I'm from Arkansas, the Lady Razorbacks. I wouldn't mind getting a shot at UConn. Gonzaga. When I was younger, I used to want to go to Gonzaga. I admired their coach, how they could always get to the tournament every year.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… am going to lead them to a championship.

• Fresh kicks: I'm going to have to go with MJs. He's the man.

Erica Barnes

Freshman forward, No. 23

• Age: 18

• Height: 6-2

• From: Sacramento, Calif.

Fantasy Final Four: Arizona. Pittsburgh. A good friend of mine goes there, Kyra Dunn. She's a freshman. UConn. Stanford. I have two friends there who are freshmen (Sara James and Chiney Ogwumike).

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… plan to win and to dominate.

• Fresh kicks: Nike. Any kind. Everybody wears Nikes, because the school is sponsored by Nike.

Taylor Dalrymple

Junior forward, No. 4

• Age: 21

• Height: 6-1

• From: Atlanta

• Fantasy Final Four: Tennessee, UConn, Maryland, Arizona.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will sacrifice. There's nothing I won't do for our team.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Stabs. They just fly. They usually have different colors on them. You can get them custom made. I'm not wearing them to the games. They cost too much for that.

Tasha Dickey

Redshirt junior guard, No. 13

• Age: 21

• Height: 5-10

• From: Sandy, Utah

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Connecticut, Tennessee, Stanford

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will be so happy and ready to go all out.

• Fresh kicks: Nike sandals. They're comfy. That's what I always wear. Our feet are always in tennis shoes when we're at practice or we have to do something. Just relax and be in your sandals and sweats.

Ify Ibekwe

Senior forward, No. 3

• Age: 21

• Height: 6-2

• From: Carson, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, Louisville, Xavier, Stanford

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… wouldn't be lost for words, because this team could do it. I wouldn't be able to stop smiling.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Air Jordans

Brooke Jackson

Junior guard, No. 12

• Age: 22

• Height: 5-8

• From: Mesa

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, ASU, Stanford, Florida. Just random schools.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will expect many big things.

• Fresh kicks: I am a Nike fanatic. I love everything Nike. I really like the Hyperfuse. I also like Vans.

Soana Lucet

Senior forward, No. 53

• Age: 23

• Height: 6-1

• From: Noumea, New Caledonia

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Baylor, Tennessee

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will give my best, my everything.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Hyperdunks

Amanda Pierson

Senior forward-center, No. 42

• Age: 21

• Height: 6-3

• From: Munden, Kan.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Tennessee, Kansas State. Because I grew up a K-State fan.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will get excited.

• Fresh kicks: Old Navy flip-flops I wear pretty much all the time.

Reiko Thomas

Junior, guard, No. 25

• Age: 20

• Height: 5-8

• From: Pasadena, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Teams I don't play often. UConn, North Carolina, Maryland, Arizona.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will be a good teammate.

• Fresh kicks: UGG boots. They're so comfortable and so me. That's my style.

Candice Warthen

Freshman, guard, No. 24

• Age: 18

• Height: 5-5

• From: Warrenton, Ga.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Stanford, Tennessee

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will be very excited and we will win.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Blazers

Davellyn Whyte

Sophomore, guard, No. 0

• Age: 19

• Height: 5-11

• From: Phoenix

• Fantasy Final Four: UConn, Tennessee, Baylor, Arizona. For an all-Pac-10 Final Four, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Arizona

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… plan to help my team to the victory.

• Fresh kicks: Jordans. I just love Jordan so much I can be Jordan some day in my shoes. I didn't wear them until Pac-10 play. I'm kinda superstitious, so I don't know if I want to start with Jordans or just wait till Pac-10. Last year, I wore the Jordan 12s.

Niya Butts

Head coach

• From: Americus, Ga.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona. My alma mater, Tennessee. My next home, Kentucky. I love those guys dearly. My other friends, coaching buddies, Kansas.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will be ready to lead our team to battle.

• Fresh kicks: My favorite brand is Nike. They're very comfortable. Those who know me know I have really bad feet. Comfort is my No. 1 priority. The Air Max, Nike Frees, they're all pretty comfortable, the Zooms.

Sue Darling

Assistant coach

• From: Tucson

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Stanford, Baylor. I have great respect for all those programs. They're the best of the best.

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… hope we don't go to South Dakota. I hope we get to go to some place good. I'll go anywhere. I wouldn't mind going to Miami.

• Fresh kicks: Asics Kayano. They're really good running shoes. They don't let me pronate as much. I've been wearing those since 1998.

Chance Lindley

Assistant coach

• From: Wichita, Kan.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Tennessee, North Carolina

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… would do my part, whatever Coach Butts needs, whatever the girls need to help them succeed and win, I'm there.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Air Max

Brandy Manning

Assistant coach

• From: Stockton, Calif.

• Fantasy Final Four: Arizona, UConn, Baylor, Tennessee

• Finish this sentence: When Arizona plays in the NCAA tournament, I… will be excited for our girls and this program and look forward to the opportunity to compete.

• Fresh kicks: Nike Air Max. They're the classics. They're the running shoes with the air bubble. I like comfort. I dress solely for comfort.

Arizona Wildcats

• Location: Tucson

• Last year: 14-17, 6-12

• Coach: Niya Butts

• Who left: Point guard Ashley Frazier

• Returners/newcomers: Senior forward Ify Ibekwe, junior guard Brooke Jackson, senior forward Soana Lucet, senior forward/center Amanda Pierson, junior guard, Reiko Thomas, sophomore guard Davellyn Whyte, junior guard Shanita Arnold, freshman forward Erica Barnes, junior forward Taylor Dalrymple, freshman guard Candice Warthen

• All in a name: Davellyn Whyte. The sophomore guard and Phoenix native was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Arizona's first since Adia Barnes in 1998. Whyte averaged 15.7 points per game, fifth-best in the league.

• Overview: The Cats were tabbed to finish seventh in the Pac-10 by the coaches after finishing eighth last season. However, the Cats feel they have better talent and depth with four newcomers who are pushing the returners.

• Tourney moment: Under coach Joan Bonvicini, the Cats reached the Sweet 16 in 1998, losing 74-57 to Connecticut.

• Number: 39. Whyte set a school record for points in a game with 39 against Oregon in January. Can she re-establish the mark?

• On the Web: www.arizonawildcats.com

Arizona State Sun Devils

• Location: Tempe

• Last year: 18-14, 9-9

• Coach: Charli Turner Thorne

• Who left: Danielle Orsillo, Kayli Murphy, Sabrina McKinney

• Returners/newcomers: Junior forward/center Kali Bennett, sophomore forward/center Joy Burke, senior Becca Tobin, senior guard Tenaya Watson, sophomore forward Janae Fulcher, junior guard Alex Earl, junior guard/forward Kimberly Brandon, sophomore guard Deja Mann, sophomore guard Haley Parsons, freshman guard Adrianne Thomas, freshman forward Olivia Simmons.

• All in a name: Dymond Simon, the fifth-year senior from Phoenix, returns after redshirting last season following a knee injury. She was a second-team All-Pac-10 pick in 2008-09 when she averaged 13.8 points and shot 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.

• Overview: The Sun Devils finished fifth last season, the first time in seven years they finished outside the top three in the Pac-10 standings. The return of Simon from a knee injury will be a huge boost.

• Tourney moment: 2009, when ASU reached the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.

• Number: 11. ASU has qualified for the postseason in 11 consecutive years. Last season, the Sun Devils went to the WNIT.

• On the Web: www.TheSunDevils.com

California Golden Bears

• Location:

Berkeley, Calif.

• Last year: 24-13, 11-7

• Coach: Joanne Boyle

• Who left: Guard Alexis Gray-Lawson, guard Natasha Vital, guard Lauren Greif

• Returners/newcomers: Sophomore forward DeNesha Stallworth, sophomore guard Layshia Clarendon, sophomore center Talia Caldwell, sophomore guard Eliza Pierre, sophomore forward Rama N'diaye, freshman guard Avigiel Cohen, freshman guard Afure Jemerigbe, freshman guard Mikayla Lyles, freshman guard Lindsay Sherbert

• All in a name: Guard Rachelle Federico, a Flowing Wells High School product, enters her senior season.

• Overview: The Bears finished strong during a rebuilding season, winning seven of their final eight games, then beating Miami 73-61 to win the WNIT title.

• Tourney moment: Cal reached the third round of NCAA tournament in 2009, falling 77-53 to Connecticut.

• Number: 4. Four starters return for the Bears.

• On the Web: www.calbears.com

Oregon Ducks

• Location: Eugene, Ore.

• Last year: 18-16, 7-11

• Coach: Paul Westhead

• Who left: Taylor Lilley, Micaela Cocks, Lindsey Saffold

• Returners/newcomers: Junior forward Amanda Johnson, junior point guard Nia Jackson, senior forward Victoria Kenyon, senior center Nicole Canepa, senior forward/center Ellyce Ironmonger, senior guard/forward Tatianna Thomas, junior forward Jasmin Holliday, senior guard Kristi Fallin, freshman guard/forward Deanna Weaver, freshman guard Ariel Thomas, freshman forward Chynna Miley, freshman forward Danielle Love

• All in a name: Nicole Canepa, a 6-foot-5-inch center from San Francisco, scored 38 points against Arizona last season to tie an Oregon record.

• Overview: Under new coach Westhead, who led the Phoenix Mercury to a WNBA championship in 2007, the Ducks ran a high-scoring offense and won their most games since 2004-05. Oregon also reached the third round of the WNIT. Johnson, an All-Pac-10 honorable mention, returns after averaging 12.7 points and 8.5 rebounds last season.

• Tourney moment: Oregon has advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament five times, the most recent in 2005.

• Number: 81.4. The Ducks averaged 81.4 points, first in the Pac-10 and second in the nation behind Oral Roberts.

• On the Web: www.goducks.com

Oregon State Beavers

• Location: Corvallis, Ore.

• Last year: 11-20, 2-16

• Coach: Scott Rueck

• Who left: Talisa Rhea, Kirsten Tilleman, Tayler Champion, Kassandra McCalister, Eisha Sheppard, Kate Lanz

• Returners/newcomers: Senior forward El Sara Greer, sophomore forward Angela Misa, junior Earlysia Marchbanks, freshmen Alyssa Martin, Alexis Bostick, Classye James

• All in a name: Earlysia Marchbanks is a junior transfer and the veteran of the group of newcomers.

• Overview: Rueck replaces LaVonda Wagner, who was fired in June after she went 68-85 in five seasons. In addition, seven players left the program before their eligibility expired. Rueck went 288-88 in 14 seasons at Division III George Fox, where he won a national championship in 2009.

• Tourney moment: Second round of NCAA tournament in 1995, an 85-78 loss to Western Kentucky, after beating Tennessee State 88-75 in overtime in the first round.

• Number: 8. The Beavers have eight newcomers on the team.

• On the Web: www.osubeavers.com

Stanford Cardinal

• Coach: Tara VanDerveer

• Location: Stanford, Calif.

• Last year: 36-2, 18-0

• Who left: Jayne Appel, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, J.J. Hones

• Returners/newcomers: Junior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, senior forward Kayla Pedersen, senior guard Jeanette Pohlen, sophomore forward Joslyn Tinkle, senior forward Ashley Cimino, sophomore forward/center Sarah Boothe, junior guard Grace Mashore, sophomore forward Mikaela Ruef, freshman guard Sara James and freshman guard Toni Kokenis

• All in a name: As if having one Ogwumike on the team was imposing enough, the Cardinal also has Nnemkadi's little sister, freshman forward Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-3 National Gatorade Player of the Year from Cypress, Texas.

• Overview: Stanford has advanced to the NCAA Final Four in each of the last three seasons, falling to Connecticut in the 2010 title game, and should be poised for another title run.

• Tourney moment: Two national titles, in 1990 (88-81 over Auburn) and 1992 (78-62 over Western Kentucky).

• Number: 10. The Cardinal has won 10 consecutive Pac-10 championships.

• On the Web: www.gostanford.com

UCLA Bruins

• Location: Los Angeles

• Last year: 25-9, 15-3

• Coach: Nikki Caldwell

• Who left: Allison Taka, Erica Tukiainen, Moniquee Alexander

• Returners/newcomers: Junior forward Jasmine Dixon, senior guard Doreena Campbell, sophomore forward Markel Walker, senior guard Darxia Morris, junior guard Rebekah Gardner, senior forward Nina Earl, sophomore guard Jackie Shepard, senior forward Christina Nzekwe, sophomore guard Mariah Williams, sophomore guard/forward Atonye Nyingifa, freshman guard Thea Lemberger, freshman guard forward Rhema Gardner, freshman forward/center Corinne Costa

• All in a name: Jasmine Dixon, a Rutgers transfer, led the Bruins in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) last season. She was named to the John R. Wooden Award preseason top 30 list.

• Overview: Caldwell was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year after guiding the Bruins to the second round of the NCAA tournament, after a three-year absence from the tournament, and leading the Bruins to second place in the Pac-10.

• Tourney moment: The Bruins reached the NCAA tournament regional final in 1999, losing 88-62 to Louisiana Tech.

• Number: 15-3. UCLA's record in the Pac-10 last season matched its best-ever finish (1998-99).

• On the Web: www.uclabruins.com

USC Trojans

• Location: Los Angeles

• Last year: 19-12, 12-6

• Coach: Michael Cooper

• Who left: Aarika Hughes, Heather Oliver, Hailey Dunham,Daniela Roark

• Returners/newcomers: Junior guard Briana Gilbreath, junior guard Ashley Corral, senior center Kari LaPlante, sophomore forward Christina Marinacci, junior guard Jacki Gemelos, sophomore guard Stefanie Gilbreath, freshman guard Vicky Tagalicod, freshman forward Desiree Bradley, freshman guard Len'Nique Brown, freshman forward Cassie Harberts, freshman forward Thaddesia Southall, freshman center Lauren White

• All in a name: Ashley Corral earned All-Pac-10 honors and made the Pac-10 all-tournament team. She averaged 15.1points and 5.0 assists and shot 82.6percent from the free-throw line last season.

• Overview: Under new coach Michael Cooper, a former WNBA coach and NBA player, the Trojans finished third in the Pac-10 but missed the postseason. Gilbreath also earned All-Pac-10 honors.

• Tourney moment: National championships in 1983 and 1984

• Number: 6. The Trojans will break in six newcomers.

• On the Web: www.usctrojans.com

Washington Huskies

• Location: Seattle

• Last year: 13-18, 7-11

• Coach: Tia Jackson

• Who left: Guard Christina Rozier, guard/forward Sami Whitcomb, guard Sara Mosiman, forward/center Laura McLellan

• Returners/newcomers: Junior guard/forward Kristi Kingma, senior guard Sarah Morton, junior center Regina Rogers, sophomore forward Liz Lay, junior guard Charmaine Barlow, junior forward/center Mackenzie Argens, junior forward Mollie Williams, freshman guard Amanda Johnson, sophomore forward Jeneva Anderson, freshman guard/forward Ashley Moore, freshman forward Marjorie Heard, freshman guard Kassia Fortier, freshman guard Mercedes Wetmore

• All in a name: Sarah Morton is expected to be the Huskies' go-to player after the departure of leading scorer Sami Whitcomb.

• Overview: The Huskies return four starters from a team that finished seventh in the Pac-10 last season, but won four of its final six games. UW has aspirations to go to the NCAA tournament for the first time in Jackson's four seasons as coach.

• Tourney moment: Current Washington State coach June Daugherty led the Huskies to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2001 and six tournament appearances in all. However, UW fired Daugherty in 2007 after she compiled a 191-139 record in 11 seasons.

• Number: 65 percent. As the UW media relations department has noted, the Huskies return 65 percent of their points, rebounds and assists.

• On the Web: www.gohuskies.com

Washington State Cougars

• Location: Pullman, Wash.

• Last year: 8-22, 3-15

• Coach: June Daugherty

• Who left: Danielle LeNoir, KiKi Moore

• Returners/newcomers: Senior forward Katie Madison, senior guard/ forward Katie Calderwood, junior guard April Cook, junior guard Jazmine Perkins, junior guard/forward Rosie Tarnowski, junior forward Lexie Pettersen, sophomore Katie Grad, sophomore center Jessica Oestreicher, sophomore center Carly Noyes/ freshman Ireti Amojo, freshman forward/center Hana Potter, freshman guard/forward Sage Romberg, freshman guard/forward Brandi Thomas

• All in a name: April Cook led the team with 14 points per game and earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention for the second consecutive season.

• Overview: With a young squad, the Cougars finished ninth in the Pac-10 last season in Daugherty's third season. The coaches picked WSU to finish in a tie with Washington for eighth place.

• Tourney moment: In the Cougars' lone NCAA tournament appearance, they fell 82-62 to Northwestern in 1991.

• Number: 4. The Cougars return four starters.

• On the Web: www.wsucougars.com

Complied by Sarah Trotto

Charli Turner Thorne was talking about last season, the injuries that her Arizona State women's basketball team sustained, and how she was proud of what the Sun Devils accomplished, despite the circumstances.

Then she paused.

"We're trying not to really talk about last year," she said with a laugh.

The Sun Devils went 18-14 and 9-9 for fifth place in the Pac-10, the first time they have finished outside the top three in the standings in seven years. ASU qualified for the WNIT but missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003-04.

"We expect to be in the NCAA tournament every year," Turner Thorne said. "To not go, we weren't even thinking that way at the beginning of the season. That's not our mentality, that we're not going to get in."

There's one big reason why the Sun Devils plan to return to the NCAA tournament: point guard Dymond Simon, who led the team in scoring with 13.8 points in 2008-09. She missed last season after tearing the ACL in her left knee and breaking the lateral parts that hold the ACL together.

"Words can't explain it. I'm just thrilled," Simon, a redshirt senior, said of her return. "My teammates and I this summer were working hard, building great chemistry. And that made me want to work even harder."

Without Simon, the Sun Devils staffed the point guard position by committee last season. Tenaya Watson played some point. Now the senior will be able to play her more natural position of shooting guard, Turner Thorne said.

"We were really lean at the point guard position," Turner Thorne said. "Being a former point guard, I have been known to say you're only as good as your point guard.

"They did an admirable job (at point guard), but it wasn't what we had and what we were used to, especially when you have post players like we have. It makes a huge difference when you have players in the backcourt who can really get them the ball at the right time and the right place. We didn't really do that last year."

Along with having Simon back, Turner Thorne said the Sun Devils have depth, size and shooters. ASU returns All-Pac-10 honorable mention selection Becca Tobin, a 6-foot-5-inch junior forward, as well as 6-5 post players Kali Bennett and Joy Burke, and 6-3 forward Janae Fulcher.

ASU's strength will "probably have to be our rebounding," Simon said. "Our post players are tough, and we have a few people back who can play their natural positions, and that will enable them to get on the boards more."

Before they enter Pac-10 play, the Sun Devils will tackle a rigorous schedule that includes Tennessee, South Dakota State, DePaul and Marist.

"It's definitely a schedule that will have us ready for conference play," Turner Thorne said. "It's always paid off for us."

REMAINING SCHEDULE

November

14 at UC-Riverside 3 p.m.

21 at Tennessee 4 p.m.

Junkanoo Jam in Bahamas

26 vs. Providence TBA

27 vs. Alabama/Florida St. TBA

December

ASU Classic

3 vs. Cal Poly 6 p.m.

4 vs. Lamar/New Mexico TBA

11 COLORADO STATE 2:30 p.m.

16 at South Dakota State 6 p.m.

21 DEPAUL 7:30 p.m.

28 MARIST Noon

31 OREGON STATE* 6:30 p.m.

January

2 OREGON* 2 p.m.

6 at California* TBA

8 at Stanford* 3 p.m.

16 ARIZONA* 3 p.m.

20 WASHINGTON STATE* 11 a.m.

22 WASHINGTON* 4 p.m.

27 at UCLA* TBA

29 at USC* 2:30 p.m.

February

3 STANFORD* 6:30 p.m.

5 CALIFORNIA* 4 p.m.

13 at Arizona* 2 p.m.

17 at Washington* TBA

19 at Washington State* 2 p.m.

24 USC* 6:30 p.m.

26 UCLA* 8:30 p.m.

March

3 at Oregon* 8 p.m.

5 at Oregon State* TBA

*Pac-10 Conference game

Led by All-Americans Tia Morrison and Abyee Maracigan, the Pima women's basketball team finished fifth at the Division II national junior college tournament last season.

Those players have moved on to NCAA programs - Morrison to UNLV and Maracigan to Idaho State - so the Aztecs must rebuild. Coach Todd Holthaus estimated Pima lost 95 percent of its scoring and rebounding to graduation.

But, as usual, the Aztecs are aiming for the national tournament.

Ranked 10th in the preseason national poll, Pima will turn to such players as former Sahuaro High School standout Ashley Walls, Eastern Washington University transfer Na'Derra Carey (a Canyon del Oro and Flowing Wells product) and Dixie State transfer Deanna Daniels. Guards Patricia Ramos and Sara Nicholson also return from last season's 28-8 squad. Ramos averaged 4.8 points, and Nicholson averaged 4.7 last season, and are the top returning scorers.

"I don't think you do (replace them)," Holthaus said of his graduated players. "I think you come up with your own image, take the pieces we have and formulate a new team."

The new team is quicker, more athletic and deeper, Holthaus and his players said. The Aztecs will likely run more, whereas last season they slowed down games and fed the ball inside to 6-foot-2-inch Morrison, a first-team All-American who averaged 18.7 points and 11.6 rebounds.

"We're athletic," Nicholson said. "We'll run more fast-break plays."

Daniels, Gaby Ayon (Rio Rico), Tyahnna Higgs and Walls will contribute in the post. Ayon redshirted last season to develop. Daniels was a first-team all-Pacific West Conference selection at NCAA Division II Dixie State.

"We don't have that dominating presence inside, but we've got more depth inside," Holthaus said. "Our posts get up and down the floor better than our posts from last year as a group. We're a little tougher. It depends how we come together, too."

Another transfer who will make an impact, especially on defense, is point guard Carey, a freshman. She practiced with Pima starting last January after she transferred from Eastern Washington.

Ten newcomers and five returners will try to continue Pima's tradition of reaching the postseason.

"The tough thing for these kids is to be able to maintain that tradition because we worked hard to put in tradition," Holthaus said. "The torch gets passed every year, and they've got to step up and be the ones to sacrifice."

REMAINING SCHEDULE

November

17 at Chandler-Gilbert* 5:30 p.m.

20 SCOTTSDALE CC* 5:30 p.m.

December

1 at Phoenix College* 5:30 p.m.

4 CENTRAL ARIZONA* 2 p.m.

8 at Yavapai* 5:30 p.m.

11 at Mesa* 2 p.m.

28 PARKLAND 6 p.m.

29 COLLEGE OF E. UTAH 6 p.m.

30 WESTERN TEXAS 4 p.m.

January

4 SOUTH PLAINS 6:30 p.m.

5 COCHISE* 5:30 p.m.

8 SOUTH MOUNTAIN* 2 p.m.

12 at Eastern Arizona* 5:30 p.m.

15 at Glendale* 2 p.m.

19 ARIZONA WESTERN* 5:30 p.m.

22 CHANDLER-GILBERT* 2 p.m.

26 at Scottsdale CC* 5:30 p.m.

29 PHOENIX* 2 p.m.

February

2 at Central Arizona* 5:30 p.m.

5 YAVAPAI* 5:30 p.m.

9 MESA* 5:30 p.m.

12 at Cochise* 5:30 p.m.

16 at South Mountain* 5:30 p.m.

19 EASTERN ARIZONA* 2 p.m.

22 GLENDALE* 5:30 p.m.

25 at Arizona Western* 5:30 p.m.

*ACCAC game

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - With her entire team back from last season, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt feels she has a good shot at reaching another NCAA championship.

To most schools, a two-year drought wouldn't seem long, but to the Lady Vols, who have won eight national championships, it's been an eternity.

"We've had a hard time getting there. Now I think (the Lady Vols) really feel like it's our turn," Summitt said. "If we don't get to Indianapolis, then we're not going to be happy at all. Do we have the size? Yes. Do we have the experience? Yes."

What's made it worse is that Connecticut has won the last two national championships, going undefeated in the process. The two powerhouses haven't met since Summitt canceled the regular series with the Huskies three seasons ago.

"We don't have any problems getting games and we don't have any problems getting players," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "From the time that series ended, we've done OK."

In fact, UConn has been practically unstoppable, with a 114-2 record in that time. The Huskies have won a record 78 straight games and have been No. 1 since Feb. 18, 2008.

But Auriemma returns only two starters - Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes - from last year's dominating team and now must face making a run to a third straight NCAA title appearance with a team full of freshmen.

AP Preseason All-America Team

The Associated Press' 2010-11 preseason All-America team, with school, height, year and votes from a 40-member national media panel (key 2009-10 statistics in parentheses):

Maya Moore

Connecticut, 6-foot, senior, 40 votes (18.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg)

Brittney Griner

Baylor, 6-8, sophomore, 36 (18.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.4 blocks)

Nnemkadi Ogwumike

Stanford, 6-2, junior, 34 (18.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg)

Jantel Lavender

Ohio State, 6-4, senior, 21 (21.4 ppg, 10.3 rpg)

Danielle Robinson

Oklahoma, 5-9, senior, 18 (16.8 ppg, 5.3 apg)

Others receiving votes (alphabetical): Kachine Alexander, Iowa; Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee; Elena Delle Donne, Delaware; Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame; Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky; Jasmine Thomas, Duke; Amber Harris, Xavier; Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut; Deirdre Naughton, DePaul; Ta'Shia Phillips, Xavier; Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State; Helena Sverrisdottir, TCU; Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga.