How they got there: Despite losing two of its past four games, Arizona tied Stanford for the Pac-10 title. Based on their two wins over the Cardinal, the Wildcats were given the top seed in the West, as Stanford was shipped south. Jackson State finished tied for fourth in the SWAC but won three straight games in the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid. The Tigers trailed by double digits at halftime of both the tourney semifinals and finals.
The coaches: Many feel this is the best coaching job in Lute Olson's 17 years at Arizona. The Wildcats have been besieged with problems from academics to transfers to injuries, yet earned a No. 1 seed while starting five underclassmen most of the season. Through all the difficulty, Olson's team finished 26-6. Jackson State's Andy Stoglin has a 155-143 record in 11 seasons at JSU. The Tigers were expected to compete for the SWAC title but stumbled out of the gate, putting Stoglin's job in jeopardy. Even after a 12-4 finish and a SWAC tournament title, school officials said his position would be evaluated at the end of the season.
Keys to the game: Jackson State's Vincent Jones must stay out of foul trouble. The 6-11 center, JSU's leading scorer and rebounder, fouled out of 10 games this season. Arizona's front-line question is, will Loren Woods play? The prognosis is still doubtful for the 7-1 center, who missed the Wildcats' past five games with a back injury. Jackson State will be without its best outside threat in guard Roy Dixon, who severely sprained an ankle in the SWAC tourney semifinals.
Styles of play: Run and gun should be fun for fans. Both teams love to play an up-tempo style, and both of their defenses give up plenty of points. The fast pace actually plays into Jackson State's hands, which uses as many as 11 players to stay fresh in the second half.
Notable: The two teams last met during Arizona's national-championship season of 1996-97. The Wildcats won that meeting on their home floor, 111-83 . . . Jackson State is making just its second NCAA Tournament appearance, losing to Kansas in the first round of the 1997 tournament, 78-64. Arizona is 26-17 in 19 tournament appearances.
Arizona
No. Starters Pos. Year Ht. Wt. ppg. rpg. apg.
21 Michael Wright F So. 6-7 238 15.8 8.6 0.6
4 Luke Walton F Fr. 6-8 228 5.9 4.0 4.0
30 Justin Wessel C Jr. 6-8 235 3.2 3.2 0.6
22 Jason Gardner G Fr. 5-10 178 12.9 3.7 4.9
0 Gilbert Arenas G Fr. 6-3 191 15.2 4.1 2.0
No. Starters Pos. Year Ht. Wt. ppg. rpg. apg.
3 Loren Woods C Jr. 7-1 251 15.6 7.5 1.5
Richard Jefferson F So. 6-7 222 11.0 4.5 3.0
35 Rick Anderson F So. 6-81/2 221 4.3 2.1 0.9
12 Josh Pastner G Sr. 5-11 182 1.3 0.2 0.1
23 Lamont Frazier G Jr. 6-3 182 0.6 1.6 0.9
15 Josh Ash G Jr. 5-10 177 0.3 0.1 0.1
24 Russell Harris G Fr. 5-11 165 0.0 0.0 0.5
52 Peter Hansen F So. 6-8 235 0.0 0.7 0.0
Jackson State
No. Starters Pos. Year Ht. Wt. ppg. rpg. apg.
30 Deon Burns F Sr. 6-6 220 9.3 7.6 1.0
44 Richard Bradley F So. 6-4 225 9.0 6.1 0.7
50 Vincent Jones F/C Sr. 6-11 205 13.3 7.4 0.6
10 Timmy Marks G Sr. 6-2 185 12.2 3.3 1.8
42 Marino Walker G Sr. 6-3 170 9.6 2.8 2.9
No. Starters Pos. Year Ht. Wt. ppg. rpg. apg.
43 Donte Carson Fr. 6-11 260 1.4 1.0 0.0
20 Rod Dixon G Fr. 5-9 170 1.6 0.9 0.8
23 Roy Dixon G Sr. 6-4 1/2 195 9.0 2.0 1.0
24 Perry Fletcher G/F So. 6-5 215 0.8 0.9 0.2
22 Lawrence Myers G So. 5-11 170 1.7 1.4 3.0
40 Brian Nichols F So. 6-9 215 0.9 0.8 0.2
33 Darren Robinson C Sr. 7-0 225 3.7 2.9 0.5
32 Leonard Taylor F Fr. 6-7 240 1.1 1.3 0.3
34 Cliff Walker C Fr. 6-5 1/2 225 2.2 2.3 0.4