TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -The Arizona Wildcats have won seven straight games.
Now they can begin to think about extending a more important streak.
The Wildcats (18-8, 8-5 Pac-10) have made the NCAA tournament 24 straight years, the nation’s longest active streak. They would take a big step toward another NCAA berth with a victory at No. 14 Arizona State on Sunday night.
But interim coach Russ Pennell doesn’t want his players thinking about the tourney streak. He wants them to concentrate on the Sun Devils, who have won three straight in an increasingly tense series.
“Everyone knows it’s there,” Pennell said of the NCAA streak. “But to dwell on that or use it as motivation, I think, is the wrong thing to do.
“If we get there, there would be a great sense of accomplishment, and we’ll all be happy and it’ll be a great time,” Pennell said. “But I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on this team.”
tired. Pennell was promoted to interim coach – Arizona’s second in as many seasons.
Arizona waded into the season without Jerryd Bayless, its leading scorer a year ago. An early home loss to UAB, followed by a 2-5 start in Pac-10 play, raised doubts about whether the Wildcats could qualify for the NCAAs.
Pennell, a relentless optimist, said he tried to keep his young team thinking about the task at hand instead of the gloomier big picture.
“That was one of the things I wanted to get across to the team, that we’ve got a lot of basketball to play, and let’s don’t give up on anything because of our circumstances right now,” he said. “To these guys’ credit, they’ve come every day and worked hard. I’ve never, ever sensed one time that they were giving up, even in tough times, and that’s a real credit to them.”
The turning point came in a 96-90 overtime victory against Houston on Jan. 24, when Houston’s Aubrey Coleman stepped on Chase Budinger’s face in the second half.
Coleman was ejected for a flagrant foul and later apologized. The incident galvanized the Wildcats, who haven’t lost since.
t became a different type of team.”
Budinger has been a different player, too. He’s averaging 20.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during the streak while logging an incredible 279 of a possible 280 minutes.
The Wildcats beat both the Pac-10’s Washington schools the week after the Houston game, then defeated Oregon State and Oregon on the road.
Arizona returned to McKale Center last week and swept USC and No. 11 UCLA.
The seven-game streak is Arizona’s longest since 2006-07, when it won 12 in a row.
The Wildcats’ offense, which sputtered early in the season, is averaging 82.6 points during the streak.
The Wildcats are riding their big three – Budinger, forward Jordan Hill and point guard Nic Wise. Budinger leads the Pac-10 with 37.4 minutes per game. Wise is third at 36.4 minutes and Hill is sixth at 35.2 minutes.
Hill averages 18.2 points per game, third in the Pac-10; Budinger is fourth at 18.0 points per game.
Now the Wildcats will face the Sun Devils, who were the last team to beat them. ASU rallied for a 53-47 victory on Jan. 21 at McKale Center.
It’s a big test. But Pennell said he believes the Wildcats are only beginning to tap their potential with five games remaining in the regular season.
“The exciting thing for me is not the seven (wins) in a row, it’s that I think we’re getting better, and I think we’re going to continue to get better,” Pennell said. “And I don’t think we’ve topped out on what we can do as a team.”
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