ARIZONA (30-4) vs. UTAH (28-3)

ARIZONA

THE STARTERS

34: Miles Simon

10: Mike Bibby

23: Michael Dickerson

42: A.J. Bramlett

21: Bennett Davison

* About Arizona: The Wildcats are a step closer to accomplishing what has been done only once. Arizona is the ninth national champion to return its starting lineup intact. Only one of the previous eight--UCLA in 1968--has repeated as champion. Thursday’s victory over Maryland was more or less a display of Mike Bibby’s abilities, one that had to impress the NBA scouts in attendance. He had 26 points, making seven of 12 shots, including six of seven three-pointers, in the 87-79 victory. “My philosophy on the point guard is it’s not just to distribute; he’s a threat to score,” Coach Lute Olson said. “He opens up the passing lanes and driving lanes.” Which gives Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon room to work. Arizona’s inside game is often overlooked, but center A.J. Bramlett and Bennett Davison have had a solid tournament. The two, combined, were 10 for 13 from the field Thursday.

UTAH

THE STARTERS

34: Drew Hansen

24: Andre Miller

13: Hanno Mottola

51: Michael Doleac

50: Alex Jensen

* About Utah: The Utes are in the final eight for the second consecutive season. They lost to Kentucky in the West Regional final last season. Three consecutive teams have tried to press the Utes in the tournament, and point guard Andre Miller has burned them all. He had 14 points and eight assists in a 65-62 victory over West Virginia on Thursday. “I like to get up and down the court,” Miller said. “I think the players on our team like to do that. We don’t want to go slow.” Still, the Utes’ style is dictated by their size and Michael Doleac is among the best. He has a soft touch for a player who is 6 feet 11, 265 pounds. He made 13 of 14 free throws and scored 25 points against West Virginia.

* Keys to the game: Tempo. While Miller talks about the Utes wanting to push the ball, it would only work to Arizona’s advantage. “I think it will be a game of conflicting styles,” Olson said. “Utah is a physical team that likes to control the tempo. We like the tempo to be a little faster. We’ll have to get it to prevail.” If they don’t, the Utes may pick them apart inside with Doleac and Hanno Mottola. Bramlett will try to neutralize Doleac with quickness. But don’t look for the Utes to slow the pace to a crawl. “Basically, you still have to attack the press,” Utah Coach Rick Majerus said. “We don’t plan to be cautious and tentative.” Arizona, playing without the academically ineligible Simon, beat the Utes, 69-61, in the Wooden Classic last season. Keith Van Horn was with Utah then.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

WILDCAT STATISTICS

*--*

No Player Pos. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 23 Michael Dickerson F .523 .763 4.5 1.8 18.6 34 Miles Simon G .486 .787 3.4 2.9 17.5 10 Mike Bibby G .470 .769 3.0 5.9 17.3 31 Jason Terry G .428 .822 2.4 4.3 10.8 42 A.J. Bramlett C .509 .576 7.5 1.2 10.4 21 Bennett Davison F .585 .630 6.9 0.7 7.4 33 Eugene Edgerson F .505 .696 5.5 0.4 4.8 13 Donnell Harris C .565 .632 2.1 0.2 3.6 24 Quynn Tebbs G .447 .600 0.9 0.6 2.4 43 Ortega Jenkins G .364 .625 0.4 0.0 1.3 30 Justin Wessel F .632 .625 1.3 0.3 1.2 12 Josh Pastner G .231 .667 0.4 0.4 0.5 52 Jason Stewart G .200 .750 0.2 0.0 0.5 40 Dion Broom F .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 15 John Ash G .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 Totals .494 .719 39.4 19.7 92.1

*--*

UTE STATISTICS

*--*

No Player Pos. FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Pts. 51 Michael Doleac C .481 .804 6.9 0.4 15.9 24 Andre Miller G .569 .756 5.0 4.8 14.0 13 Hanno Mottola F .497 .752 5.6 0.9 12.7 50 Alex Jensen F .440 .753 5.8 2.4 6.6 34 Drew Hansen F/G .455 .643 2.8 2.2 5.8 21 Trace Canton F/G .473 .833 1.2 0.8 4.3 3 David Jackson G .417 .778 1.6 1.6 3.3 11 Jordie McTavish G .362 .724 0.8 1.0 3.0 31 Britton Johnsen F .436 .480 1.4 0.5 2.8 40 Jon Carlisle F .565 .618 2.1 0.3 2.4 52 Nate Althoff C .667 .462 1.9 0.1 1.9 45 Greg Barratt F .306 .500 1.9 0.1 1.3 Totals .483 .736 36.8 14.6 70.2

*--*