 |
 |
|
| | Sunday, November 19 Olson to get early look at other 'Cats | |||||
| Associated Press LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Arizona finished last season without star center Loren Woods. The Wildcats (No. 2 ESPN/USA Today, No. 1 AP) will start this season in the Maui Invitational without the preseason All-America. The 7-foot-1 senior center has been suspended for six games for an undisclosed violation of NCAA rules. He did not make the trip to Hawaii with Arizona, which opens play Monday against the host school, Division II Chaminade. "I'd rather start the season without him than finish it without him," Arizona coach Lute Olson told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Now some guys who wouldn't get time will get time and it's an opportunity to look at our depth." Olson said he couldn't reveal any details about the suspension, which school officials said is under appeal. "I am not at liberty to comment further at all," said Olson, citing privacy laws. "Certainly we'll miss Loren as anyone would miss a 7-1 guy, but the other guys will step up." Woods missed the last month of the regular season and the NCAA tournament last season because of a back injury that required two operations. He set the NCAA record for blocked shots in a game last season with 14 against Oregon and averaged 15.6 points and 7.5 rebounds last season. Arizona will have its other four starters back from last season, and all of them received votes in the preseason All-America balloting. The Arizona-Chaminade game opens "Maui Monday" and will be followed by No. 13 Connecticut against Dayton, No. 6 Maryland against Louisville and No. 8 Illinois against UNLV. The last time Chaminade played a top-ranked team the Silverswords pulled off what may have been the biggest upset in college basketball history -- a 77-72 victory over Virginia and center Ralph Sampson in 1982. "I'm not sure very many of our guys were born at that point so it's not something I really concern myself with," Olson said. Not so for first-year coach Aaron Greiss of Chaminade. "I was 12 years old when that happened and you bet I've brought that up to our guys. I'm looking for everything I can get," Greiss said. "Absolutely I brought that up. I've got the video if you want to see it." Connecticut (1-0) will be without two starters for the first two games as they finish three-game suspensions for violating NCAA rules: freshman swingman Caron Butler and senior center Souleymane Wane. "We are a young team with or without those guys," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. "In our opener (an 86-72 victory over Quinnipiac) we were able to win with superior talent. That won't be the case here." All seven Division I teams in the field were in the NCAA tournament last season and with four of the ranked teams being in the Top Ten, this tournament has more of a March feel than Thanksgiving week. "You can't look past any team you play in this tournament and that's amazing," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. First-year Illinois coach Bill Self summed up the strength of the field. "There are no bad losses here," he said. "But there are opportunities for a lot of good wins." | ALSO SEE Arizona hopes for reduction in Woods' suspension High Five: Woods returns to make Arizona a title threat In the crosshairs: Loren Woods | |||||