‘Drive for 25’ heats up during final homestand

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Emotions will be running high at McKale Center this weekend.

First and foremost, Lute Olson will be honored at halftime of tomorrow’s Arizona/California contest — just the tip of the iceberg in a grand display UA has planned to show the Hall of Famer what his contributions have meant not only to Southern Arizona, but to the sport of college basketball.

Second, this will be the last time seniors Fendi Onobun and David Bagga ever step on the McKale Center court. Granted, neither player has seen much time this season (especially Bagga), but these Wildcat veterans have been a part of this program for all of the recent ups and downs. This weekend will mean more to them than anyone could possibly fathom.

Third, this might be the last time Wildcat fans see Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, as well. Neither player will comment on it publicly (obviously), but NBA scouts have certainly taken notice of their talents. Budinger declared for the draft last year, but returned for his junior season. Hill projects as a top-10 pick, and Budinger has a chance to sneak into the lottery if they elect to turn professional.

Fourth, it’s almost a certainty that interim head coach Russ Pennell will be coaching his final two UA home games this week. Despite doing an admirable job, stepping into a too-tough-for-words situation and keeping this team competitive, Pennell will likely be replaced as athletic director Jim Livengood searches for a coach with an established track record to step into Olson’s shoes on a permanent basis.

Oh, and by the way — the Wildcats still have two basketball games to play.

As the Wildcats (18-10, 8-8 Pac-10) prepare to host the Bay Area schools tomorrow and Saturday, this squad finds itself squarely on the bubble as the race to qualify for the 65-team NCAA Tournament field heats up.

“We can’t control what happens there,” said the always-focused-on-the-present Pennell. “If we can take care of business this weekend and play well in the Pac-10 tournament, we hope everything will work itself out.”

After a seven-game winning streak put the Wildcats in a position to control its own fate, this recent three-game losing skid has forced Pennell and his coaching staff to head back to the drawing board.

Jordan Hill’s badly sprained ankle — suffered in the second half of Saturday’s 83-78 loss at Washington — doesn’t bode well for this weekend, either.

The swelling peaked on Sunday, but Hill has received treatment all week in hopes of bringing the big man’s ankle close to 90 percent healthy for Thursday’s 8:30 p.m. tip time.

Of course, it would take something drastic to keep Hill out of either of these two games.

“I was told he was going to be unavailable for the rest of that Washington game,” Pennell said. “Then I get a tap on my shoulder, and it’s Jordan ready to go back in. You just can’t say enough about this kid’s toughness, and it set a great example for the rest of our team.”

If Arizona is going to right the ship on Thursday, it will need to come against a formidable California (21-8, 10-6) squad.

Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery has drastically turned the Golden Bears’ program around in his first year on campus, behind one of the conference’s most dynamic backcourts in Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher.

Randle leads the Bears in scoring at 17.8 points per game. He also finds time to dish out five assists an outing, while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

The athletic, versatile Christopher averages 15 points a game.

Cal’s biggest strength is its ability to shoot the three. As a team, the Bears shoot a mind-boggling 44 percent from beyond the arc.

“We’re really going to have to do a better job closing out on their shooters than we did last time we played them,” said Nic Wise, referring to UA’s 69-55 loss at Cal on Jan. 2 to kick off Pac-10 play.

Saturday’s season finale against Stanford (16-11, 5-11) finds a team in a bit of a tailspin since its red-hot out-of-conference start.

Regardless of how these two games play out, nearly every coach, player and fan will go through an emotional rollercoaster.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Game info

Arizona hosts its final homestand of the season this weekend, welcoming California and Stanford to McKale Center.

Arizona versus California.

8:30 p.m., McKale Center, Tucson.

TV: FSN.

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish).

Arizona versus Stanford.

5:30 p.m., McKale Center, Tucson.

TV: FSN-Arizona.

Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish).

On the web

Check www.gvnews.com for the return of the Wildcat Live Blog series. Shortly after Thursday’s game against Cal and Saturday’s game against Stanford, Sports Editor Nick Prevenas will post his detailed thoughts on each game, complete with commentary, analysis, statistics and a few dumb jokes sprinkled in.