Wildcats show they belong at the top of the Pac-10...

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: The Arizona Wildcats are in first place in the Pac-10 with nine games to go!

Can you dig it?

Who would have thought the young Wildcats with only one senior and a dozen underclassmen would be sitting atop the conference at the turn? Probably nobody. So, California, I guess we will see you in Berkeley on Feb. 25 for another showdown.

But for now, the first Bears-Cats showdown goes to Arizona as the Wildcats win at McKale this afternoon, 76-72. A special thank you should go to Nic Wise in this one as he took control in the final seconds once again. A 3-point play and a couple of clutch free throws in the final 40 seconds sealed the win and gave the Arizona guard 30 points for the game. Another thank you to freshman Derrick Williams who pumped in 15 points and grabbed 11rebounds. And while I'm at it, thank you MoMo Jones and Kevin Parrom --two more freshmen who made their presence known on the court today. Jones added 10 points and played well defensively as did Parrom, who grabbed seven defensive boards.

Another sweet point about today's win: It's the 12th win of the season for the Wildcats (12-9, 6-3), which inches them closer to the wins needed to possibly get them in the NCAA tournament. Coach Sean Miller said after the game that a month ago the Wildcats would have lost to the Golden Bears. Arizona's improvement is very noticeable. Just ask the Golden Bears. They got to see the young Arizona Wildcats at their best today.