Pac-10 Showdown: Five Keys to Arizona Upsetting Washington, Taking First Place

Thursday's contest between Arizona (15-3, 4-1 Pac-10) and Washington (13-4, 5-1 Pac-10) is the biggest game of the young Pac-10 season. The winner will own sole possession of first place.

The last time that the Wildcats beat the Huskies in Seattle was in 2006-07, a 96-87 win.

Both teams are playing good basketball. After an old-fashioned butt-kicking in Salt Lake City at the hands of BYU in mid-December, the Wildcats have won seven of eight, including four of their first five Pac-10 games.

Ironically, Washington lost a close game to Texas A&M (on the exact same day that U of A lost to BYU), and then ran off seven of eight games. Sound familiar?

But this is the time for Sean Miller's Cats to take down the Huskies.

Here are five keys to U of A winning on Thursday night and taking control of first place in the Pac-10.

Derrick Williams

Derrick Williams is one of the top five players in college basketball.

He is:

• leading the nation in points per shot, scoring 2.29 points per shot. Not per made shot...per shot!
• the best player in the country at getting to the free throw line (No. 1 in free throw attempts).
• shooting 65.8 percent from the field and 70.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Washington does not have anyone who can individually shut down Williams. The Huskies will need to commit more than one person to stopping him.

Even when the Cats' opponents have tried to double-team the sophomore forward, Williams still has stepped up.

In one of the Huskies' three losses, Kentucky freshman power forward Terrence Jones was aggressive on the offensive glass, got to the line 14 times and made Washington pay.

The Cats are 9-1 this year when Williams has shot 10 free throws or more.

If Williams continues to be a beast on Thursday night, the Cats will win.

Take Care of the Ball

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 27: Lamont Jones #12 of the Arizona Wildcats drives against the Kansas Jayhawks during the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational at The Orleans Arena November 27, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kansas won 87-79. (Photo by Etha

The Wildcats must take care of the ball on Thursday night. Careless turnovers will keep them from scoring opportunities and managing the clock.

In the Cats' three losses this year, they have committed 19, 15 and 19 turnovers.

Arizona point guard MoMo Jones (pictured) is the key. He must take charge of the offense and make sure that the Cats are not forcing passes and making bad decisions.

If the Cats can limit their turnovers to 12, they will take down the Huskies on their home court.

Keep Shooting the Ball Well

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 27: Solomon Hill #44 of the Arizona Wildcats looks to pass against the Kansas Jayhawks during the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational at The Orleans Arena November 27, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kansas won 87-79. (Photo

U of A is the top team in the nation in points per shot (1.48 pps).

Of the 10 Wildcat players who play at least 10 minutes per game, five of them shoot 50 percent or better.

Along with Williams, sophomore wings Solomon Hill (pictured) and Kevin Parrom are keys to the Wildcat offense.

If Arizona, as a team, continues to have good shot selection against the Huskies, the Wildcats will take care of business on offense and will upset Washington.

Lower the Score

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 11: Malcolm Lee #3 of the UCLA Bruins drives arouund Kyle Fogg #21 of the Arizona Wildcats during the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. UCLA won 75-69

Washington can run up and down with the best of them. The Huskies are No. 2 in the nation in points scored (87.1 per game).

However, in their three loses, the Huskies have scored 67, 71, 62 and 56 points, an average of 64 points per game.

While the Wildcats like to play fast and score points, they have shown that they can win games (Northern Arizona and Stanford) when they score less than 70 points.

Cats shooting guard Kyle Fogg (pictured) needs to be a defensive stopper on Thursday.

If the Wildcats can control the tempo and keep the score in the 60s, they will pull off a huge win.

Keep Them Off the Offensive Glass

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 27: Jamelle Horne #42 of the Arizona Wildcats grabs a rebound against the Kansas Jayhawks during the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational at The Orleans Arena November 27, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kansas won 87-79. (Pho

The Huskies like to go strong to the glass and get easy, put-back baskets.

Washington is the best team in the Pac-10 in offensive rebounding, grabbing almost 15 offensive rebounds per game.

Senior forward Jamelle Horne (pictured) is a key to limiting Washington's offensive rebounding effectiveness.

He and the rest of the Wildcats need to work hard to get good position and then aggressively go after the Huskies' missed shots.

In the UDub's four losses, the Huskies have averaged fewer than 10 offensive rebounds per game.

If the Cats can limit Washington's offensive rebound total to single digits, they will win.