I think we are capable of defending that championship, but there are some very good teams to beat to do that. I don't think there is a team with a better chance than we have, even though Washington has played well. One of the biggest surprises is USC has really stepped up. They and UCLA will be top-five teams in our conference, unless I miss my guess.

Lute Olson

Beat Capable Championship Defending Good Teams Think

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I just think that non-conference schedules can be so different that I'm not sure you get a good read on a team until league play starts. (Being at home all the time) doesn't give you a true picture of how you're going to do, especially with new guys. New guys will perform better at home because of the security from the support of the crowd.

ConferenceGoodNon

We played in Maui and beat Kansas, lost to Michigan State in overtime and lost to Connecticut. That's not quite like losing to Sisters of the Poor. If you want to be ranked, you really need to play those kinds of teams. But if you want to be recognized in the RPI, you need to play the good teams. So that's been a little bit of our story.

BeatConnecticutKansas

I think that is something that probably some of our younger guys don't understand is that you're going to see everybody's best effort, and that is a compliment to the program but is also a challenge to our guys.

GuysProbablyThink

I think teams have done a good job of defending him a little better. And he's not Superman. He's human. He's going to struggle from time to time. That's just part of it. He'll be fine.

— Mark Gottfried

DefendingGoodHuman

We know there are a lot of good teams gunning for the championship, but we are focused on our job. Its nice to know the competition feels that Ted and I are the guys to beat.

— Todd Bodine

ChampionshipFocusedGood