the beat down our boys in blue put on the wildcats this past saturday is a strong but sure indication that the wildcats wont be challenging the Bruins for Pac10 supremacy for some time. Coming into the season there was much hoopla (albeit mostly coming out of Tuscon only) about the new found defensive mentality of this years Wildcat team. Interim coach Kevin O’neil has in fact brought some defensive intensity to the wildcats this year, however a defensive minded coach alone does not magically transform your team overnight. Even the great Ben Howland needed a year or two before he was finally able to transform the Bruins into the defensive team that we have all grown to love today. However unlike the Bruins circa 2004-2005, this year’s Wildcat team consists of highly talented players with little desire to play defense. One could probably make a compelling argument that Lute simply has lost his ability to scout and evaluate talent. Guys like Mustafa Shakur have proven to be monumental busts and highly regarded freshman point guards like Nic Wise have shown their utter incompetence to run an offensive set. Last year’s Pac 10 freshman of the year Chase Budinger has shown that he is simply just a spot up jumpshooter (and a pretty good one at that) but has little to no desire to play or improve his defense. Unfortunately for Arizona, guys that have committed to play for the wildcats in the recent past have only demonstrated a desire to get into the league with much less emphasis on winning or hanging a banner. In a now infamous internet message board posting Budinger’s trainer Trent Suzuki spilled the beans on what many fans have long suspected, rather then play for Howland and work his way into the line up by learning how to play lock down Defense, Budinger decided on the Wildcats so that he could be more able to display his skills for NBA scouts. Ironically when faced against a skilled defender (The Prince) Budinger was exposed as the one dimensional player that he is. Unfortunately for the Pac 10 and Bruin fans, until Arizona shows a willingness to recruit kids that want to play D within the team concept Arizona will be stuck as a mediocre Pac 10 team for years to come.