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Arizona looks to continue strong start under O'Neill

Dec 16, 2007 - 2:29 PM Fresno St (5-4) at No. 22 Arizona (6-2) 3:00 pm EST

TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) - No. 22 Arizona seeks its fourth straight win when it hosts Fresno State on Sunday.

The Wildcats have been playing well under Kevin O'Neill, who will coach the team for the remainder of the season after Lute Olson announced his leave of absence would extend to the end of the campaign.

O'Neill, who served as a coach at Marquette, Tennessee and Northwestern from 1989-2000, brought his wealth of college coaching experience to the table over the summer to Arizona and it has helped the Wildcats operate smoothly during what could have been a tough transition from Olsen, a likely Hall of Fame coach.

The latest example of O'Neill's influence came two days after Olsen announced his extended leave when Arizona recorded a hard-fought 78-72 overtime victory over Illinois on December 8. Jordan Hill led the way for the Wildcats, collecting 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Fresno State is coming off an 84-71 loss to Nevada-Las Vegas on December 9.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 3-2, but the teams have not met since 1980.