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Arizona faces Arizona State in Pac-10 tournament

Mar 12, 2009 - 5:52 AM Arizona (19-10) vs. (23) Arizona State (22-8), 3:00 p.m. EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Looking to nail down another NCAA Tournament berth, Arizona also will be seeking revenge when it faces 23rd-ranked Arizona State on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Conference.

The Wildcats, who are hoping to secure a 25th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, lost both regular-season meetings with the Sun Devils. Arizona State won, 53-47, in Tucson and 70-68 in Tempe, holding off a big rally in the second half.

It marked the second straight season that Arizona was swept by its rival and the two losses could have the Wildcats on the bubble.

However, a victory over the Sun Devils would give the Wildcats (19-12) 20 wins and might be enough to get them back into the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona ended the regular season with a 101-87 victory over Stanford, snapping a four-game losing streak that jeopardized their postseason. The Wildcats are in their first season under Russ Pennell, who took over when Lute Olson, the Wildcats' coach for the past quarter century, officially retired after taking a leave of absence in 2007-08.

Arizona State (22-8) had lost three in a row before beating California, 83-66, in its final regular-season contest.

The Sun Devils have won 20 or more games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1980-and 1981.