Kelly Presnell / arizona daily star

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The preseason buzz over Arizona's basketball team is barely audible outside McKale Center and Bear Down Gym these days.

The Wildcats canceled their usual Midnight Madness festivities. They pushed back their hype-generating media day until Tuesday. And, after two straight first-weekend NCAA tournament exits, the Wildcats are nowhere to be found in anyone's Top 10, and are not even expected to finish in the top three spots of the Pac-10.

But internally, there is plenty of noise being generated. Yelling. Screaming. Prodding. More than ever.

"There's a big change in the philosophy and mentality of this whole team," senior forward Bret Brielmaier said during Tuesday's media day. "Everyone's accountable for their actions right now. Everyone's going hard on every play. … If there's a loose ball, and you're not diving for it, coaches will get all over you."

That applies to all coaches. But, particularly when it comes to defense, there is one coach they cannot help but listen to.

Assistant coach Kevin O'Neill, hired back to Lute Olson's staff after a long stint as a college and NBA head coach, will not even cut star forward Chase Budinger much slack.

"Every day in practice, I'll get yelled at two or three times, at least, for what I'm doing wrong," Budinger said. "He does it with everybody. He's trying to get everybody at their best, and it's really helped me personally. I'm trying to focus on the defensive end, and I really think I'm getting better at it."

As always, Olson, who essentially hired O'Neill to be his defensive coordinator, is orchestrating this atmosphere. So he, too, keeps the pressure Budinger: In Olson's ever-dry style, he told a UA banquet crowd Tuesday that Budinger was "not known as our defensive stopper" last season.

Together, Olson and his staff have managed not only to poke and prod every ounce of energy out of the Wildcats in practice, but also outside it.

Arizona players have been subjected to early-morning conditioning drills, evening walk-through practices and, on the one day they have actually been off since Oct. 12, they were forced to study.

On a Sunday.

"We had study hall right in the middle of the day," freshman forward Jamelle Horne said. "So we didn't get to rest like we want to."

The net effect of all this exhaustion is that, really, the Wildcats do not have much time for goofing off right now. They know they have a regular-season opener Nov. 13 against NAU, and then, maybe then, the fun can begin.

Not now. Not yet.

That attitude is reflected, too, in the team's annual media guide, where players are pictured in ties and blazers, instead of jerseys.

"It's a lot different tone," guard Nic Wise said. "A lot more business-oriented. No playing games, just getting down to business and working hard. Not focusing so much on the long goal, just focusing on getting better each and every day."

Not focusing, then, on what everyone else is focusing on: Relatively low expectations.

The UA may be improved, with O'Neill on board, with Budinger a UA sophomore instead of an NBA rookie, with highly touted freshman guard Jerryd Bayless in the backcourt.

But the fact is the UA still has not made a splash in the NCAA tournament since losing to Illinois in the 2005 Elite Eight, and college basketball teams are defined by the postseason.

Although the major national polls are not out yet, the Wildcats are ranked only No. 20 by The Sporting News and No. 15 by Lindy's. Both The Sporting News and Athlon Sports magazines have the Wildcats finishing fifth in the Pac-10.

Fifth — a lower finish than all but two of Olson's previous 24 UA teams.

Olson, for one, says he does not care what the outside expectations are.

"All of those things are just educated guesses," Olson said. "We'll just have to see. I know this: There isn't going to be anyone that goes out and outworks us."

● Budinger said his family, based in Encinitas, Calif., remains safe from the Southern California wildfires. The nearest flames, he said, are about seven miles from them.

Budinger's personal trainer, Trent Suzuki of Carlsbad, said in a telephone interview his house appears to be OK, but former UA standouts Steve Kerr (Rancho Santa Fe) and Jud Buechler (Del Mar) have evacuated their homes.

● Olson said guard Jawann McClellan continues to impress physically after sitting out many practices last year because of knee trouble. "He has not had one bit of swelling in either knee," Olson said. "We couldn't be more thrilled."