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BERKELEY, Calif. — Jerryd Bayless cannot find a shoe he likes. Chase Budinger just might have some sort of mysterious, shot-crippling virus. Bret Brielmaier is out again with shoulder trouble. And Jordan Hill's ankle would probably feel even worse if he were not on the bench with foul trouble so often.

Oh, and by the way, if Arizona loses to California tonight the Wildcats would be 1-4 in Pac-10 play, extending what was already their worst four-game start in conference play since 1983-84, Lute Olson's first season at the UA.

Meanwhile, there are a bunch of guys on the Wildcats' bench who are not playing a whole lot. Kirk Walters. Fendi Onobun. Zane Johnson. Jamelle Horne (remember him?).

Yet, to UA interim head coach Kevin O'Neill, this is not a situation that calls for some sort of change. Just a bad string of luck, injuries and crummy shooting, resulting in close losses at ASU and Stanford that have put the Wildcats in the backseat of the conference at this juncture.

It is only mid-January, after all.

"Not really, right now," O'Neill said Friday, when asked if he would shake up his rotation. "See, I don't think it's time to feel panicked about losing a couple of games you led late and (were playing) on the road."

So replacing Brielmaier may be O'Neill's only major change tonight. O'Neill already subbed Brielmaier out of Thursday's starting lineup, opting to use a small lineup that had Nic Wise at point guard with Bayless and Budinger on the wings.

He played Brielmaier 11 minutes against Stanford but said Brielmaier would not be able to go today because the shoulder was in pain again. Since much of Brielmaier's importance stems from his ability to play physically, pinning guys, jostling for rebounds and defending post players, the injury is affecting his game.

"It's weak," Brielmaier said Thursday. "Without a doubt."

Brielmaier probably would struggle to handle guarding Cal power forward Ryan Anderson, the conference's leading scorer. Then again, everybody does: Anderson's 6-foot-10-inch height and inside-outside game make it difficult.

"He's got to be one of the top prospects in the whole West, I would say," O'Neill said of Anderson. He "shoots it, (is) mobile, a good passer, has an above average post game. Can guard guys at different sizes. Everything to be in the NBA, I would say."

O'Neill said he was not sure who would start at power forward against Anderson — either Onobun, if he goes with a bigger lineup, or Jawann McClellan, if he goes small.

Of the other options, well, they appear limited. Through his actions, O'Neill has made it clear the Wildcats are better off not going too deep so far this season.

Of Walters' chances of playing more, O'Neill said Friday: "I'm not sure."

Of Horne, O'Neill said: "Jamelle's practiced pretty well, so I wouldn't mind putting him in a game. We'll see what happens."

Of Johnson, who has averaged four minutes per game since giving up his redshirt season last week at ASU: "Depends how the game goes."

Mohamed Tangara? Well, he has not been in the conversation all season, having played in just three games.

The good news for the UA is the Wildcats could have an advantage in the backcourt. Cal has not been as effective as Stanford in keeping guys out of the lanes, and gave up 58-percent shooting to ASU in a 99-90 double-overtime loss Thursday, while UA has perimeter weapons Budinger and Bayless.

But that alone does not make O'Neill feel much better. Not after Stanford's Brook Lopez swatted away five UA shots Thursday.

"What's important for us is when we get in the lane, we've got to make the right decisions," O'Neill said. "You're not going to score over a 7-1 (opponent) in the lane. So you've got to make sure you give it up. Get the extra pass, get guys open for shots. We have to be in attack mode."

Still, O'Neill said he expects Bayless to rebound strongly from a 3-for-12 shooting night at Stanford. That is, if Bayless can find a shoe that works.

Bayless went through three pairs of shoes Thursday, complaining that his ankle felt uncomfortable in a new pair of shoes he started the game with. Budinger, meanwhile, has shot a combined 9 for 31 in the past two Pac-10 games while suffering from a virus.

Their off night Thursday, and Bayless' absence because of a sprained knee at ASU, proved critical. Those two losses left the UA at 1-4 in games decided by five points or less.

"Jerryd and Chase have to make shots for us in order to have a chance to win," O'Neill said. "But winning is a hard thing. Being close is very easy, and we haven't been able to find a way to win the last two Pac-10 games on the road.

"In Vegas (against UNLV), we found a way in a tough game. We won an overtime game against Illinois in the United Center. But I think everyone's got to be a little more accountable, myself included, and make sure we do everything letter-perfect down the stretch."