The swagger, the trademark red and blue jerseys and the winning style are all the same. But the usual suspects, including a Hall of Fame coach and a “Stanford killer” have long since ridden off into the desert sunset.

Tonight, the Stanford men’s basketball team faces an Arizona team in transition. A perennial Pac-10 powerhouse, the Wildcats (11-5, 1-2 Pac-10) have been a mixed bag this season — injuries to key players and a temporary coaching change that came out of the blue have thrown a wrench into the mix for the traditionally dominant program.

But while coach Lute Olson’s leave of absence for personal reasons has changed expectations, interim head coach Kevin O’Neill — groomed to be Olsen’s eventual permanent successor — has Arizona employing a new defensive philosophy. With freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless back after missing four games with a right knee injury, the Wildcats are dangerous and on the rise.

This weekend’s home stand against Arizona and Arizona State is especially crucial for the Cardinal (13-3, 2-2). After splitting last weekend’s road series against the Oregon schools, Stanford must hold its own at Maples to remain afloat in a cutthroat Pac-10 conference.

“It’s huge,” junior guard Mitch Johnson said. “In a conference that’s this good, your home games are definitely the ones you have to take advantage of. Because sometimes, going on the road and getting splits is a good thing.”

Stanford forward Taj Finger is acutely aware of his team’s history against Arizona. A senior, he’s seen for himself how tough the Wildcats can be — Arizona has won six in a row against the Cardinal and seven of the last ten.

Stanford has not beaten the Wildcats since a victory at Maples Pavilion in January 2005, Finger’s freshman season and Trent Johnson’s first year as head coach.

“I haven’t beat Arizona for a while now, so it would be really nice to get a win against them,” Finger said. “This is a huge weekend for us, especially at home, and we definitely have to get both of these to stay competitive now.”

For the Cardinal, it will help that “Stanford killer” Ivan Radenovic graduated last season. The big man from Serbia always seemed to have a good game against Stanford — especially in last year’s 85-80 overtime victory at Maples. Radenovic scored a career high 39 points, while adding nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists in the Wildcats’ win.

“We’re glad that he’s not around anymore,” Finger said, “That would have been a nice game to win. We just couldn’t pull it off, and didn’t have enough in the gas tanks there.”

Stanford is coming off of a wrenching 71-66 loss at Oregon in which poor three-point and foul-shooting doomed the Cardinal. Tied at 63 with two minutes to go, an offensive meltdown cost Stanford a chance to eke out a victory on an always-contentious road stage in Eugene, Ore.

“Our execution was good until the last minute or so,” Trent Johnson said. “Are we in that situation if we make a couple more free throws and make a couple more open shots?”

Stanford enters the weekend as the favorite, but not by much. The Wildcats may have lost three of their last five games, but Johnson knows they will be tough to beat.

They always are.

“They have three or four future NBA guys,” Johnson said. “They look the same as always. They’ve always caused us [problems with] quickness in the perimeter and the post.”

Bayless returned from his injury on Saturday and helped spur Arizona to an 85-71 win at Houston with 33 points and nine assists. The freshman leads his team with 19.7 points and 4.6 assists per game, and is considered one of the top young point guards in the nation.

“He’s good,” Mitch Johnson said. “I don’t think there’s probably anything you’re going to do to take away or take him out of the game. Hopefully whoever gets that job [on defense] will just make it tough on him. I think we’ve done a pretty good job this year playing team defense and we’ll definitely need to do that.”

Along with Bayless, the Wildcats boast athletic swingman Chase Budinger, a former volleyball star who returned to Arizona for his sophomore year despite speculation among NBA scouts that he could be a top pick in last year’s draft. Known more for its strong guard play, only one big man, Jordan Hill, gets major minutes in the Arizona rotation. But the sophomore forward has improved his game by leaps and bounds this season.

“He has all the tools,” Johnson said of Hill, “live body, strong, quick on his feet, laterally he’s quick. He’s probably one of the most improved players in our league, in the country.”

For Stanford, the keys will be to exploit the size advantage down low. Sophomore center Brook Lopez, fresh off a season high-26 points in Sunday’s loss, will again be relied on to score in the paint.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” said Finger, adding that his team is motivated but not too worried about where it stands. “It’s early on in the Pac-10 season. We’re fine, and just trying to get better right now.”

If history has anything to say about facing Arizona, the sooner the better.