Wild About '88: Chapter 13: No. 1 Arizona dominates LeVar Ball and Kelvin Sampson.
This season marks the 35th anniversary of one of Tucson’s most beloved teams of all time, the 1987-88 Arizona Wildcats that finished 35-3 and went to the program’s first Final Four. We will celebrate that team by recapping each game during that unforgettable season by referencing newspaper archives and interviews conducted during the making of the upcoming documentary film ‘Wild About ‘88: The Rise of Arizona Basketball.’
December 22, 1988, at the Washington State Cougars.
When Arizona took the court against Washington State at Pullman, it was the first time they faced anybody as the No. 1 team in the country.
It was also the first time the program would face eventual AP Coach of the Year, Kelvin Sampson.
In 2022, Arizona would fall to Sampson's physical Houston team in the Sweet Sixteen, but this one was a much different story.
The most memorable thing about Sampson’s first year coaching at Washington State is future NBA father LeVar Ball played for him.
Ball and the new target on Arizona’s chest did not slow the Wildcats down at all.
Arizona jumped out to a 17-2 lead to start the game, scoring on eight of the first nine times they had the ball.
“I thought our kids were intimidated in the first few minutes of the game and Arizona jumped out at them,” Washington State head coach Kelvin Sampson said. “It was like walking through the forest. There’s lions and tigers in the woods, and sometimes they’ll jump out at you.”1
Steve Kerr played Shere Khan in this one by continuing his sharpshooting from outside. He was 5-6 from behind the arc and finished with 20 points. Kerr would combine to shoot 15-17 from three-point range in the last three games.
Sean Elliott was the post-wizard visit not so Cowardly Lion, by matching Kerr’s 20 points while going a perfect 8-8 from the foul line.
Ball didn’t do as well against the Wildcats as he imagined he would do against Michael Jordan in his prime. Although he did lead the Cougars with 12 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.
The Wildcats shot the lights out from the field by connecting at a 63% rate and would cruise to an 89-55 win.
“Arizona is a frustrating team to defend,” Sampson said. “Our kids, God bless them, they did their best. But Arizona is so frustrating to defend because they score inside so well.”2
Sampson also was a big fan of Kerr.
“And if Steve Kerr isn’t the smartest basketball player in the country, I would like to meet that man. He is the finest point guard in the country because of what he’s got between his ears.”3
Craig McMillan was another bright spot for Arizona. He had been quiet so far offensively during the season but in this one, he came alive finishing with 12 points while shooting an impressive 5-6 from the field.
Lute Olson was ecstatic about the defensive effort the Wildcats showed against the Cougars. The only problem Arizona had was its lack of rebounding. The Cougars held a four-rebound lead on the Wildcats but Olson wasn’t concerned about the glass.
“When you miss only 20 shots, there aren’t going to be a lot of rebounds,” Olson said.4
At 10-0, Arizona was winning their games by an average of 24 points per game and was shooting over 57% as a team.
Arizona had passed its first test as the No. 1 team in the nation, but it was about to get more difficult as the Fiesta Bowl Classic was quickly approaching. Florida, Michigan State, and Duke would be traveling to Tucson after Christmas for a tournament battle in the desert.
Next Up: December 29 vs. Michigan State
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2022.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats crush WSU, 89-55: UA takes 17-2 lead en route to win,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 23 1987, Page One and Two—Section C.; Jack Rickard, “What pressure? UA keeps rolling: Cats end Washington sweep with 34-point win over Cougs,” The Tucson Citizen, December 23 1987, Page One—Section D.; Jack Rickard, “WSU coach Sampson sings Kerr’s praises,” The Tucson Citizen, December 23 1987 Page Four—Section D.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats crush WSU, 89-55: UA takes 17-2 lead en route to win,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 23 1987, Page One—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats crush WSU, 89-55: UA takes 17-2 lead en route to win,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 23 1987, Page Two—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats crush WSU, 89-55: UA takes 17-2 lead en route to win,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 23 1987, Page Two—Section C.
Jack Rickard, “What pressure? UA keeps rolling: Cats end Washington sweep with 34-point win over Cougs,” The Tucson Citizen, December 23 1987, Page One—Section D.