Wild About '88: Chapter 14: No. 1 Arizona defeats Michigan State and Jud Heathcote.
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 29, 1987, vs. Michigan State
1979 was a game-changer for the game of basketball. The NCAA Championship game that season is still the most-watched college hoops game of all time. It was Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores, taking on Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans.
Magic won the first round of one of the greatest player rivalries in the history of American sports, leading the Spartans to a 75-64 victory.
One forgotten fact about that season is Lute Olson helped his Iowa Hawkeyes tie for the Big Ten title. Iowa shared the title with Purdue and eventual National Champs Michigan State.
The Spartans that year were coached by Jud Heathcote. During his time in the Big Ten, Olson was 6-8 against the College Basketball Hall of Famer.
Olson would get another crack outside of the Big Ten against Heathcote when his Spartans came to Tucson for the Fiesta Bowl Classic Tournament.
Going into the tourney, No. 1 Arizona was shooting a scorching 57 percent from the field, but in the first half, the Cats struggled after a 7-day holiday layoff.
The Wildcats shot 39 percent in the first half and missed 9 of 12 shots to start the second half.
“They confused us a lot with their match-up zone,” senior point guard Steve Kerr said. “It didn’t look like what we had worked on in practice. The defense definitely confused us.”1
Arizona had some pestering defense of their own, forcing 23 turnovers.
“The big thing was pressure. We pressed on every made basket situation. Otherwise, they’d try and play at a slower tempo,” Olson said.2
Michigan State would turn the ball over six times in eight possessions during Arizona’s back-breaking 15-0 second-half run that sank the Spartans’ hopes.
“Arizona came out in the second half and played like the No. 1 team,” Heathcote said.3
Anthony Cook finished with 14 points, but his 13 rebounds were what caught Olson’s eye.
“Anthony was just outstanding. He was responsible for making sure they didn’t get a lot of second shots," Olson said.4
Sean Elliott would lead all scorers with 24 points in Arizona’s 78-58 victory. It was Arizona’s third win over a Big Ten school that season.
At 11-0, Arizona was now tied with the 1931-32 squad for the best start in school history.
Fun Facts: Craig McMillan became the 17th Wildcat in history to record 1,000 points…Future NBA All-Star Steve Smith would score 15 points for the Spartans. In 1991, Smith would come back to McKale Center to play in the NCAA Tournament. His buzzer-beater from the top of the key would give the Spartans a 60-58 First Round win over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Next Up: December 30 vs No. 9 Duke
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2022.
Jeff Shain, “Michigan State 60, Wisconsin-Green Bay 58,” UPI Archives, March 15 1991.; Jack Rickard, “Cats, Blue Devils to duke it out : Final pits No. 1 vs. No. 9,” The Tucson Citizen, December 30 1987, Page One and Three—Section B.; Mike Downs, “Spartans have trouble with UA’s full court press,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 30 1987, Page Two—Section C.; Jay Gonzales, “UA beats Spartans in Fiesta Classic: Elliott has game high 24-points,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 30 1987, Page One—Section C.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jack Rickard, “Cats, Blue Devils to duke it out : Final pits No. 1 vs. No. 9,” The Tucson Citizen, December 30 1987, Page One and Three—Section B.
Jack Rickard, “Cats, Blue Devils to duke it out : Final pits No. 1 vs. No. 9,” The Tucson Citizen, December 30 1987, Page One—Section B.
Mike Downs, “Spartans have trouble with UA’s full court press,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 30 1987, Page Two—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, “UA beats Spartans in Fiesta Classic: Elliott has game high 24-points,” The Arizona Daily Star, December 30 1987, Page One—Section C.