Wild About '88: Chapter 16: Wildcats get swallowed at 'The Pit' in Albuquerque.
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.’ (Some interview quotes in this series have been edited for clarity.)
January 2, 1988, at New Mexico
In a month’s time, the Arizona Wildcats had set the college basketball world on fire. They had run roughshod over four Top-10 teams and were ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Wildcats were not a cute secret anymore when they went to New Mexico just after the New Year to play in “the Pit”.
“They love their basketball down there. And I don't know if any of us realized what we were getting into there before we got there,” 12th man Craig Bergman said in 2016.
In its heyday ‘the Pit’ was considered one of the loudest arenas in college basketball. In 1999, Sports Illustrated put it on a list of the top 20 sporting venues of the century, finishing ahead of the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame Stadium.
In 2015 Sean Elliott recalled the atmosphere at ‘the Pit’ before the game started.
“I remember the first time we went to the locker room, my ears were ringing like I couldn't hear. Almost like your eardrums had shut down,” Elliott said.
When the Wildcats came out of the locker room the New Mexico fans did not let up.
“It was so loud going into that game. Coach Olson was talking to us before the game. We couldn't hear a word he said. He's like moving his lips and there's nothing coming out,” Craig McMillan said in 2016.
The Wildcats were frustrated early by the Lobos zone defense when New Mexico roared out to a 25-9 lead. It was the first time all year the Cats trailed by more than five points.
“I remember at one point in the game, something started burning my back,” Gumby extraordinaire Harvey Mason said. “I look back and there's like a penny stuck to my skin and it turned out a lot of the fans down low were heating up pennies with BIC lighters and throwing them at the players.”
Bergman remembered a similar experience.
“You're sitting on the bench and people are throwing quarters and nickels at you. They hit you in the back of the head. You don't want to turn around because they realize that they're getting to you,” Bergman said.
Not even an alleged medical emergency could stop one Lobo fan.
“There was a guy during the game that I think had a heart attack. They brought him up on the gurney, and he wouldn't leave. He told the paramedics to keep him up there. He wanted to watch the end of the game. And then they would take him off. You know they had him stabilized and he said 'I'll leave after the game's over, ’” Matt Muehlebach said in 2015.
Arizona had its worst shooting performance of the young season but Sean Elliott was able to keep the Cats close with a phenomenal 27-point outing.
With all of the obstacles against the Wildcats, they only trailed 61-59 late in the game.
With 0:09 left New Mexico missed a free throw giving the Wildcats one last chance. The Wildcats were able to bring the ball up the floor quickly giving what Elliott thought was a clear look at the basket from the top of the key, but it was blocked from behind.
Anthony Cook caught the loose ball and passed it to McMillan for one last heave at the basket.
“I went up, had a pretty good look, I released it. I thought it was going and hit the back rim, and came out. So that was a tough one. It felt good when I released it,” McMillan said.
New Mexico 61 Arizona 59
The perfect season was over.
"I told everybody that going undefeated was doubtful, but I really believed inside that we would,” Steve Kerr said after the game.1
Lute Olson did not want to hear any undefeated chatter.
"It's ridiculous for somebody to even talk about things like going unbeaten,” Olson said. "I think we'll learn from this situation. If it was going to happen now, it was as good a time as any.”2
Decades later the game is still celebrated in Albuquerque.
“They're very hard fans to deal with because they're basketball crazy. They love their team. They've always been a big basketball town. It was an ambush, and they took it to us,” Muehlebach said.
Fun Fact: Future Chicago Bull and 3-time NBA Champ Luc Longely logged 16 minutes in the game for the Lobos.
Next Up: January 7 vs. Cal
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2022.
Jack Rickard, “Wildcats drop from top ranking: No. 3 UA returns home to little fanfare,” The Tucson Citizen, January 4 1988, Page One and Four—Section B.; Jay Gonzales, “Top ranked Arizona falls in the Pit: New Mexico defeats Wildcats, 61-59,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 3 1988, Page One and Two—Section E.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jay Gonzales, “Top ranked Arizona falls in the Pit: New Mexico defeats Wildcats, 61-59,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 3 1988, Page One—Section E.
Jay Gonzales, “Top ranked Arizona falls in the Pit: New Mexico defeats Wildcats, 61-59,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 3 1988, Page One—Section E.