Wild About '88: Chapter 18: Arizona back to No. 1 after Gumbies shine in Stanford win.
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 9, 1988, vs. Stanford
Thanks to upsets of No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Pitt, the No. 3 Wildcats had an opportunity to be re-crowned the No. 1 team in the country if they could beat Stanford at McKale Center.
No problem.
Arizona came out strong, forcing 15 turnovers in the first half.
“We put enough pressure on the basketball to keep them from running the things they wanted,” Lute Olson said. “It was one of our better games all year long.”1
Craig McMillan did a great job of sticking like glue to Stanford’s All Pac-10 Star Todd Lichti, holding him to four points in the first half.
“I thought Craig did a really good job on defense, but Craig has been doing that all year long for us. He’s been our best defensive player all year, and it’s not even close,” Olson said.2
In another large margin Arizona win , Sean Elliott led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points.
"I like them," Elliott said of the conference blowouts. "I'd rather have this kind of game than one where we have a chance to lose. I know the fans don't really like them, but a win is a win”3
In Arizona’s 90-65 victory, the Arizona fans enjoyed the destruction because it meant more playing time for Arizona’s lovable bench players, the Gumbies.
During the home stand against the Bay Area schools Harvey Mason averaged ten points a game.
"I've-been-working-hard-In-pracice, so I think Coach Olson is trying to give me a little more confidence,” Mason sald. "He never said anything. It just kind of happened."4
Jud Buechler logged 17 minutes off the bench and scored eight points.
Craig Bergman got his first points of the year when he hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
When the rankings were released on the following Monday, Arizona was back at No. 1 in the AP and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
In four conference games, Arizona had a margin of victory of 31.8 points.
The Gumbies were gearing up for a lot of playing time the rest of the way.
Next up: January 14, 1988 at Oregon State.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2022.
Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88; Jack Rickard, “On top again, with some help,” The Tucson Citizen, January 11 1988, Page One and Four—Section B; Jay Gonzales, “Arizona wins by 25, could regain top spot,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 10 1988, Page One and Fifteen—Section E.
Jack Rickard, “On top again, with some help,” The Tucson Citizen, January 11 1988, Page Four—Section B
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona wins by 25, could regain top spot,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 10 1988, Page One—Section E.
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona wins by 25, could regain top spot,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 10 1988, Page Fifteen—Section E.
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona wins by 25, could regain top spot,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 10 1988, Page One—Section E.