Wild About '88: Chapter 21: Arizona throttles USC at McKale.
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 21 1988 vs. USC
Though the 1988 season, the worst loss the USC Trojans ever suffered was in 1966. It happened to come against John Wooden’s 30-0 National Champion UCLA Bruins, when USC got shellacked by 37 points.
That mark was eclipsed by the 1988 Arizona Wildcats when they defeated the Trojans by 44 in a 92-48 victory at McKale Center.
“They’re a really, really good basketball team. I like this team. If there’s a dominant team in the country, it could be Arizona. They don’t have any holes in their starting five,” USC head coach George Raveling said.1
With Sean Elliott suffering from a virus Tom Tolbert stepped up with 18 points and six rebounds.
“I’m happy with my performance,” Tolbert said. “Coach said I played good defense. That makes the difference. I know I’ll get to play more if I do that. I was shooting the ball well and getting to the boards.”2
Arizona went into halftime with only a 12-point lead.
“At halftime, I told the team I didn’t feel very good about their effort in the first half, and I did not expect they would either,” Olson said.3
The Wildcats would take Olson’s words to heart and started the second half on a 27-2 run. Eventually Arizona would take a 35-point second half lead, making way for the Gumby Squad.
Jud Buechler would lead the Gumbies with 12 points. Overall the bench would score 39 points but Craig Bergman saved the best for last when he hit a three pointer at the end of the game, his second buzzer beater of the season.
Anthony Cook recorded another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Steve Kerr did not turn the ball over for the sixth time all season. So far Kerr is averaging less than a turnover a game during the ‘88 campaign.
No. 1 Arizona would improve their record to 17-1 and 7-0 in the Pac-10.
Next Up: January 24, 1988 vs. UCLA
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jack Rickard, “Buechler made the right choice,” The Tucson Citizen, January 22 1988, Page Three—Section C; Jack Rickard, “Arizona unravels Southern Cal: USC suffers its worst loss ever,” The Tucson Citizen, January 22 1988, Page One and Three—Section C.; Jack Rickard, “Arizona unravels Southern Cal: USC suffers its worst loss ever,” The Tucson Citizen, January 22 1988, Page One and Three—Section C; Jay Gonzales, Wildcats rip Trojans by record 44 points,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 22 1988, Page One and Two—Section C; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jack Rickard, “Arizona unravels Southern Cal: USC suffers its worst loss ever,” The Tucson Citizen, January 22 1988, Page Three—Section C.
Jack Rickard, “Arizona unravels Southern Cal: USC suffers its worst loss ever,” The Tucson Citizen, January 22 1988, Page Three—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, Wildcats rip Trojans by record 44 points,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 22 1988, Page One—Section C.