Wild About '88: Chapter 24: Arizona 'wins' Big Ten Crown after physical game against No. 13 Illinois.
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 30, 1988 vs. No 13 Illinois.
During the 1986-87 season, the Cats lost 82-63 to Illinois on the road. To that point, it was the worst loss in the Lute Olson era.
"They just embarrassed us,” Arizona big man Joe Turner said. "Their guys were on the floor talking stuff. They made us feel like we weren't even a team. They put it in our faces and said to get back to the West Coast."1
One guy who was not concerned about Illinois coming to Tucson in 1988 was Tom Tolbert. In 2016 he reminisced about what he thought of the Illini and Arizona’s success against the Big-10 that season.
“Let’s go ahead and win the Big-10 without actually playing in the Big Ten,” Tolbert said.
“Michigan State. Check. Iowa. Check. Michigan. Check. Illinois. Let’s check them off the list too. Maybe, they’ll give us a Big Ten crown. We can be the first team in the history of the NCAA to win conference titles in two different conferences. That would be awesome. I would love that,” Tolbert added.
No. 1 Arizona would have a chance to avenge its embarrassing loss to Illinois on NBC with Marv Albert behind the mic.
Illinois was no joke. They were led by a Final Four coach in Lou Henson and had a plethora of future NBA players on their roster. They were bruisers.
During the game Steve Kerr got scrapped right between the eyes and Craig McMillan was elbowed in the mouth, poked in the eye, and got a knee in the head.
"There was some rough-housing," said McMillan, "but it was a really fun atmosphere.”2
Arizona led 69-63 with just over two minutes left when Kerr hit the dagger three.
“Illinois said the same things Syracuse said, the same things Michigan said, the same things Iowa said — that we’re not tough enough,” Kerr said after Arizona’s 78-70 victory.3
“I think four victories over Big Ten teams should show that we are,” Kerr added.4
Arizona became the first team in America to reach 20 wins and all five starters scored in double figures for the first time all season.
Tom Tolbert would lead Arizona with 20 points while Sean Elliott moved to third all-time in scoring at Arizona, passing Bill Warner.
Arizona would move to 4-0 against the Big Ten that season, with one more game against the conference on the horizon in the NCAA Tournament.
“It was nice. The Pac-10 is not real exciting to be quite frank. We need some challenges,” Kerr said.5
Kerr and company were in for a challenge on their trip to the Bay.
Next Up: February 4, 1988 at Stanford.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona goes after 20th victory against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 30 1988, Page One and Two—Section C.; Jay Gonzales, “Steve Kerr has big hand in UA victory over Illinois:Guard's three-pointers help hold off Illini,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Page One and Fifteen—Section E.; Greg Hansen, “Arizona flexes its muscles against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Page One and Fifteen—Section E.; Dana Cooper; Memories ‘88.; Jack Rickard, “Cats have February problem,” The Tucson Citizen, February 1 1988, Page One and Seven—Section B.
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona goes after 20th victory against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 30 1988, Page One—Section C.
Greg Hansen, “Arizona flexes its muscles against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Page One—Section E.
Greg Hansen, “Arizona flexes its muscles against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Page Fifteen—Section E.
Greg Hansen, “Arizona flexes its muscles against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Page Fifteen—Section E.
Greg Hansen, “Arizona flexes its muscles against Illinois,” The Arizona Daily Star, January 31 1988, Fifteen—Section E.