Wild About '88: Chapter 25: Stanford takes out No. 1 Arizona at rowdy Maples.
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.)
February 4, 1988 at Stanford
Coming into the game against Stanford, Arizona was dominating the conference winning by an average of 30 points per game.
But Stanford had won three straight against the Wildcats including a buzzer-beater the previous season that cost Arizona a share of the Pac-10 crown.
Mike Montgomery and Lute Olson were known for being friendly with each other but in 1988 Montgomery got Olson all riled up.
The Wildcats had defeated Montgomery’s squad by 25 a month earlier at McKale. With Arizona No. 1 in the country and 9-0 in the conference, Montgomery said “I don’t think they’ve improved.”1
Montgomery did add that the Cats were more confident and knew they can defeat good teams, but that didn’t stop Olson from defending his team.
“I don’t think he’s correct at all,” Olson said. “You’re going to tell me that Tom Tolbert isn’t any better than when we played Stanford the last time? Or that Anthony Cook isn’t better?”2
Olson continued to praise the rest of the starting lineup before saying, “We’ll see how they(Stanford) feel about it when the game is over.”3
With 5:36 to play Arizona took a 74-72 lead when Sean Elliott hit a bank shot. It was the last time the Wildcats would score, coming up empty on their last seven possessions.
Stanford played a nearly flawless second half scoring on 19 of its 25 possessions.
“We didn’t hold up in the clutch,” Sean Elliott said. “I made mistakes, everybody made mistakes. We didn’t execute as well as we can. We were in position to win the game.”4
Elliott would lead Arizona with 22 points and eight rebounds.
The loss ultimately cost Arizona a chance to be the first and only team ever to have a perfect season in the Pac-10.
“The lack of close game situations hurt. You can’t duplicate that in practice situations where you have a full house and pressure and have to knock the shots down,” Olson said.5
Stanford and Arizona split the regular season matchup but there was a chance Arizona could meet the Cardinal at the Pac-10 Tournament in March. The tournament was being held in Tucson for the first time in history.
Arizona fans would not forget who gave them their only blot during the conference season.
Next up: February 6, 1988 at Cal.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jack Rickard, “Cardinal leaves Cats red-faced:Gritty Stanford is left standing,” The Tucson Citizen, February 5 1988, Page One and Five—Section C.; Jay Gonzales, “Stanford coach: Wildcats haven’t improved,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 4 1988, Page One and Two—Section C.; John Crumpacker, “Stanford performs as if it’s No. 1,” The San Francisco Examiner, February 5 1988, Page One and Two—Section D.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jay Gonzales, “Stanford coach: Wildcats haven’t improved,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 4 1988, Page One—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, “Stanford coach: Wildcats haven’t improved,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 4 1988, Page One—Section C.
Jay Gonzales, “Stanford coach: Wildcats haven’t improved,” The Arizona Daily Star, February 4 1988, Page One—Section C.
Jack Rickard, “Cardinal leaves Cats red-faced: Gritty Stanford is left standing,” The Tucson Citizen, February 5 1988, Page Five—Section C.
Jack Rickard, “Cardinal leaves Cats red-faced: Gritty Stanford is left standing,” The Tucson Citizen, February 5 1988, Page One—Section C.