Wild About '88: Chapter 30: Elliott heroics help Cats clinch Pac-10 title at Pauley.
Wild About '88: Chapter 30: Elliott heroics help Cats clinch Pac-10 title at Pauley.
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 20, 1988 vs. UCLA
When Arizona entered Pauley Pavilion they had a chance to do something the UCLA Bruins had done the year before. Win the Pac-10 title. Although the 1986-87 team only finished a game out of first during that topsy-turvy season while Steve Kerr was rehabbing his knee.
After tying for the Pac-10 title with their victory over USC, Arizona had four games remaining to clinch the conference title outright.
Why wait when they could do it on the home court of their biggest basketball rival?
To make things even sweeter, legendary coach John Wooden was in attendance to witness this battle of newly minted rivals.
The Wildcats were in trouble late in the game and called on Sean Elliott to be the hero. The Bruins led 73-71 in the closing seconds until Elliott connected on a tough baseline jumper to send the game into overtime.
“It was more a case of Sean's ability than anything we did," Lute Olson said. "UCLA did a good job of stopping the play we called."
Elliott would lead all scorers with 24 points.
"He's an All-American. You don't expect to stop an All-American the whole game,” UCLA head coach Walt Hazzard said. "He came through in the clutch. If you want to be an All-American, that's what you're expected to do."
The Wildcats would barely survive after Pooh Richardson missed an eventual game-tying shot near the end of overtime.
Arizona would win 78-76, winning the Pac-10 title on hallowed ground for the second time in three seasons.
"It was special because UCLA was last year's champion, and they took it away from us. I can't think of anything better than going through here and taking the championship away from them,” Elliott said.
No. 3 Arizona would improve to 25-2 and 14-1 in the conference.
Next up: February 24, 1988 at ASU.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jay Gonzales, “Elliott impresses Hazzard in stretch: UCLA coach praises UA junior,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One and Four—Section E.; Jay Gonzales, “Arizona clinches Pacific-10 title: Wildcats defeat UCLA in overtime,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One—Section E.; Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Jay Gonzales, “Elliott impresses Hazzard in stretch: UCLA coach praises UA junior,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page Four—Section E.
Jay Gonzales, “Elliott impresses Hazzard in stretch: UCLA coach praises UA junior,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page Four—Section E.
Jay Gonzales, “Arizona clinches Pacific-10 title: Wildcats defeat UCLA in overtime,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One—Section E.