Wild About '88 Chapter 37: Arizona looks for first NCAA win in Olson era.
This year 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.)
March 18, 1988, vs. No. 16 Cornell
Arizona went into the 1988 NCAA Tournament as one of the tournament favorites sitting at 31-2 as the No. 1 seed in the West Region.
They may have come from the mostly unchallenging Pac-10, but they proved they belonged with victories over four Top 10 teams.
Their reputation grew throughout the season as they had been ranked in the Top 5 since early December, including six weeks at No. 1, and were also 4-0 against Lute Olson’s former conference, the Big Ten.
The Wildcats had accomplished a lot in the first five years of the Olson era but they were 0-3 in NCAA First Round games. Would No. 16 seed Cornell find a way to make them 0-4?
“We didn't know much about Cornell. We knew we were a better team than them probably, but until you go out and win an NCAA tournament game, there are always some butterflies and some jitters,” Craig McMillan said in 2016.
In a film session preparing for Cornell, Matt Muehlebach recalls the Wildcats goofing around and assistant coach Tony McAndrews was not having it.
McAndrews lit into the Wildcats and told them they were not ready for the Ivy League school.
The team was in disbelief.
After McAndrews left the room, Muehlebach said the always comical Kevin O’Neill walked to the front and shared a few choice words.
“‘Look, guys, if you don't win this game by 40 points, you suck, and you need to walk back home, and you need to quit playing basketball,’” Muehlebach recalled in 2016.
‘“You will be the laughingstock of the U of A and of college basketball,’” he added.
The team laughed and O’Neill’s words eased the tension.
Tom Tolbert shared Coach O’Neill’s sentiments.
“If it was going to be a debate, maybe we lose, and maybe Cornell smashes us. I don't know. But it was a basketball game. We knew there was no way this team was going to beat us. We worked too hard to get to where we were at. We were too committed to the big goal. Cornell didn't stand a chance in that game,” Tolbert said in 2016
After the tip Arizona rushed out to a 9-0 lead and hit eight of their first nine shots.
“People generally are not sure whether they can beat us or not, and we just want to make sure that we convince them early that they can’t. Whatever questions may have been in their minds, I think we eliminated early,” Olson said after the game.1
The game showcased an awesome offensive performance by Anthony Cook, who led Arizona with 24 points.
With under nine minutes left the Gumby squad took over and the starters got to rest up for the second round.
“We all played a lot of minutes in that game. I think coach was smart and realized that he was hopefully playing for a long run. We were going to play a lot of games in the tournament. So he shared the minutes with a lot of guys,” Harvey Mason said in 2016.
“I remember thinking after the game that we were going to have a good long successful run in the tournament this year because we were just too powerful offensively. We had too many weapons. Defensively, we were athletic and long. We had shot blockers, we had quickness. And I think it all showed in that first game,” he added.
Arizona would win 90-50 and the first-round struggles were behind them.
It was only the third NCAA Tournament win in school history. The Wildcats have won 55 more NCAA Tournament games since that win over Cornell.
The only drawback from the game was Tolbert tweaked his back in the first half and did not return.
If Arizona was going to have a chance in the second round against the big and physical Seton Hall Pirates from the touted Big East, a healthy Tolbert seemed vital.
Next Up: March 20, 1988, vs. the No. 8 seed Seton Hall Pirates.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats beat Cornell but may lose Tolbert,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 19, 1988, Page One and Seven—Section C.; Memories ‘88; Dana Cooper.; The Arizona Daily Star; The Tucson Citizen.
Jay Gonzales, “Wildcats beat Cornell but may lose Tolbert,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 19, 1988, Page One and Seven—Section C.