Wild About '88 Chapter 39: Lute faces Iowa again in the Sweet 16.
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Wild About '88 Chapter 39: Lute faces Iowa again in the Sweet 16.
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 25, 1988, vs. No. 5 seed Iowa.
Lute Olson had accomplished his storybook ending to the Iowa Hawkeyes chapter of his life when his Wildcats went into Iowa City and defeated the No. 3 Hawkeyes in an arena dubbed ‘the house that Lute built’.
Three months later the Hawkeyes were hoping to rewrite that happy ending when they collided with Lute’s Wildcats in the Sweet 16 at the Kingdome in Seattle.
“My concern was we've already beat them.” Matt Muehlebach said in 2015.
“Does that provide a kind of psychological incentive for them? That would be a terrible, horrible ending to the season to have all these great things and then lose to Iowa of all teams.”
Iowa had defeated Bill Frieder’s No. 7 Michigan Wolverines, Bobby Knight’s No. 12 Indiana Hoosiers and Larry Brown’s eventual National Champion Kansas Jayhawks during a memorable 1987-88 campaign, but that didn’t faze Arizona’s most outspoken player.
“I knew Iowa wasn’t going to beat us. Good team, but I felt the same way I felt when we went to Iowa. We were a better team and were going to put it on these guys,” Tom Tolbert said in 2016.
Arizona would take a modest 26-21 lead in the first half before a future MLB All-Star came to the rescue.
“When I got in the game, I was going up and down the court and the team kind of went along with my intensity,” Kenny Lofton said in 2016.
Lofton’s two steals, five points, and assist to Sean Elliott sparked the Cats to a 10-2 run, but the Hawkeyes would cut the lead to four at the break.
The second half was jumpstarted by a quick 5-0 run by Craig McMillan when he hit two free throws after an intentional foul and knocked down a three-pointer assisted by Steve Kerr.
In the second half, the Cats scored on 15 of its first 18 possessions and outscored the Hawkeyes by 22 in the first 10 minutes.
"In the second half, I thought we almost played perfectly. It was exciting being a part of it," Kerr said after the game.1
Kerr added 17 points and eight assists, but more impressively he didn’t turn the ball over in 39 minutes. It was the second straight game against the Hawkeyes in which he didn’t commit a turnover.
Elliott would lead Arizona with 25 points in the Cats 99-79 victory. He wasn’t shocked by another lopsided Arizona win in the NCAA Tournament.
“This isn’t anything new. We had Duke down by 16. We can blow anybody out,” Elliott said.2
Arizona’s confidence would be needed with its most daunting task yet. A colossal match-up against the blue-blooded North Carolina Tar Heels.
"It's the ultimate chance; Carolina is the team I've always wanted to play against. Carolina is one of the big boys. So are we now," Kerr said.3
Next Up: March 27, 1988 Vs. No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels.
Greg Hansen, “UA continues flawless run in the NCAA,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 26 1988, Page One and Three—Section C.; Jay Gonzales, “Arizona races past Hawkeyes,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 26 1988, Page One and Three—Section C.; Corky Simpson, “Passing game beats the press,” The Tucson Citizen, March 26 1988, Page One and Four—Section B.; Jack Rickard, “Proud North Carolina Cats’ next opponent,” The Tucson Citizen, March 26 1988, Page One and Four—Section B.: Dana Cooper, Memories ‘88.
Blog content and original interview quotations © Waterfoot Films 2023.
Greg Hansen, “UA continues flawless run in the NCAA,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 26 1988, Page Three —Section C.
Greg Hansen, “UA continues flawless run in the NCAA,” The Arizona Daily Star, March 26 1988, Page One—Section C.
Greg Hansen, “UA continues flawless run in the NCAA, “The Arizona Daily Star, March 26 1988, Page One—Section C.