Wild About '88 Chapter 40: Tom Tolbert outshines North Carolina in Elite Eight.
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 28, 1988, vs. No. 2 seed North Carolina
Arizona was on the doorstep of the Final Four in Kansas City, but in order to punch their ticket they had to get past an iconic program with a future Hall of Fame coach.
North Carolina was a major brand in college basketball far before Lute Olson arrived in Tucson, and Dean Smith came from basketball royalty.
“James Naismith invents the game in Springfield, Massachusetts, but then he takes a job at Kansas. Right down the hall from his office is a PE instructor, Fogg Allen, who was the great Kansas coach for whom Dean Smith plays. Well and who plays for Dean Smith but Michael Jordan. So you've got Naismith, Fogg Allen, Dean Smith, Michael Jordan. What else do you need? That's basketball,” former Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff said in 2016.
After John Wooden’s UCLA run, the Tar Heels were the standard in college hoops.
If Arizona were to defeat the Tar Heels to go to the Final Four, the national pundits would have nothing left to negatively say about the Wildcats.
The Tar Heels flustered Arizona in the first half holding the Wildcats to an abnormal 26 points.
Late in the half, Rick Fox stole the ball from Sean Elliott. While Fox attacked the basket with no one in sight, Steve Kerr committed a surprising intentional foul to avoid giving up an easy two.
Fox would make one of two free throws and North Carolina led by two at the half.
Going into halftime former Arizona Daily Star writer Jay Gonzales didn’t like Arizona’s chances.
“I saw Lute walking off the court talking to Kerr. All the players had jogged in. Lute's talking to Kerr. That's kind of like two coaches talking about what they're going to do in the second half already,” Gonzales said in 2013.
“But I didn't really know and I thought, this feels like a loss at halftime. I thought that because they're losing and it's North Carolina and North Carolina doesn't lose this game.”
Tom Tolbert did not help Arizona’s chances in the first half when he only scored one basket while pulling down a single rebound.
Early in the second half Tolbert picked up his third foul and Coach Olson was testy.
“Coach sat me on the bench and put it simply: ‘Do you want to go to Kansas City?’” Tolbert said.1
Tolbert’s answer could be found on the court.
With the Cats trailing 42-40, Tolbert made the most famous and-one in the history of Arizona Basketball.
Under the hoop, Tolbert pump faked All-American J.R. Reid. With Reid in the air, Tolbert made contact and threw up a dipsy doo shot that only connects in a Hollywood script.
And it counts!
That started an avalanche of scoring from Tolbert. At one point in the second half, he handily outscored North Carolina 16-12. He would finish with 21 points and six rebounds.
Sean Elliott also hit some clutch shots in the second half and would lead all scorers with 24 points.
“I’ll never forget coming out of the game with maybe a minute to go knowing we had achieved our goal of getting to the Final Four and jumping into my teammate’s arms on the sidelines. That was probably the moment that I'll always cherish in my Arizona basketball career,” Kerr said in 2014.
“I cherish everything, but that moment sort of captured it all. Making the Final Four and celebrating with my guys.”
Arizona would win 70-52.
In their four game run in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats won by an average of 27 points per game.
“We did better than anyone else has against them,” Dean Smith said.
“They only beat us by 18.”2
Next Up vs No. 1 seed Oklahoma at the Final Four.
Jack Rickard, “Wildcats roll past Carolina in the second half” The Tucson Citizen, March 28, 1988, Pages One and Seven — Section B., Greg Hansen, “Wildcats silence naysayers,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One — Section C, March 28, 1988., Memories ‘88, Dana Cooper.
Greg Hansen, “Wildcats silence naysayers,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One —Section C., March 28, 1988.
Greg Hansen, “Wildcats silence naysayers,” The Arizona Daily Star, Page One — Section C., March 28. 1988.