By Daniel Berk - Assistant Director of Communication Services
TUCSON, Ariz. – Over the span of a 49-game home winning streak, it would make sense if the victories came in all shapes and sizes.
They can't all be easy, fun and stress free, right?
Apparently wrong.
The Arizona Wildcats extended their McKale Center excellence Saturday night when they cruised by Washington State 90-66. It of course marked Arizona's 49th straight win at home, but perhaps even more remarkable it was also the Wildcats' 23rd straight at McKale by double digits.
It's been nearly 14 months, or 405 days to be exact, since an opponent has held Arizona to a single-digit victory at McKale Center.
Dominance defined.
“It's just so special to play in this building,” said senior Mark Tollefsen, who transferred from San Francisco to Arizona for his final year of eligibility. “For me, playing at a smaller school where the environment certainly wasn't like this, to playing here and getting it every single night, is something special. It's something I'll never forget and will remember for the rest of my life.”
In Saturday's lopsided Arizona victory, the Wildcats shot 54 percent from the floor, 56 percent from 3-point distance and outrebounded the Cougars 35-23. Six players – Ryan Anderson, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Gabe York, Tollefsen, Dusan Ristic and Kaleb Tarczewski – scored in double figures as the 14,502 fans at McKale Center were treated to some entertainment--which has become the norm at home for the Wildcats.
Of Arizona's 49 straight wins, 44 of them have been by double digits. Only five teams – UNLV, Washington, Utah, Oregon and Gonzaga – have come within nine points or less of Arizona at home.
So why does coach Sean Miller's team play so well on its home court?
“I think we're just feeding off the crowd,” Tollefsen said. “We have such great fans here in Tucson, and we're just feeding off them and off each other. It's just a different energy in this building for sure.”
The “different energy” can actually be quantified: Exactly 709,093 fans have come through the McKale Center doors to watch the Wildcats since they last lost. It's an energy that the home and visiting teams are certainly cognizant of.
“I've been playing for five years now and have played at a lot of different places, and there is nothing like this place,” Tollefsen said. “For me, I've been on the other side, playing in some tough environments, and I see the same look on their face that I had on my face in those situations. You definitely see it.”
During the streak, which is the third-longest in school history and the longest active streak in college basketball, Arizona has posted more wins by 50 or more points (two) than overtime victories (one). Saturday's win was the 26th by 20 points or more during the streak.
Want more proof that Arizona (15-3, 3-2 Pac-12) hasn't had to sweat many of the 49 wins? The Wildcats have won 14 straight Pac-12 home games by double digits. The last Pac-12 opponent to lose to Arizona by single digits was Oregon in 2014. Former Wildcat Stanley Johnson, now with the NBA's Detroit Pistons, was still in high school.
From looking in the past to peeking ahead to the future, the Wildcats will now to look to extend the streak to 50 later this month when Oregon visits on Jan. 28.
Tollefsen, and the 14,500-plus fans who will fill McKale Center, will be ready.
“Every opportunity to play in this building is a great one,” Tollefsen said. “We don't take it lightly.”
Clearly.
