Coach Olsen Quotes
Complete Bracket (PDF File)
No. 1 Seed Wildcats Will Play on Thursday in Salt Lake City
2000 NCAA Basketball Tournament - West Region
March 16 & 18, 2000/Salt Lake City, Utah
Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
#1 Arizona (26-6, 15-3 Pac-10)
vs.
#16 Jackson State (17-15,10-8 SWAC)
Sweet 16th in a Row:
The University of Arizona Wildcats take part in their
16th consecutive NCAA Tournament (19th overall) by traveling to Salt Lake
City, Utah, for the first round of the NCAA West Region. For the second
time in three years, the UA received a No. 1 seed and it will face the 16th
seeded Jackson State Tigers on Thursday, March 16. Once the television
schedule has been established by CBS, the tip-off time will be released
later in the day on Monday. The Wildcats were crowned the co-champion of
the Pacific-10 Conference with Stanford, but received the automatic bid to
the 2000 NCAA Tournament after they won the tie breaker since they beat the
Cardinal in the team's two meetings this season.
The Tigers were also extended an automatic bid to the tourney after
winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament last Saturday when
they beat Southern, 76-61. JSU completed the regular season with a 14-15
overall record and went 10-8 in the league, but then went on to win the
next three SWAC Tournament games to get to the NCAA Tournament for the
second time in the school's history
As for the 1999-00 Wildcats, they entered this season after losing
three starters from last year's club - one of who was the national player
of the year. With an extremely young team, they continued to play among the
nation's elite this year, posted a record of 26-6 and went 15-3 in the
Pac-10 Conference. The Cats were ranked in the top-five for 12 weeks this
season, even though - for the majority of the season - they were starting
two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman, a sophomore and a transfer who was
in his first year at Arizona. In addition, there have been two major
injuries to starters - a fractured foot for Richard Jefferson that forced
him to miss 13 games during the Pac-10 season and a back injury to center
Loren Woods that sidelined him for the final six games of the regular season.
Head coach Lute Olson's Wildcats entered the year ranked ninth in both
of the preseason polls, but quickly moved up after winning their third
Preseason NIT title of the 1990s when they beat No. 11 Kentucky in New York
City in late November. Arizona would go onto win 16 of its first 18 games,
and in that span, it beat the likes of top-ranked Stanford (a win that gave
Lute Olson his 600th career victory), fifth-ranked Michigan State,
ninth-ranked Texas, and No. 25 UCLA. In all, Arizona ended the season with
a 7-1 record against ranked opponents and turned in the program's 13th
consecutive 20-win campaign.
The 1999-00 Wildcat squad is a group which is young, but plays like it
is dominated with upperclassmen. It was a team that could have been
nicknamed the "Fab Few", as Olson had to use a lineup, that, depending on
who was injured on which day, consisted of just six, or seven, or eight
available scholarship players.
Leading the way for the Wildcats is All-Pac-10 performer, sophomore
power forward Michael Wright. The only player to start in all 32 games for
the Wildcats this season, he led the team in scoring and rebounding,
averaging 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game (No. 2 in the Pac-10). He
also led the Pac-10 in double-doubles with 12 and his field goal
percentage of .576 was second in the conference. Junior 7-foot-1 center
Loren Woods, another of the Cats' three All-Pac-10 first team performers,
was probably the dominant player in the league before going down with a
back injury that sidelined him for the UA's final six games of the season.
He set a school record for blocks in a season (102), was averaging 15.6 ppg
and 7.5 rpg and looked to be one the way to winning Pac-10 Player of the
Year honors. His status is still in doubt for the tournament.
Sophomore forward Richard Jefferson joined Wright as the only two
starters back from last season and his solid season was interrupted on Jan.
8, when he broke his right foot three minutes into the Cats upset of No.1
Stanford at Maples Pavilion, forcing him to miss 13 games. Up until the
injury, he was fourth on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), first in
three-point percentage (.452) and third in both rebounding (4.9) and field
goal percentage (.532). He returned to action for the Oregon road trip, but
finally made his presence known when he went for 19 points in the UA's win
over the second-ranked Cardinal back in Tucson on March 9.
Arizona's all-freshman backcourt made headlines throughout the year.
All-Pac-10 first team honoree and starting point guard was steady as a rock
in his first season, while shooting guard Gilbert Arenas was his equal as
the Cats brought home program's ninth Pac-10 title. Gardner, who averaged
12.9 ppg and 5.0 apg, was named the USBWA's National Freshman of the Year,
while both guys were named the Pac-10's All-Freshman team. As for Arenas,
who averaged 15.2 ppg, he led the squad with a UA freshman record 66 steals
and will go into the NCAA Tournament with a team-high streak of 17
consecutive double-figure scoring games. The injury to Jefferson helped
redshirt freshman Luke Walton step into the spotlight and in just 17 games
as a starter, and he too proved to be one the top freshmen in the country.
The team's top assist man in conference games only (5.6 apg), he was an
honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman team performer and is one of those
players who makes everyone around him better. He finished the regular
season averaging 5.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 3.9 apg.
Junior Justin Wessel may have been one of the top role players in the
country and it has been he who has had to step in for Woods in the big
man's absence. Although Wessel missed the season finale with a sprained
ankle, he did an excellent job as the Cats man in the center and it was
tough defense that helped Arizona in the big win over Stanford that put the
UA back in position for the Pac-10 title. Sophomore Rick Anderson rounded
out the eight-man rotation and he could be the team's best pure shooter if
he gets his confidence rolling.
This year's tournament marks the fourth time in history that Arizona
has been a No. 1 seed - and the second time in the past three years. The
last time was in 1998, preceded by 1989 and 1988.
Arizona's NCAA Tournament History
Arizona has advanced to the Sweet 16 seven times in the last 12 years.
Arizona's Last Action:
In Arizona's final game of the 1999-2000 regular
season, the Wildcats claimed a share of the Pac-10 Conference championship
by downing the California Golden Bears, 70-61, at Lute Olson Court at
McKale Center. Arizona, which was down to six scholarship players available
due to Justin Wessel's sprained right ankle, was led by the 22-point effort
of Gilbert Arenas, which was helped in part by 10-of-11 shooting from the
free throw line. Michael Wright had 15 points and eight rebounds, while
Jason Gardner scored 13 points and was 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. In
the first half, Arizona posted a 24-13 lead with 6:38 to go and eventually
went by 14 until taking a 35-24 into the lockeroom at halftime. In the
second stanza, the Cats never trailed and wrapped up the program's ninth
Pac-10 title when the final horn sounded. Playing in his final game at
McKale Center, senior Josh Pastner got into the game with about 30 seconds
left and managed to hit 1-of-2 free throws to get in the book. As the norm
has been all season, the Cats outscored the Bears 32-2 from the free throw
line and UA held Cal to a field goal percentage of just 36.8%.
The Series History With Jackson State:
Arizona and Jackson State have
played just once before... The Wildcats won on Dec. 14, 1996, in McKale
Center by a score of 111-83... That Arizona team would go onto win the 1997
NCAA Championship... Jackson State is the only team Arizona has played from
the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The Rest of the Salt Lake City Field:
In addition to the Arizona vs.
Jackson State game, the following games take place in Salt Lake City on
Thursday:
No. 8 Wisconsin (18-13) vs. No. 9 Fresno State (17-9)
No. 5 Texas (22-7) vs. No. 12 Indiana State (22-9)
No. 4 Louisiana State (25-4) vs. No. 13 Southeast Missouri State (24-6)
Salt Lake City Sub-Region Connections:
This season has seen Arizona play
two of the teams that will be in Salt Lake City this week... The Wildcats
downed then No. 9 Texas in Austin on Dec. 4, by a score of 88-81... Arizona
has beaten Texas four times in a row... The Wildcats lost at Louisiana
State on Jan. 29, 86-60... The last time Arizona was in Salt Lake City, it
was for a return flight from a game at Brigham Young on Nov. 28, 1998...
The significance???... The team was forced to make an emergency landing
back at the Salt Lake Airport after the plane lost use of one of its
engines after the plane reached cruising altitude... The plane landed
safely, but a few tense moments were experienced by all... Arizona last
played in the NCAAs at Salt Lake City in 1993... It lost to Santa Clara
that season as a No. 2 seed... Arizona also played in Salt Lake City for
the NCAAs in 1991... That season, the Cats were also a No. 2 seed and beat
St. Francis (Pa.) and Brigham Young... They then lost to Seton Hall in the
West Regional at Seattle... Lute Olson has never faced Wisconsin at
Arizona, but went 15-3 against the Badgers when he was the head coach at
Iowa from 1974-83... He beat the Badgers the final six times he faced
them... Arizona's first round opponent - Jackson State - was the first
round opponent of Kansas when the 34-1 Jayhawks were the No. 1 seed in the
1997 NCAA Tournament... Arizona knocked off KU two games later in the Sweet
16 at Birmingham to get the wheels going in the drive for UA's national
championship
The Last Arizona vs. Jackson State Game:
The Wildcats posted a 1996-97
season-high point total the last time they played Jackson State, beating
the Tigers, 111-83 on Dec. 14, 1996 in Tucson. Junior forward Michael
Dickerson led the UA in scoring with 24 points, 16 of which came in the
first half... He hit five three-pointers and pulled down six rebounds as
well. Sophomore center Donnell Harris had a big-night, recording
career-highs for points and rebounds (21 pts/16 rbds) for his second
double-double of the year... Due to A.J. Bramlett's foot injury, Arizona
was forced to go with only a six-man rotation -- until the game was out of
reach and the bench emptied... The Cats had three others score in double
figures, including a career-best 22 points and nine boards for junior
Bennett Davison... Jason Terry added 19 points and six assists and freshman
Eugene Edgerson had a career-high 13 points off the bench... Arizona shot
.529 from the floor... In addition to Edgerson, two other current members
of this year's team played in that game - Josh Pastner and John Ash...
Pastner had what is still tied for a career high in points with five in
five minutes of playing time, while Ash was scoreless in three minutes, but
had one assist.
Arizona In the West Region:
The match-up with Jackson State marks the 12th
time Arizona has played in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament... The
last time they were in the West, the Cats were also the No. 1 seed, and
lost to Utah in the Regional Final at Anaheim... That season they started
out in Sacramento and beat Nicholls State and Illinois State in the first
and second rounds... The other years Arizona has played in the West were
1996 (Tempe/Denver), 1994 (Sacramento/Los Angeles), 1993 (Salt Lake City),
1991 (Salt Lake City/Seattle), 1990 (Long Beach), 1989 (Boise/Denver), 1988
(Los Angeles/Seattle), 1987 (Tucson), 1986 (Long Beach), 1985
(Albuquerque)... Arizona's all-time record in the NCAA West Region play is
20-11.
Coach Olson:
Lute Olson (Augsburg '56) is in his 17th season as the head
coach at Arizona and his 27th overall as a head coach... This season saw
him reach two major milestones in what has become a Hall of Fame type
coaching career -- he has recorded his 600th career win and his 400th
victory at Arizona... With his win at Stanford on Jan. 8, he became the
33rd coach in NCAA history to win 600 or more games... He now has a career
record of 613-218 (.738), while his mark at the University of Arizona
stands at 421-126 (.769)... His Pac-10 record is 238-68 (.777) and he has
the fourth most Pac-10 wins in history, trailing UCLA's John Wooden (304,
1949-75), Oregon State's Slats Gill (276, 1929-64) and Washington's Hec
Edmundson (266, 1921-47)... He has the second-best conference winning
percentage in Pac-10 history (minimum three years), trailing only John
Wooden (.810/304-74)... With the win over BYU this season, he reached 400
victories for his Arizona career (these numbers may differ from what the
NCAA coaching totals list, because as opposed to the Pac-10 Conference, the
NCAA does not count forfeits as wins on head coaching records, as the case
is with two UA losses to Cal in 1995 and 1996, which were later changed to
wins... the same holds true with a game when Olson was at Iowa, when there
was a forfeit by Wisconsin in 1983 that changed a loss into a win)... He is
1-0 all-time against Jackson State... The season's opener against Kansas
State was the 800th of his collegiate Division IA career... For his entire
coaching career, including 11 years in high school (157-86 from 1956-69)
and three in the junior college ranks (Long Beach City College, 104-20), he
has coached in 1,198 games... During his 17-year tenure at Arizona, the
Wildcats have won one national championship (1997), gone to three Final
Fours (1988, 1994, 1997), won eight Pac-10 Conference titles and been to
the NCAA Tournament for the past 16 years in a row, which is the second
longest streak in NCAA history (North Carolina, 26)... He also led Iowa to
the 1980 Final Four... He has been named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year six
times (1986, '88, '89, '93, '94, '98), the Big-10 Coach of the Year twice
(1979 & '81) and directed the UA program to the nation's best winning
percentage over the past 13 years... Prior to coming to the UA, he was at
Iowa for nine years and went 168-90... Before that, he was at Long Beach
State for one season (1973-74), where he was 24-2... In his collegiate
career, he has produced 35 NBA Draft picks, including 20 at Arizona - 15
alone on the 1990s... He has led Arizona to 13 consecutive 20-win seasons
and has 22 overall in his career, making him one of only six head coaches
in NCAA history to record 22 or more 20-win seasons... Under Olson, the
Cats are 259-26 (.909) in McKale Center and have won 187 of their last 198
home games.
Lute Olson has reached a pair of coaching milestones this season... He
recorded career win No. 600 with the victory at top-ranked Stanford on Jan.
8, and has also achieved win No. 400 at Arizona... Here is a look at his
milestone career victories:
Win Date Team Opponent Score
1 12-1-73 LBSU Puget Sound 84-55
100 2-3-79 Iowa Minnesota 97-71
200 2-25-84 Arizona Oregon St. 69-58
300 3-27-88 Arizona North Carolina 70-52
400 2-13-93 Arizona Washington St. 94-72
500 2-11-96 Arizona Cincinnati 79-76
600 1-8-00 Arizona Stanford 68-65
Jackson State Information:
Arizona will face a Jackson State team that was
17-15 overall and 10-8 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference... They
earned the automatic bid with a 56-50 win over Alabama State in the
championship game of the SWAC tournament... They also knocked off top seed
Alcorn State, 64-60, and second-seeded Southern University, 76-61... The
Tigers are making their second NCAA tournament appearance... In 1997, they
lost in the first round to the same Kansas team that Arizona defeated on
its way to the national championship... Arizona won its only previous
meeting with JSU, 111-83, on December 14, 1996 in Tucson... The Tigers are
led by senior center Vincent Jones who averaged a team-high 13.3 points and
7.4 rebounds, while starting 29 of JSU's 30 contests... Jones was named the
MVP of the SWAC tournament with 22 points, nine rebounds and five blocked
shots in the championship game... He led the team in scoring and rebounding
12 times each... Senior guard Marino Walker was named to the SWAC
All-Tournament team with 19 points, five steals and five rebounds in the
second round win over Alcorn State... JSU's second-leading scorer, senior
guard Timmy Marks, has played in all 30 games but started only 10... Marks
averages 12.2 points and 3.3 rebounds and has led the team in scoring eight
times... Head coach Andy Stoglin is in his 11th season... He earned his
200th career victory on Feb. 19 in JSU's 91-73 victory over Mississippi
Valley State.
Final Pac-10 Conference Standings
Pac-10 Overall
1. Arizona 15-3 26-6
Stanford 15-3 26-3
3. Oregon 13-5 22-7
4. UCLA 10-8 19-11
5. Arizona State 10-8 18-12
6. USC 9-9 16-14
7. California 7-11 16-14
8. Oregon State 5-13 13-16
Washington 5-13 10-20
10. Washington St. 1-17 6-22
NCAA Tournament Games
Thursday
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Jackson State (West)
No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 11 Ball State (Midwest)
Friday
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 16 So. Carolina St. (South)
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 Seton Hall (East)
Versus the 2000 NCAA Field: This season, Arizona played nine teams that are
in this year's NCAA Tournament... The Cats went 9-3 against these squads...
They beat Michigan State, Kentucky, Texas, Stanford (twice), UCLA (twice),
Oregon and UNC Wilmington; and lost to Connecticut, LSU and Oregon.
The UA's record of 347-80 over the course of the past 12+ years (since
1987-88) gives it the nation's best winning percentage during that span
(.813).
Pac-10 Honors:
Three Wildcats were named to the All-Pac-10 Conference first
team on Sunday... The three selections were the highest number for any of
the conference schools... Michael Wright, Loren Woods and Jason Gardner
were all named to the 10-man first team, while Gilbert Arenas was an
honorable mention selection... This was just the eighth time since the
league went to a one-team, 10-man all-conference squad that three players
were selected from one team... Arizona has now had 34 first team picks
since it joined the league... Gardner is the first Arizona freshman to be
named to the All-Pac-10 first team... Wright was the 1999 Pac-10 Freshman
of the Year and Woods was also the Pac-10's Newcomer of the Year this season.
Other Postseason Honors for the Cats:
Sophomore forward Michael Wright was
named as one of 22 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award last week... An
announcement of the 10-player Wooden All-America team will be made on Fox
Sports Net's 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts in all time zones on Tuesday,
March 28... Loren Woods was named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year on March
8... It marked the first time an Arizona player has received the honor
since the award began to given out in 1993... Jason Gardner was named the
United States Basketball Writer's Association National Freshman of the
Year... The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced its
All-District 15 team and Wright was named to the first team, while junior
center Loren Woods and freshman point guard Jason Gardner were second team
selections... Wright and Woods were both named to the USBWA's All-District
9 team... Head coach Lute Olson was selected as the USBWA District 9 Coach
of the Year... This marks the third time that Olson has been named the
USBWA's District Coach of the Year award, after also being honored with it
in 1992-93 and 1987-88... Olson has also been named as one of 15 finalists
for the Naismith College Basketball Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff
Club has announced... He is now is eligible to win the award that will be
presented in Atlanta, Ga., on April 8... He was named College Hoops
Insider's Pac-10 Coach of the Year on March 6.
Streakin' on Campus:
Dating back to the start of the 1997 NCAA Tournament,
Arizona owns a record of 84-18 (.824 winning%)... In the past three Pac-10
Conference seasons, the Wildcats have gone 45-9.
Since 1984:
This will be Arizona's 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament
appearance... The last time the Cats were not invited to the Big Dance was
in 1984... That year, Arizona freshman guard Gilbert Arenas was just two
years old... Tina Turner's album "What's Love Got To Do With It?" won the
Grammy for Record of the Year and Amadeus won the Oscar for Picture of the
Year... It was Lute Olson's first year as the Arizona head coach and he
since gone on to win 409 games in Tucson... That year also saw Patrick
Ewing lead Georgetown to the NCAA Title over Houston's Phi Slama Jama
Club... Since then, there have been three presidents of the United States
(Reagan, Bush, Clinton)... Los Angeles hosted the Olympics later that
summer... The All-Americans for college basketball in 1984 included Ewing,
Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma), Sam Perkins (North Carolina), Akeem Olajuwon
(Houston) and some guy named Jordan from North Carolina who went have a
little bit of success in the NBA... The NCAA Tournament bracket was
expanded to 64 teams a year later.
Coach of the Year Credentials:
Being that Arizona was 26-6 this year and
was the Pac-10 co-champions, those who are uninformed about the UA program
in 1999-2000 may think this has been just another smooth sailing season for
the Cats... But, truth be told, it has been the exact opposite and people
are beginning to notice... In guiding Arizona to a top-five ranking for 12
weeks, including a No. 2 ranking three times, head coach Lute Olson has had
to do so while playing through many, many distractions, so much so that he
has called this year his "most unbelievable year", in terms of injuries,
player losses and off-the-court distractions... There are three players
from the original roster who are no longer around (Ruben Douglas, Luke
Recker, Robertas Javtokas), two major injuries to starters (Richard
Jefferson/Loren Woods), a key senior who is redshirting to student teach
(Eugene Edgerson), a player who was going to be counted on, but is now
seeking a medical redshirt (Lamont Frazier), and other missed starts,
missed games, roster additions and a lineup that has consisted of basically
six-to-seven healthy and available scholarship players... He has fought
through all of this, while starting two true freshman, a redshirt freshman,
a sophomore and junior transfer who is in his first season with the Cats...
And for the past five games, the team has been without the services of its
top scorer, shot blocker and second leading rebounder, Loren Woods, who is
out with a back injury.
Lute Olson Court at McKale Center:
The University of Arizona athletic
department honored head coach Lute Olson on Feb. 26, with a postgame
ceremony to name the McKale Center floor, "Lute Olson Court". Olson, 65,
has taken three UA teams to the Final Four, won the 1997 NCAA Championship,
has eight Pacific-10 Conference titles, been named the Pac-10 Coach of the
Year eight times and has taken 15 consecutive teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Olson's teams always have played tough at home, with a career record of
259-26 in McKale Center. His 71-game winning streak from 1987 to 1992 is
the nation's 10th-best home court winning streak. He has coached seven
teams to undefeated home records and the Wildcats have won 187 of the past
198 games held in the facility. McKale Memorial Center was built in 1973
and named in honor of J.F. "Pop" McKale, long-time coach and educator at
the University. McKale has been sold out for men's basketball for the past
13 seasons. Arizona has led the Pac-10 in attendance since 1984-85, Olson's
second season.
COACHES WITH THE MOST 20-WIN SEASONS IN NCAA HISTORY
30 Dean Smith, North Carolina, 1962-97
27 Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU, UNLV, Fresno St., 1969-00
23 Adolph Rupp, Kentucky, 1931-72
23 Bob Knight, Army, Indiana, 1966-00
22 Lute Olson, LBSU, Iowa, Arizona, 1974-00
22 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse, 1977-00
22 John Chaney, Cheyney, Temple, 1973-00
20-Win Campaigns:
With its record of 26-6 this season, it marks the 13th
consecutive season that Arizona has won 20 or games... Further, it is the
15th time in Lute Olson's 17 years as UA head coach that the Cats have
reached the 20-win plateau... It also marks the 22nd time in Olson's career
that he has directed a team to 20 or more victories, making him just the
seventh head coach in NCAA history to reach 20 wins in 22 or more seasons
(Dean Smith-30; Jerry Tarkanian-26; Adolph Rupp-23; Bobby Knight-23; Jim
Boeheim-22; John Chaney - 22). This list could increase by one, as
Louisville's Denny Crum has 21 career 20-win seasons and the Cardinals were
19-11 entering the NCAA Tournament
Cat Scratches:
Arizona's 26 regular season wins tie with the 1990-91 club
for the fourth-most regular season victories during the Lute Olson era...
Arizona was 7-1 versus ranked opponents this season, beating No. 1
Stanford, No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 9 Texas, No. 11
Kentucky, No. 23 Oregon, No. 25 UCLA and losing to No. 6 Connecticut... The
Cats have won 30 consecutive Pac-10 home games, not losing since UCLA won
in McKale Center on Feb. 13, 1997... Lute Olson's Arizona teams have
concluded the home portion of its regular season schedule with an 18-1
record... Gilbert Arenas needs 14 more points to become just the second
freshman in Arizona history to score 500 or more points... Coniel Norman is
the only freshman to accomplish this feat, scoring 576 points in 1972-73...
Additionally, Michael Wright became just the seventh sophomore to score 500
or more points in a season, scoring 505 so far... Luke Walton is Arizona's
top assist man in Pac-10 games, averaging 5.6 apg (Jason Gardner is at 4.4
apg)... Walton's 12 assists against Stanford are the most in UA history for
a UA frontcourt player -- and the most by an Wildcat since Mike Bibby had
13 against Morgan State on Nov. 27, 1997... Michael Wright has 528 career
rebounds, which is pretty good work for a guy who has played in just 61
collegiate games so far (8.7 career rebounding average)... In the past 13
seasons (including this year), Arizona is averaging 26.8 wins a year...
Michael Wright had his 24th career double-double at OSU (20/15) on March
2... Arizona is 17-7 when he gets a double-double... Arizona has held 16
of its 32 opponents to a shooting percentage of less than 40% from the
field this season... In four of the Wildcats' six losses this season, they
scored less than 70 points -- and they are 20-2 when they score 70 or more
points in a game and 13-1 when they get to 80 and above (the only loss was
at Oregon, when they were beaten 86-81... The Cats are 23-1 this year when
they have a better shooting % than the opponent (once again, the only
exception was Oregon - UA shot 50.9%, UO was at 44.3%)... This season
marked the ninth time in Lute Olson's 17 years at Arizona that the team
went undefeated in Pac-10 play at home... Arizona started the season ranked
ninth in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls... When junior John Ash
started at point guard in the Washington game on Jan. 15, he became the
first walk-on to start for the Wildcats since Jan. 30, 1982 and the
first-ever in the Lute Olson era... John Vlahogeorge was the last to do it,
doing so against California... After winning the Preseason NIT earlier this
season, Arizona joins Kansas as the only three-time winners of the event,
winning it in 1999, 1995 and 1990... Dating back to the start of the
1997-98 season, Arizona has been ranked in the top-10 in 49 of the last 56
AP polling periods... Arizona is 41-0 when senior Josh Pastner plays, hence
the term "A Pastner Game" applies whenever the Wildcats win big... Pastner
and Woods were selected captains for this year's team in voting that was
done by teammates... The UA has not given up 100 points in regulation since
Jan. 27, 1990, at Pittsburgh, a span of 333 games... UA lost, 100-92.
Four for 400:
This season, Arizona has four players who have scored 400 or
more points... It's the first time this has happened at the UA since
1987-88, which was the Wildcats' first-ever Final Four team. Here is a
comparison of this year's team with that squad, which played 38 games that
year:
1999-2000 Michael Wright - 505 1987-88 Sean Elliott - 743
Gilbert Arenas - 486 Tom Tolbert - 536
Jason Gardner - 414 Anthony Cook - 528
Loren Woods - 405 Steve Kerr - 477
The Free Throw & Fouling Storyline:
On the season, the Cats are averaging
just 14.4 fouls per contest and have scored 298 more points than the
opposition from foul line... On the year, nine teams have shot fewer than
10 free throws in a game... The Cats have been to the free throw line 383
more times than the opposition... Arizona sends the opponents to the free
throw line an average of 14 times a game (the UA averages 25.9 free throws
attempts per game)... Washington State was 2-3 from the line, Washington
was 5-6, Oregon was 2-of-3, UCLA was 2-of-4 in Pauley Pavilion and
California was 2-8... Arizona tied a school record that had been around
since the 1963-64 season at Washington State when they were whistled for
just six fouls at Washington State (the other game was at Bradley on Dec.
30, 1963)... Six of Arizona's seven regulars are shooting 71% or better
from the free throw line - the lone exception is Richard Jefferson, who is
at .695... Overall, the team is shooting 73.3% from the line... Justin
Wessel is shooting 88.2% from the free throw line (30-34)... He was
10-of-10 from the line against UCLA, as was Michael Wright at Oregon... The
Arizona game FT shooting record is 12-of-12... Wessel may have had the
chance to break that record, but left the game with 2:24 left in the game
after getting an elbow to the nose and needing three stitches to close the
cut... In the last six games, Arizona is shooting 167-of-219 (.763) from
the foul line and its starters are 155-of-202 (.767) during this stretch.
Arizona in 1999-00 Polls/Week-by-Week
Date Record AP USA Today/ESPN
Pre. 0-0 #9 #9
11/15 1-0 #10 #9
11/22 2-0 #8 #9
11/29 4-0 #4 #4
12/6 6-0 #2 #2
12/13 7-1 #4 #3
12/20 9-1 #3 #2
12/27 9-2 #5 #4
1/3 11-2 #5 #4
1/10 13-2 #2 #2
1/17 15-2 #2 #2
1/24 16-3 #5 #4
1/31 17-4 #9 #5
2/7 19-4 #7 #7
2/14 21-4 #4 #4
2/21 23-4 #4 #4
2/28 24-4 #3 #3
3/6 24-6 #9 #6
3/13 26-6 TBA TBA
Fine at the Line in Crunch Time:
One of the Pac-10's top free throw
shooting teams, Arizona has shown a tendency to come up big from the
charity stripe when it matters most... In the Wildcats' 18 Pac-10 games,
they shot 74.3% from the line in the final five minutes of the game
(107-of-144)... Even better is freshman Jason Gardner, who, also in the
final five minutes of the game, made 44-of-53 free throw attempts
(83.0%)... A game-by-game breakdown shows the following free throw marks
during the final five minutes of each game: at California (3-4), at
Stanford (8-12), Washington State (12-12), Washington (7-9), at UCLA
(8-10), at USC (6-8), at Arizona State (2-2), Oregon (6-8), Oregon State
(4-5), Washington (5-7), Washington State (2-2), USC (5-6), UCLA (6-8, two
misses were by walk-on Peter Hansen), 14-20 against Arizona State, 5-8 at
Oregon State, 2-4 at Oregon, 5-9 vs. Stanford and 7-10 against California.
A Public Service Announcement for Event Security:
It must be fun to beat
the Wildcats... In all four of the UA's road losses this season, the
opposing team's fans have rushed the court (Oregon, Oregon State, USC,
LSU)... Dating back to last season, Arizona's last five road losses have
seen the home fans storm the court (Stanford's did it in 1998-99).
Injury Update:
Loren Woods is questionable for this week... He has missed
the last six games with a back injury...The injury is described as a
compression injury to the disc between the 12th thoracic and first lumbar
vertebrae that also involves the bone... He has no neural involvement
(numbing, muscle weakness) and due to the fact that the injury involves the
bone, his rehabilitation has involved rest over a period of time... He is
expected to make a full recovery with no long term problems... Justin
Wessel missed the Cal game with a right ankle sprain... He will be ready to
go this week... He rolled the ankle with about eight minutes to go in the
Stanford win... He had what UA athletic trainer Ed Orr termed a
"second-degree sprain"... Richard Jefferson, who had missed 13 game with a
broken foot was cleared to play for the Oregon road trip... He went down
with a fractured fifth metatarsal at Stanford on Jan. 8.
Well, He WAS This Century's Greatest Free Throw Shooter:
Justin Wessel had
made 28 free throws in a row until missing on his second attempt at Oregon
State on March 2, and had not missed in the year 2000... That was one short
of tying the UA record for consecutive free throws (29), which was set by
Dylan Rigdon in 1993-94... Prior to that miscue, Wessel's last miss from
the free throw line was on Dec. 13, 1999, when he missed his first FT
attempt at home against IUPUI... On the year, Wessel is 30-34 from the free
throw line (.882).
Out to the Woods' Shed:
Many, many, highlights and notes came out of Loren
Woods' swat-fest against Oregon on Feb. 3, in Tucson... Most notably was
the NCAA record tying 14 blocked shots... It was the most blocks in an NCAA
game since 1996... He is now tied in the NCAA record books with David
Robinson of Navy (vs. UNC Wilmington, 1-4-86), Shawn Bradley of BYU (vs.
Eastern Kentucky, 12-7-90) and Roy Rogers of Alabama (vs. Georgia,
2-10-96)... It also broke the Pac-10 record of 11 blocks in a game, which
was set by UCLA's Jelani McCoy (vs. Maryland, 12-9-95)... Woods also had a
triple-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, 14 blocks) and it was the first for
Arizona since Damon Stoudamire did it on Feb. 25, 1995 - also against
Oregon in Tucson (32 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists)... Since the Pac-10
Conference began charting triple-doubles in 1985, it is the 12th
triple-double in league history and just the second that involves blocked
shots, as opposed to assists... McCoy's game against Maryland was the other
(15-10-11 blocks)... This triple-double was the first in the Pac-10 since
UCLA's Toby Bailey had one against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 18, 1995...
Obviously, the 14 blocks is an Arizona record, breaking the old mark of 10,
which Woods set earlier this season against Washington State and it is also
a McKale Center record, eclipsing the 11 blocks that Purdue's Joe Barry
Carroll had in an NCAA Tournament game in 1977.
Pac-10 Players of the Week:
Two Arizona players have named the Pac-10
Player of the Week this season -- Loren Woods, who has done it twice, and
Michael Wright... For his performances against Oregon and Oregon State,
Woods was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Feb. 7, for the second
time this season... In Arizona's two wins, he averaged 15.5 points, 9.5
rebounds, 7.5 blocks and 2.5 assists per game... He was 10-of-18 from the
floor (.555) and 11-of-14 from the free throw line (.785) and with his 14
blocks against Oregon, tied the NCAA record for blocks in a game... In the
addition to above mentioned heroics against Oregon, he scored 15 points to
go with nine rebounds, one block and three assists against Oregon State...
He got a chance to rest due to the big win and played only 27 minutes... He
was 5-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line... His first
Pac-10 POW honor this season was on Jan. 17 -- after the Washington State
and Washington outings, ending a three-week run by Arizona State's Eddie
House... Woods averaged 23.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 7.5 bpg game... He was
16-of-36 from the floor and 15-of-19 from the free throw line, while
averaging 38.5 minutes per game... In the win over WSU, he scored a
then-career-high 25 points to go with a then-school record 10 blocks... He
had six rebounds, one steal and was 9-of-9 from the free throw line... He
was 8-19 from the floor... In the win over UW, he scored a game-high 22
points to go with 11 rebounds and five blocked shots... He played 39
minutes... He was 8-19 from the floor and 6-10 from the FT line... As for
Wright, he received the award on Dec. 6 for his performances against
Brigham Young and Texas after averaging 17.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg in the two
wins... He was 13-of-19 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the FT line.
And Make It A Double:
All-America and John Wooden Award candidate Michael
Wright has a Pac-10 best 12 double-doubles in the Wildcats' 32 games this
season, bringing his career double-double total to 24... The sophomore
power forward has 24 double-doubles in 61 career games... On the season, he
is averaging 15.8 ppg (No. 7 in the Paac-10) and 8.6 rpg (No. 2 in the
Pac-10), while shooting 57.8% from the floor (No. 2 in the Pac-10)... In
the past eight games, he is averaging 20 ppg, 9.7 rpg and is shooting
70-of-114 from the floor (61.4%)... In the last 13 games, he is 66-of-85
from the free throw line (77.6%)... He is the only UA player to start in
all 32 games this season has started 55 consecutive games for the Cats
dating back to last year... He has a career rebounding average of 8.6 rpg
(528 boards in 61 games)... He had a career-high 28 points at Oregon and
was 10-of-10 from the free throw line... At Oregon State, he had a
season-high 15 rebounds to go with 20 points... In Arizona's two wins
against USC and UCLA, he averaged 21.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, shot 17-of-26 from
the floor (65.4%) and was 8-of-8 from the free throw line... He had a
16-point, 14-rebound outing against Arizona State in the Tucson meeting...
In the win over USC, he had his 10th double-double of the season with 20
points and a season-high tying 14 rebounds... He was 8-of-11 from the floor
and 4-of-4 from the free throw line... He added two steals and played 34
minutes... In the UCLA win, he picked up for the loss of Loren Woods down
low and scored 22 points to go with six rebounds... He was 9-of-15 from the
field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line... He also had two assists...
Wright was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week back on Dec. 6 after
averaging 17.5 ppg and 11.5 rpg in wins over Brigham Young and Texas... His
35 rebounds through the first three games of the Preseason NIT were three
shy of the three-game tournament record of 38, set by Gary Trent (Miami of
Ohio)... His 8.8 rpg mark last season was the best ever for a Pac-10 freshman.
Michael Wright's Career Double-Doubles
(24 in 61 career games)
Arizona's record in these games is 17-7
Date Opponent Points Rebounds
12/14/98 UC-Irvine 15 13
1-2-99 at UCLA 14 10
1/4/99 at USC 11 12
1/14/99 at Arizona State 18 12
1/16/99 at New Mexico 15 17
1/23/99 at Oregon State 13 12
1/30/99 California 15 12
2/4/99 at Washington 19 10
2/13/99 Louisiana State 15 11
2/20/99 Oregon 19 13
3/4/99 USC 22 10
3/12/99 Oklahoma 16 12
11/16/99 Kansas State 11 10
11/19/99 New Mexico State 24 13
11/24/99 Notre Dame 22 11
12/1/99 BYU 19 10
12/4/99 Texas 16 13
12/7/99 Connecticut 14 10
12/30/99 Delaware 19 14
1/15/00 Washington 16 12
2/3/00 Oregon 20 10
2/17/00 USC 20 14
2/26/00 Arizona State 16 14
3/2/00 at Oregon State 20 15
A New UA Streak to Chart:
With North Carolina dropping out of the
Associated Press top-25 poll in late-January, Arizona now has the nation's
longest active streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the AP top-25... The
Wildcats streak stands at 90 weeks in row, dating back to the first regular
season poll of the 1995-96 season... Arizona was not ranked in that year's
preseason poll, but after winning its first two games of the preseason NIT,
the Cats moved up to No.19, and would then rise to No. 4 on Nov. 27 after
winning the tournament... That preseason poll was the only time since the
1987-88 preseason poll that Arizona was not ranked in the AP poll...
Stanford and Duke are second with 73 straight weeks in the AP top-25...
North Carolina had been ranked in the AP poll for 172 consecutive weeks
before falling out a month ago... That was the second-longest streak in
history, trailing only UCLA's 221 weeks from 1966-80... Earlier this
season, Kentucky saw its run of 164 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP
top-25 come to an end as well... Overall, Arizona has been ranked in the
regular season Top-25 rankings for 217 straight weeks.
Pac-10 Team of the Decade???:
Arizona had the most wins of any Pac-10 team
in the 1990s (266), won five Pac-10 Conference crowns and tied for one
other... UCLA was second with four Pac-10 conference titles that decade...
For conference games only, Arizona's record of 140-40 was the best in the
league, with UCLA at No. 2 with a 134-46 mark... The Cats went to the NCAA
Tournament each year in the 1990s and won it all in 1997... There were 18
All-Pac-10 first team selections from Arizona, four Pac-10 Players of the
Year and two Pac-10 Freshmen of the Year... Arizona has not recorded a
double-digit loss total since 1986-87... The Wildcats' seven All-Americans
during the 1990s trailed only Duke's 10... UA and North Carolina were tied
for second-most All-Americans in the 1990s.
Arizona Single Season Block Chart
1. Loren Woods, 102 1999-00
2. Anthony Cook, 84 1988-89
3. Anthony Cook, 75 1987-88
4. Anthony Cook, 69 1986-87
5. Anthony Cook, 50 1985-86
Block Party:
Junior center Loren Woods has provided the UA basketball
program with a luxury it has been without for a while - a legitimate shot
blocker... Although he missed the final six regular season games, he still
had 102 blocks (3.9 bpg), which set the Arizona record for blocks in a
season... Anthony Cook had the school record with 84 blocks, set in
1988-89... The Pac-10 single season record is 124 blocks, set by ASU's
Mario Bennett in 1994-95 (for those of you who are wondering, the NCAA
record for blocks in a season is 207, set by Navy's David Robinson in
1986)... In addition to Woods' NCAA record tying 14 blocks against Oregon
on Feb. 3, he also had 10 blocks in a game once this season (Washington
State) and seven blocks in a game three times (Notre Dame, Nebraska and New
Mexico)... Last year, the Cats accounted for 93 blocks on the season and
this year -- Woods alone had just nine more than that total... This season,
the team has 180 blocks.
The Kids are Alright:
The starting freshman guard tandem of Jason Gardner
and Gilbert Arenas have been major reasons for the UA's 26-6 and Pac-10
championship season... They are combining for 28.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 6.9 apg
and 3.6 spg... They are No. 1 & 2 in steals on the team... Gardner, who was
the USBWA's National Freshman of the Year, leads the team in minutes and
assists, averaging 36.8 mpg and 5.0 apg (he has played all 40 minutes seven
times this season & played 45 at Oregon State)... In the home swing against
USC and UCLA, he averaged 17.5 ppg, 8.5 apg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 spg... He was
12-of-23 from the floor (.521) and 7-of-15 from the 3PT line (.466)... The
frosh played 79 of a possible 80 minutes and had just two turnovers (17
assists)... At Arizona State, he played well beyond his years, scoring 16
points to go with seven assists, four rebounds and four steals, while
playing a part in the defensive effort on ASU's Eddie House... Against
Stanford in Tucson, the duo combined for 28 points, 10 rebounds, nine
assists and six steals... As for Arenas, he was 11th in the conference in
scoring, averaging 15.2 ppg... He scored in double figures in 29 of the
UA's 32 games this season and closed the year by hitting double figures 17
times in a row... He had a career-high 29 points against Arizona State on
Feb. 26, and hounded Pac-10 Player of the Year Eddie House for the second
time this year as well, holding him to a 3-of-15 shooting performance and
just seven points in Tucson... Prior to Arenas' 29 points in the ASU win,
he had 24 at Washington State, 21 against USC and 23 against UCLA... At
WSU, he was 11-of-14 from the floor and had five rebounds, four assists and
three steals... In the first game against Arizona State, he scored a
then-career and game-high 24 points (10-of-13 shooting from the floor) to
go with a career-best eight rebounds - and he too was a part of the
"box-and-one" defense on House that wreaked havoc... Gardner had an
excellent weekend the first time he played the L.A. schools as well... In
the games at UCLA and USC, he scored 45 points... He was 11-of-22 from the
floor, 17-of-20 from the free throw line and 6-of-14 from three-point land
(he had a career-high 25 points against USC)... The tandem was exceptional
at UCLA, as they combined for 38 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and
five steals... Gardner had 20 points, six assists and four rebounds, while
Arenas netted 18 and was 7-of-11 from the floor... They backed that up with
a 41-point, 8-rebound night at USC... Gardner had a big performance in the
win at Stanford, scoring 22 points to go with a career-best six rebounds
and four assists... He was 4-of-5 from the three-point line... They enjoyed
their time in the Madison Square Garden limelight for the Preseason NIT,
appearing in their own version of an off-Broadway "CATS" performance...
They were both named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team, while Arenas
was the tourney's MVP... Arenas averaged 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 3.5
spg, helping Arizona beat Notre Dame and Kentucky... He went for a game and
career-high 20 points in the title game versus UK... As for Gardner, he
averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg and only turned the ball over once while
playing in 72 of a possible 80 minutes.
The New Gil-enium:
Gilbert Arenas' 29 points against Arizona State on Feb.
26, were the most for a UA frosh since 1974... That season, Bob Elliott
scored 38 against ASU... His total bettered the high point games of other
UA freshman standouts like Sean Elliott (28), Michael Dickerson (25),
Richard Jefferson (25), Khalid Reeves (23), Mike Bibby (22) and Damon
Stoudamire (19)... He has scored in double digits in a team-high 17
straight outings heading into the NCAA Tournament and has been the team's
leading scorer in five of the past eight games... He averaged 16.9 ppg in
Pac-10 play.
Roster Additions:
A member of Arizona's football team, Peter Hansen, was
added to the Arizona basketball roster to help the team out because of the
roster depletions... His first day or practice was Jan. 12, and at
6-foot-8, 235 pounds, he is able to give the team an extra big body to go
against in practice... He has played in three games so far (at ASU, at WSU,
UCLA)... The football team's designated "extra point and field goal
blocker", he is a walk-on to the football team who started his career as a
quarterback... He went to Palo Alto HS in Palo Alto, Calif... A two-year
letterman for the hoops team there... In his two-year career for the
Arizona football team, he has blocked three field goals and two PAT's...
Last football season, he blocked field goal attempts against Oregon State
and UCLA, and knocked down a point after attempt against Washington... In
1998, he blocked an extra point against Washington, and later altered a
field goal attempt by the Husky kicker later in the game...Blocked a
Nebraska field goal attempt in the first quarter of the 1998 Holiday
Bowl... One other addition is walk-on Russell Harris, a 5-foot-11,
165-pound freshman guard from Mundelein, Ill (Mundelein High School)... His
only action of the season was at Washington State when he played two
minutes and against UCLA in Tucson (one min./one asst.).
Roster Moves:
With Loren Woods' injury, there are only seven scholarship
players available for action (Rick Anderson, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner,
Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton, Justin Wessel and Michael Wright)... There
are five non-scholarship/walk-on players (John Ash, Josh Pastner, Peter
Hansen, Russell Harris and Mike Schwertley, who is redshirting)... Two
additional scholarship players, Eugene Edgerson and Lamont Frazier, are
sitting out this season... Edgerson is out with a redshirt season so he can
work on the student-teaching portion of his education degree... Frazier
has missed the past 19 games to take care of academic responsibilities and
a medical condition -- and as a result of all the missed time, the UA
coaching staff will look to redshirt him this season... The deletions from
the original roster include freshman center Robertas Javtokas, who decided
to return his native Lithuania and play professionally... Junior transfer
Luke Recker transferred to Iowa - he had come to the UA from Indiana prior
to this season, but returned to the Midwest to be closer to his family and
girlfriend (Kelly Craig), who was injured in a July car crash... Of the
transfer, he said, "After what happened this summer, I feel I need to be
closer to my family, Kelly and Jason (Craig) and their family, and many
other important people in my life. I have been nothing but extremely
impressed with coach Lute Olson and the Arizona program and I will miss
them greatly"... The third was sophomore guard Ruben Douglas, who was
granted his request for a release from his scholarship on Nov. 14... He has
transferred to New Mexico.
McKale Magic:
Arizona has won 59 of its last 61 home games and is 188-11 in
McKale Center since the 1987-88 season... When New Mexico beat Arizona on
Dec. 21, in McKale Center, it snapped the nation's fourth-longest active
home winning streak... The Wildcats had won 37 consecutive home games...
And up until then, only four players on this year's team had experienced a
loss in McKale Center (Justin Wessel, Josh Pastner, John Ash & Eugene
Edgerson -- those four were on teams that were 47-1 at home -- they are now
58-2 at home)... Prior to the New Mexico game, the last loss in McKale
Center was a 66-64 defeat to UCLA on Feb. 13, 1997... During that time, the
Cats have lost three non-conference games (New Mexico - Dec. 21, 1999;
Syracuse - Dec. 23, 1995; Arkansas - Dec. 6, 1992)... The New Mexico loss
also snapped a 23 game home winning streak against consecutive
non-conference opponents... Last year was the ninth season in history that
Arizona went undefeated at home... Arizona owns an all-time record of
350-65 (.843) in McKale Center... This was the 12th season UA basketball
has been sold out in McKale Center on a season-ticket basis... Only 10
pairs of mid-level tickets and 20 pairs of upper level tickets weren't
renewed for this season.
Arizona Single Season Record Updates
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
66 Matt Muehlebach, 1989-90
66 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
64 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
182 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
160 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
141 Jason Terry, 1998-99
140 Michael Wright, 1999-00
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
297 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
195 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
186 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
Blocks
102 Loren Woods, 1999-00
84 Anthony Cook, 1988-89
75 Anthony Cook, 1987-88
69 Anthony Cook, 1986-87
50, Anthony Cook, 1985-86
Steals
85 Jason Terry, 1996-97
84 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
80 Jason Terry, 1998-99
67 Reggie Geary, 1995-96
67 Kenny Lofton, 1988-89
66 Gilbert Arenas, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
66 Matt Muehlebach, 1989-90
66 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
64 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
182 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
160 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
141 Jason Terry, 1998-99
140 Michael Wright, 1999-00
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
297 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
195 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
186 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
Three-Point Field Goals Made
114 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
112 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
93 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
85 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
77 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
76 Jason Terry, 1998-99
71 Matt Othick, 1991-92
68 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
67 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
66 Matt Muehlebach, 1989-90
66 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
64 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
Three-Point Field Goals Attempts
265 Damon Stoudamire, 1993-94
241 Damon Stoudamire, 1994-95
224 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
199 Mike Bibby, 1997-98
199 Steve Kerr, 1987-88
191 Jason Terry, 1998-99
182 Jason Gardner, 1999-00
176 Jason Terry, 1997-98
170 Mike Bibby, 1996-97
166 Michael Dickerson, 1996-97
160 Craig McMillan, 1986-87
Free Throws
211 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
195 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
177 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
176 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
152 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
151 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
145 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
144 Miles Simon, 1997-98
144 Al Fleming, 1974-75
141 Jason Terry, 1998-99
140 Michael Wright, 1999-00
Free Throws Attempted
264 Khalid Reeves, 1993-94
257 Ernie McCray, 1959-60
232 Sean Elliott, 1988-89
225 Bob Elliott, 1975-76
222 Sean Elliott, 1987-88
215 Sean Rooks, 1991-92
208 Bob Elliott, 1974-75
297 Eddie Smith, 1984-85
195 Michael Wright, 1999-00
187 Bill Warner, 1970-71
186 Tom Tolbert, 1987-88
Road Warriors:
This season saw the Wildcats played in 12 different locales
and four separate time zones while logging 18,635 travel miles this
season... Further, the team has been through 15 different airports and on
35 different plane flights.
Jefferson's Starship:
After missing 13 games with a broken foot, Richard
Jefferson made his return to the lineup on March 2 against Oregon State...
He went scoreless on the trip to Oregon, but more than made up for that
with his season-high tying 19-point outing in the win over second-ranked
Stanford in Tucson... He came off the bench and was 8-of-16 from the floor
in 21 minutes... One of the most athletic players in the country, he was a
regular on the various "Plays of the Week" shows before the injury,
providing more than a fair share of highlight reel dunks and blocks...
Prior to the injury, he was fourth on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and
first in three-point shooting (.452/14-31)... He was third in field goal
percentage (.532) and rebounding (4.9 rpg)... He was second in assists (3.3
apg)... Earlier this season, he was a subject of ESPN.com's question of the
day on the college basketball site - it asked "who is the best small
forward in the country?"... He garnered 12% of the vote to finish fourth
behind Michigan State's Morris Peterson, Maryland's Terrance Morris and
Cincinnati's Pete Mickeal... He is finally coming into his own as a wing
player after spending his high school career as a back-to-the-basket post
player... His season was highlighted by a 19-point, five rebound, four
assist outing at Texas, that helped lift Arizona to an 88-81 win over the
ninth-ranked Longhorns... All 19 points came in the second half when he was
8-of-10 from the floor... He was named to the Fiesta Bowl All-Tournament
team and the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team.
Lower Output, Same Results:
Arizona has scored less than 70 points in a
game 10 times this season... In the past three seasons combined, the
Wildcats only had eight games of less than 70 points...The Cats are
averaging 77.4 ppg this season... Conversely, this year's Cats have been
playing some pretty stingy defense, allowing only 68.1 ppg... Seven teams
have scored less than 60 points against Arizona this season.
Groovin' & Truckin':
Redshirt freshman Luke Walton turned in an
outstanding first year of collegiate basketball... The team's leading
assist man in eight of the past 11 outings, he has been the starting
three-man in the past 17 games after Richard Jefferson went down with his
injury... In the past three games, he has 27 assists, handing out a
career-high 12 against Stanford, six versus California and nine last week
at Oregon... In the win over second ranked Stanford in Tucson, he also
added 15 points and five rebounds and was 7-of-8 from the free throw
line... His best game of his career came against Arizona State in Tucson,
when he scored a career-high 23 points to go with a game-high seven
assists, a game and career-high three blocks and three steals... He was
7-of-9 from the floor and made his first five shots of the game... In the
USC game, he had a career-best five steals and tied a career-high with 13
points... He also had five assists and four rebounds... He had seven
assists, six rebounds and six points in the Washington game... Against
Oregon State, he scored 12 points to go with a career-best eight assists,
six rebounds and three steals... He also turned in good back-to-back games
at ASU and LSU...In the LSU outing, he had a career-best 13 points to go
with four rebounds and three assists... That was preceded by his
"break-out" game the UA coaches had been expecting to come... At Arizona
State, he scored a then-career-high 10 points and had a career-best six
rebounds and was 5-of-8 from the floor... It would make sense that a
"Deadhead" would choose Berkeley -- and the Bay Area -- to not only come
out of a shooting slump, but turn in what was until the ASU game, his most
impressive performance of the season... Against California, Walton made his
first field goal since the IUPUI game back on Dec. 13 -- breaking a
five-game drought without a field goal... He had a solid all-around game,
scoring five points to go with three rebounds and three assists... His
jumper with 2:31 left in the game gave Arizona a 60-58 lead -- an advantage
it would never relinquish... Against Stanford, he filled in for an injured
Richard Jefferson and played a career-high 32 minutes, including all 20 in
the second half... Although he was only 1-of-6 from the floor, he had a
game and career-best seven assists... It was his defense and heady play
that received the most mention from Lute Olson and Stanford head coach Mike
Montgomery... In the Oregon win, he had nine points to go with five boards
and a game-high five assists... He had another good all around game against
Washington, scoring four points to go with five boards, four assists/two
steals.
Pac-10 Prognostications:
The Wildcats were picked to win the 1999-2000
Pac-10 Conference title, according to a poll of media members who regularly
cover the league... The poll showed Arizona getting 32 of the possible 36
first-place votes, edging No. 2 UCLA, which received three first place
votes and No. 3 Stanford, which garnered one first place vote... Following
the top-three were Oregon, Oregon State, California, USC, Arizona State,
Washington and Washington State. This poll has correctly picked the Pac-10
Champion for five years in a row and Arizona has now been the preseason No.
1 pick six times since the poll was started back in 1989.
Ties Count as a Win:
With each win by the Arizona basketball team this
year, head coach Lute Olson donates the tie he wore in the game to the
Tucson YMCA , and in turn they auction off that tie to the public, with all
the proceeds going towards their youth programs... So far, his closet is
minus 26 ties on the season - including the one he wore at Stanford, which
was career win No. 600 -- that piece of his wardrobe was shipped to the
Basketball Hall of Fame, where it will be displayed in a temporary display
honoring his 600th victory.
Pretty Good Success:
Dating back to the first round loss of the 1986 Big
Apple NIT, Arizona has won 68 of its last 74 games that have been played as
part of an in-season tournament or one-game special event (i.e. Bank One
Fiesta Bowl Classic, Preseason NIT, Maui Invitational, Great Eight Classic,
Las Vegas Showdown, Great Alaska Shootout, Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic,
etc., etc.)... This season, Arizona is 7-1 in such events, going 4-0 in the
Preseason NIT, losing to Connecticut at the Great Eight, beating Nebraska
in the Las Vegas Showdown and beating UNC-Wilmington and Delaware in the
opening round of the Fiesta Bowl Classic.
Counting Classes:
The 1999-2000 Arizona basketball roster is relatively
young -- to say the least... From top-to-bottom, it is comprised of just
two seniors, of which there is only one who can play, due to Eugene
Edgerson's redshirt season (Josh Pastner, who has played just 98 minutes in
his four year career is the lone "playing" senior)... After that, there are
four juniors - two of whom had never played in a game for the Cats before
the Kansas State season opener (Wake Forest transfer Loren Woods & junior
college transfer Lamont Frazier, who will apply for a redshirt season)...
Then there are three sophomores, one redshirt freshman and three true
freshmen.
Happy Action Graduation Time:
If getting your undergraduate degree in just
two-and-a-half years was not enough, Arizona senior Josh Pastner pushed the
envelope even further with his most recent scholastic accomplishment... On
Dec. 18, he received his master's degree in teaching & teacher education,
taking just three-and-a-half years to do so... He walked in the University
of Arizona's graduation ceremonies on Saturday morning, and then boarded a
plane to Las Vegas to meet up with the team for that night's game against
Nebraska... Last year, the road trip and graduation day was exactly the
same as well, when he received his undergraduate degree in family
studies... He walked the morning of Dec. 19, 1998 and then flew to Las
Vegas later that day for the Cats' game in the Las Vegas Shootout versus
Iowa State.
A Redshirt Year:
Arizona is without the services of senior forward Eugene
Edgerson this season, as he is redshirting so he can complete his degree
requirement in his education major... In order to accomplish his goal of
getting his degree and teaching certificate from the UA in four years, he
will student teach during the 2000 spring semester, while fulfilling other
requirements this fall... He is student teaching kindergarten at Borton
Magnet Elementary School in Tucson... He will still practice with the team
- but will miss practices on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The Golden Arches:
This season's roster contains three former McDonald's
High School All-Americans - freshman Jason Gardner, sophomore Richard
Jefferson and junior Loren Woods.
Then There Were Four:
Just four players remain from Arizona's 1997 NCAA
Championship team - Eugene Edgerson, Justin Wessel, John Ash and Josh Pastner.
Who's Gone From 1998-99:
Leading the losses from last season are 1998-99
seniors Jason Terry and A.J. Bramlett... Terry was named the National
Player of the Year in three circles last year and was the Pac-10 Player of
the Year after becoming the first player to lead the league in scoring
(21.9 ppg), assists (5.5) and steals (2.8) in the same season since Gary
Payton of Oregon State did it in 1989-90... He was No. 10 in the NBA Draft
and went to the Atlanta Hawks... Bramlett was an All-Pac-10 selection last
season after averaging 14.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg... He was drafted in the second
round of the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers... Both Terry and
Bramlett were members of four Arizona teams that went 103-28 (55-4 at
home), winning a national title (1997), a Pac-10 crown and they were 11-3
in the NCAA Tournament... Jason Stewart was the third senior last year,
while freshman guard Traves Wilson transferred in the off-season.
Former Cats in the NBA:
This season, there are nine former Arizona players
on NBA rosters -- the list was reduced by three in when A.J. Bramlett, Ben
Davis and Khalid Reeves were released when the final cut-down date hit...
The current nine-man list includes, Mike Bibby (Vancouver), Jud Buechler
(Detroit), Michael Dickerson (Vancouver), Sean Elliott (San Antonio/injured
list), Steve Kerr (San Antonio), Chris Mills (Golden State), Sean Rooks
(Dallas), Damon Stoudamire (Portland) and Jason Terry (Atlanta)... In the
1990s, there have been 15 players drafted by NBA teams.
Shooting Sets the Tone:
Since the 1996-97 season, Arizona is 84-5 in games
when it has a better shooting percentage than its opponent... The Wildcats
are 23-1 this year, 19-1 last season, 23-2 the year before and 18-1 in
1996-97 campaign.
80s Preservation Society:
In the past four years, the UA is 88-9 when it
scores 80 or more points in a game... Further, since the 1992-93 season,
Arizona is 149-16 when it scores 80 or more... The Cats are 13-1 this year,
were 15-2 in 1998-99, 26-3 in 1997-98 and 19-2 in 1996-97.
Prowlin' With the Wildcats:
Here's the upcoming broadcast schedule for Fox
Sports Net Arizona's bi-weekly magazine show about University of Arizona
athletics -- "Prowlin' with the Wildcats"...Wed., Feb. 23, 9 p.m./Fri.,
Feb. 25, 9 p.m. (repeat); Wed., Mar. 8, 7 p.m.; Wed., Mar. 22, 5 p.m./Fri.,
Mar. 24, 7 p.m. (repeat); Wed., April 5, 3:30 p.m./Sat., April 8, 5 p.m.
(repeat); Thurs., April 20, 3:30 p.m./Sat., April 22, 3:30 p.m. (repeat).
Arizona will play the third game on Thursday in Salt Lake City... It will
tip-off at 5:40 p.m. MST.
The first day's schedule in Salt Lake City is as follows (times are MST):
Texas/Indiana State, 10:40 a.m.
LSU/Southeast Missouri St, 30 min after
Arizon/Jackson State, 5:40 p.m.
Wisconsin/Fresno State, 25 min after
Saturday's schedule in Salt Lake City will be:
Texas/Ind State winner vs. LSU/SE Missouri St. winner, 1:20 p.m.
Arizona/Jackson State winner vs. Wisconsin/Fresno State, 30 min after
The schedule of games in TUCSON for Thursday is:
Oklahoma/Winthrop, 10:40 a.m.
Purdue/Dayton, 30 min after
Lousiville/Gonzaga, 5:50 p.m.
Saturday's schedule in Tucson is:
Oklahoma/Winthrop winner vs. Purdue/Dayton winner, 3:30 p.m.
Louisville/Gonzaga winner vs. St. John's/Northern Arizona winner, 30
minutes after