Wildcats outshoot Cowboys
Stoudamire's winner puts Arizona into Elite Eight
Anthony Gimino
Tucson Citizen
Mar. 25, 2005 12:00 AM
ROSEMONT, Ill. - As it has most of the season, Arizona went to Salim Stoudamire when it absolutely had to have a basket.
With the Wildcats trailing by one point against Oklahoma State with 13.1 seconds left on Thursday night, UA inbounded the ball and got it to Stoudamire. He drove the left side, stopped and elevated for a 15-footer jumper.
It went through the net with 2.8 seconds left, lifting the Wildcats to a thrilling 79-78 victory over the second-seeded Cowboys at Allstate Arena.
"I knew when it came down to crunch time I was going to step up," Stoudamire said. "I practice that shot every day. Coach (Lute Olson) is always on me about going hard, I guess it paid off."
Third-seeded UA (30-6) advances to play top-seeded Illinois on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. for the championship of the Chicago Regional and a trip to the Final Four.
UA was missing Stoudamire for much of Thursday night - either from the floor because of first-half foul trouble or from the scoring column - but he came through late in the game, scoring five points in the final two minutes.
"That's when Salim is at his best," junior Hassan Adams said. "When he's on, he's on."
After Stoudamire's late basket gave UA the lead, Oklahoma State inbounded the ball from underneath its basket. UA had a foul to give, and the Cowboys inbounded again from midcourt with 1.3 seconds left. They still managed to get off a decent shot, but John Lucas' attempt from the corner hit the rim, denying coach Eddie Sutton a chance for a second straight trip to the Final Four.
"When I let it go, I thought it was going in," Lucas said. "When it hit the back of the rim my heart just dropped. This is my last time wearing an Oklahoma State jersey. It's just a real sad moment."
This will be UA's first appearance in a regional final since 2003, when it lost to Kansas..
In 2001, the Wildcats defeated Illinois in the regional final before losing in the NCAA championship game to Duke.
Stoudamire and Adams each finished with 19 points for the Wildcats. Stoudamire didn't score from 13:52 of the first half until 6:01 of the second half.
UA opened up a 49-42 advantage early in the second half, thanks to some nifty passing that set up dunks and layups. An ensuing 12-2 run by Oklahoma State, capped by an Ivan McFarlin layup, gave the lead back to the Cowboys, 54-51.
The teams stayed in touch most of the rest of the way, with Oklahoma State going up 76-72 when Channing Frye was called for goaltending on a layup attempt by McFarlin.
Frye missed a jumper on UA's next possession, but Stoudamire nailed a three-pointer with 1:55 left.
After another UA defensive stop, Frye hit a 15-footer for a 77-76 lead with a minute to play.
Oklahoma State (26-7) wrestled back the lead on Joey Graham's shot from the lane with 20 seconds remaining. Graham led all scorers with 26 points.
UA was carried early by its sizzling shooting. The Wildcats shot 69.6 percent in the first half (16 of 23). Oklahoma State wasn't nearly as hot at 43.3 percent (13 of 30) but countered with eight offensive rebounds.
"We take great pride in our defense," Sutton said. "Tonight, they just shot lights out."
The Wildcats led 41-38 at halftime, which it had to consider a blessing given that Stoudamire played only 10 minutes due to foul trouble.
He popped a three-pointer on UA's first possession of the game and scored eight of the team's first 17 points, but he picked up his second foul with 12:53 left while battling for a rebound that had been batted in the air.
He returned briefly, then sat the final 6:54 of the half.
The Wildcats twice had a 10-point lead in the first half, the last at 10:42 when Frye dropped in a jump hook for a 23-13 advantage.
Bracket Breakdown
Thursday's overview
In the Chicago bracket, top-seeded Illinois ended Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Cinderella ride. Next up is third-seeded Arizona, which won a thriller over Oklahoma State.
In the Albuquerque bracket, Washington became the first No. 1 seed to go down, done in by fourth-seeded Louisville's long-range shooting. Seventh-seeded West Virginia eliminated Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders in the late game. Louisville last made the Final Four in 1986; West Virginia hasn't been there since Jerry West's days in 1959.
Thursday's best
Louisville's Francisco Garcia made five three-pointers and scored 23 points to lead the Cardinals past top-seeded Washington in Albuquerque.
More star performances
Deron Williams had 21 points and eight assists and Dee Brown also scored 21 and made five three-pointers in top-seeded Illinois' victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. . . . Joah Tucker scored a career-high 32 for Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a losing effort. . . . Salim Stoudamire scored 19 points and hit the game winner for Arizona. . . . Joey Graham scored 26 in a losing effort for Oklahoma State. . . . Kevin Pittsnogle had 22 points and eight rebounds in West Virginia's win over Texas Tech.
On tap today
In the Syracuse bracket, North Carolina looks well positioned to continue its stampede to the Final Four. Today's opponent, Villanova, will be without forward Curtis Sumpter, their top rebounder and No. 2 scorer. The Wildcats will likely resort to a slow pace. In the other semifinal, North Carolina State and Wisconsin will be trying to extend their surprising runs, for a couple of days at least.
In the Austin bracket, No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Kentucky could be headed for a blueblood showdown, but both will have their hands full. Kentucky will have to figure out how to handle Utah star Andrew Bogut, and Duke's depth-challenged team will be tested by a deep if less talented Michigan State roster.
By the numbers
24-1 - Louisville's record when making at least seven three-point shots. The Cardinals made 11 on Thursday.
70 - Arizona's first-half field-goal percentage.
Around the rim
Duke senior guard Daniel Ewing has fond memories of Frank Erwin Center in Austin. He was a high school All-American at Sugar Land Willowridge, which won 62 in a row while winning Texas state championships in 2000 and 2001. His teammates included former national Player of the Year T.J. Ford of Texas, Oklahoma State forward Ivan McFarlin and Texas guard Kenny Taylor.
Last word
"I like pro ball ... but it's winning with misery. College basketball has so much to be happy about." - Louisville coach Rick Pitino.
Republic news sources
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stoudamire's winner puts Arizona into Elite Eight
Anthony Gimino
Tucson Citizen
Mar. 25, 2005 12:00 AM
ROSEMONT, Ill. - As it has most of the season, Arizona went to Salim Stoudamire when it absolutely had to have a basket.
With the Wildcats trailing by one point against Oklahoma State with 13.1 seconds left on Thursday night, UA inbounded the ball and got it to Stoudamire. He drove the left side, stopped and elevated for a 15-footer jumper.
It went through the net with 2.8 seconds left, lifting the Wildcats to a thrilling 79-78 victory over the second-seeded Cowboys at Allstate Arena.
"I knew when it came down to crunch time I was going to step up," Stoudamire said. "I practice that shot every day. Coach (Lute Olson) is always on me about going hard, I guess it paid off."
Third-seeded UA (30-6) advances to play top-seeded Illinois on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. for the championship of the Chicago Regional and a trip to the Final Four.
UA was missing Stoudamire for much of Thursday night - either from the floor because of first-half foul trouble or from the scoring column - but he came through late in the game, scoring five points in the final two minutes.
"That's when Salim is at his best," junior Hassan Adams said. "When he's on, he's on."
After Stoudamire's late basket gave UA the lead, Oklahoma State inbounded the ball from underneath its basket. UA had a foul to give, and the Cowboys inbounded again from midcourt with 1.3 seconds left. They still managed to get off a decent shot, but John Lucas' attempt from the corner hit the rim, denying coach Eddie Sutton a chance for a second straight trip to the Final Four.
"When I let it go, I thought it was going in," Lucas said. "When it hit the back of the rim my heart just dropped. This is my last time wearing an Oklahoma State jersey. It's just a real sad moment."
This will be UA's first appearance in a regional final since 2003, when it lost to Kansas..
In 2001, the Wildcats defeated Illinois in the regional final before losing in the NCAA championship game to Duke.
Stoudamire and Adams each finished with 19 points for the Wildcats. Stoudamire didn't score from 13:52 of the first half until 6:01 of the second half.
UA opened up a 49-42 advantage early in the second half, thanks to some nifty passing that set up dunks and layups. An ensuing 12-2 run by Oklahoma State, capped by an Ivan McFarlin layup, gave the lead back to the Cowboys, 54-51.
The teams stayed in touch most of the rest of the way, with Oklahoma State going up 76-72 when Channing Frye was called for goaltending on a layup attempt by McFarlin.
Frye missed a jumper on UA's next possession, but Stoudamire nailed a three-pointer with 1:55 left.
After another UA defensive stop, Frye hit a 15-footer for a 77-76 lead with a minute to play.
Oklahoma State (26-7) wrestled back the lead on Joey Graham's shot from the lane with 20 seconds remaining. Graham led all scorers with 26 points.
UA was carried early by its sizzling shooting. The Wildcats shot 69.6 percent in the first half (16 of 23). Oklahoma State wasn't nearly as hot at 43.3 percent (13 of 30) but countered with eight offensive rebounds.
"We take great pride in our defense," Sutton said. "Tonight, they just shot lights out."
The Wildcats led 41-38 at halftime, which it had to consider a blessing given that Stoudamire played only 10 minutes due to foul trouble.
He popped a three-pointer on UA's first possession of the game and scored eight of the team's first 17 points, but he picked up his second foul with 12:53 left while battling for a rebound that had been batted in the air.
He returned briefly, then sat the final 6:54 of the half.
The Wildcats twice had a 10-point lead in the first half, the last at 10:42 when Frye dropped in a jump hook for a 23-13 advantage.
Bracket Breakdown
Thursday's overview
In the Chicago bracket, top-seeded Illinois ended Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Cinderella ride. Next up is third-seeded Arizona, which won a thriller over Oklahoma State.
In the Albuquerque bracket, Washington became the first No. 1 seed to go down, done in by fourth-seeded Louisville's long-range shooting. Seventh-seeded West Virginia eliminated Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders in the late game. Louisville last made the Final Four in 1986; West Virginia hasn't been there since Jerry West's days in 1959.
Thursday's best
Louisville's Francisco Garcia made five three-pointers and scored 23 points to lead the Cardinals past top-seeded Washington in Albuquerque.
More star performances
Deron Williams had 21 points and eight assists and Dee Brown also scored 21 and made five three-pointers in top-seeded Illinois' victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. . . . Joah Tucker scored a career-high 32 for Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a losing effort. . . . Salim Stoudamire scored 19 points and hit the game winner for Arizona. . . . Joey Graham scored 26 in a losing effort for Oklahoma State. . . . Kevin Pittsnogle had 22 points and eight rebounds in West Virginia's win over Texas Tech.
On tap today
In the Syracuse bracket, North Carolina looks well positioned to continue its stampede to the Final Four. Today's opponent, Villanova, will be without forward Curtis Sumpter, their top rebounder and No. 2 scorer. The Wildcats will likely resort to a slow pace. In the other semifinal, North Carolina State and Wisconsin will be trying to extend their surprising runs, for a couple of days at least.
In the Austin bracket, No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Kentucky could be headed for a blueblood showdown, but both will have their hands full. Kentucky will have to figure out how to handle Utah star Andrew Bogut, and Duke's depth-challenged team will be tested by a deep if less talented Michigan State roster.
By the numbers
24-1 - Louisville's record when making at least seven three-point shots. The Cardinals made 11 on Thursday.
70 - Arizona's first-half field-goal percentage.
Around the rim
Duke senior guard Daniel Ewing has fond memories of Frank Erwin Center in Austin. He was a high school All-American at Sugar Land Willowridge, which won 62 in a row while winning Texas state championships in 2000 and 2001. His teammates included former national Player of the Year T.J. Ford of Texas, Oklahoma State forward Ivan McFarlin and Texas guard Kenny Taylor.
Last word
"I like pro ball ... but it's winning with misery. College basketball has so much to be happy about." - Louisville coach Rick Pitino.
Republic news sources
Associated Press contributed to this report.
