1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Arizona during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Lute Olson. The team played its home games in the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, and was a member of the Pacific-10 Conference. In the Pacific-10 Basketball Tournament, Arizona beat Oregon State by a score of 93–67 to claim its first Pac-10 title. The Wildcats built on that momentum by reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Final Four
ConferencePacific-10
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
1987–88 record35–3 (17–1 Pac-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMcKale Center (Capacity: 14,545)
1987–88 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 2 Arizona171 .944  353  .921
Oregon State126 .667  2011  .645
UCLA126 .667  1614  .533
Stanford117 .611  2112  .636
Oregon108 .556  1614  .533
Washington State711 .389  1316  .448
Arizona State612 .333  1316  .448
USC513 .278  721  .250
California513 .278  920  .310
Washington513 .278  1019  .345
1988 Pacific-10 Tournament winner
As of April 15, 1988[1]; Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 00 Anthony Cook
JrVan Nuys HS Los Angeles, CA
PG 11 Kenny Lofton 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrWashington HS East Chicago, IN
G 20 Craig McMillan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
SrCloverdale HS Cloverdale, CA
C 23 Tom Tolbert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) SrCerritos College  
G 25 Steve Kerr 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS SrPalisades Charter HS Los Angeles, CA
SF 32 Sean Elliott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrCholla HS Tucson, AZ
SF 35 Jud Buechler 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoPoway HS Poway, CA
G 44 Harvey Mason 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
RS SoCrescenta HS La Crescenta, CA
F 33 Joe Turner 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
SrFoothill HS Bakersfield, CA
PG 24 Matt Muehlebach 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
FrStillwell HS Rockhurst, KS
F 34 Mark Georgeson  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)235 lb (107 kg) FrMarina HS Huntington Beach, CA
C 45 Sean Rooks  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) FrFontana HS Fontana, CA
F 31 Craig Bergman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
SoCloverdale HS Cloverdale, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
Sean Elliott shooting the basketball during the Wildcats' 1987-88 season.

Schedule and results

The victory over Long Beach State in the home opener at McKale Center began a 71-game home court winning streak.[2]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
11/27/1987*
No. 17 vs. Duquesne
Great Alaska Shootout
W 133–78  1–0
                   Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, AK
11/28/1987*
No. 17 vs. No. 9 Michigan
Great Alaska Shootout
W 79–64[3]  2–0
 18  Tolbert  11  Tolbert        Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, AK
11/30/1987*
 ESPN
No. 17 vs. No. 1 Syracuse
Great Alaska Shootout
W 80–69[4]  3–0
 16  Elliott              Sullivan Arena 
Anchorage, AK
12/4/1987*
No. 9 Long Beach State W 94–62  4–0
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/5/1987*
No. 9 Pepperdine W 73–68  5–0
 17  Tolbert              McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/8/1987*
No. 4 Northern Arizona W 77–59  6–0
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/12/1987*
6:05 pm
No. 4 at No. 3 Iowa W 66–59[5]  7–0
 18  Tolbert              Carver-Hawkeye Arena 
Iowa City, IA
12/16/1987*
No. 2 Arkansas-Little Rock W 77–59  8–0
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/20/1987
No. 2 at Washington W 110–71  9–0
(1–0)
                   Hec Edmundson Pavilion 
Seattle, WA
12/22/1987
No. 2 at Washington State W 89–55  10–0
(2–0)
                   Friel Court 
Pullman, WA
12/29/1987*
No. 1 Michigan State
Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic
W 78–58  11–0
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/30/1987*
8:00 p.m.
No. 1 No. 9 Duke
Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic
W 91–85[6]  12–0
 31  Elliott              McKale Center (13,270)
Tucson, AZ
1/2/1988*
No. 1 at New Mexico L 59–61[7]  12–1
 27  Elliott              The Pit (18,100)
Albuquerque, NM
Pac-10 regular season
1/7/1988
No. 3 California W 80–51  13–1
(3–0)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
1/9/1988
No. 3 Stanford W 90–65  14–1
(4–0)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
1/14/1988
No. 1 Oregon State W 70–48  15–1
(5–0)
                   Gill Coliseum 
Corvallis, OR
1/16/1988
No. 1 Oregon W 70–54  16–1
(6–0)
                   McArthur Court 
Eugene, OR
1/21/1988
No. 1 USC W 92–48  17–1
(7–0)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
1/24/1988
No. 1 UCLA
Rivalry
W 86–74  18–1
(8–0)
                   McKale Center (13,258)
Tucson, AZ
1/28/1988
No. 1 Arizona State
Rivalry
W 99–59  19–1
(9–0)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
1/30/1988*
No. 1 No. 13 Illinois W 78–70  20–1
                   McKale Center (13,227)
Tucson, AZ
2/4/1988
No. 1 at Stanford L 74–82[8]  20–2
(9–1)
 22  Elliott              Maples Pavilion (7,500)
Stanford, CA
2/6/1988
No. 1 California W 74–62  21–2
(10–1)
                   Harmon Gym 
Berkeley, CA
2/11/1988
No. 3 Oregon W 89–57  22–2
(11–1)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
2/14/1988
No. 3 Oregon State W 77–62  23–2
(12–1)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
2/18/1988
No. 3 at USC W 103–68  24–2
(13–1)
                   Los Angeles Sports Arena 
Los Angeles, CA
2/20/1988
No. 3 at UCLA
Rivalry
W 78–76 OT 25–2
(14–1)
                   Pauley Pavilion (12,037)
Los Angeles, CA
2/24/1988
No. 3 at Arizona State
Rivalry
W 101–73  26–2
(15–1)
                   ASU Activity Center 
Tempe, AZ
3/3/1988
No. 3 Washington State W 79–41  27–2
(16–1)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
3/5/1988
No. 3 Washington W 89–71  28–2
(17–1)
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
Pac-10 Tournament
3/11/1988*
No. 3 California
Pac-10 Tournament Quarterfinal
W 88–64  29–2
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
3/12/1988*
No. 3 Stanford
Pac-10 Tournament Semifinal
W 97–83  30–2
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
3/13/1988*
No. 3 Oregon State
Pac-10 Tournament Championship
W 83–67  31–2
                   McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
NCAA Tournament
3/18/1988*
 CBS
(W 1) No. 2 vs. (W 16) Cornell
First Round
W 90–50  32–2
 24  Cook  5  Tied  5  McMillan  Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
3/20/1988*
 CBS
(W 1) No. 2 vs. (W 8) Seton Hall
Second Round
W 84–55  33–2
 20  Cook  6  Cook  3  Tied  Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
3/25/1988*
 CBS
(W 1) No. 2 vs. (W 5) No. 17 Iowa
Sweet Sixteen
W 99–79[9]  34–2
 25  Elliott  9  Tolbert  8  Tied  Kingdome 
Seattle, WA
3/27/1988*
 CBS
(W 1) No. 2 vs. (W 2) No. 7 North Carolina
Elite Eight
W 70–52  35–2
 24  Elliott  6  Tolbert  3  Tied  Kingdome 
Seattle, WA
4/2/1988
6:12 pm, CBS
(W 1) No. 2 vs. (SE 1) No. 4 Oklahoma
Final Four
L 78–86[10]  35–3
 31  Elliott  13  Tolbert  5  Kerr  Kemper Arena 
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Sources[11]

NCAA basketball tournament

Seeding in brackets

  • West
    • Arizona (1) 90, Cornell (16) 50
    • Arizona 84, Seton Hall (8) 55
    • Arizona 99, Iowa (5) 79
    • Arizona 70, North Carolina (2) 52
  • Final Four
    • Oklahoma 86, Arizona 78

[12]

Rankings

Awards and honors

  • Sean Elliott, Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player
  • Sean Elliott, Pacific-10 Player of the Year

Team players in the 1988 NBA Draft

RoundPickPlayerNBA Club
234Tom TolbertCharlotte Hornets
250Steve KerrPhoenix Suns

[13]

References

  1. "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  2. "Arizona Men's Basketball 2018–19 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona Athletic Department. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. "Arizona Upsets Michigan, Faces Syracuse in Shootout Final". Los Angeles Times. November 29, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  4. "Elliott Powers Arizona Past No.3 Syracuse 80-69". Sun-Sentinel. December 1, 1987. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  5. "Olson's Return To Iowa City A Rousing Success For Arizona". Chicago Tribune. December 13, 1987. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  6. "MVP Elliott scores 31 as Arizona rolls past Duke for 12th straight". Arizona Republic. December 31, 1987. Retrieved September 19, 2020 via newspapers.com.
  7. "No. 1 Arizona Loses First Game, 61-59, in New Mexico's Pit". Los Angeles Times. January 3, 1988. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  8. "Arizona Loss May Mean a Shuffle at Top: Stanford Stuns the No. 1-Ranked Wildcats, Hands Them Their First Pacific 10 Loss". Los Angeles Times. February 5, 1988. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  9. "Arizona Flattens Another Opponent". The New York Times. March 26, 1988. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  10. "Oklahoma's Fire Melts Arizona, 86-78". Washington Post. April 3, 1988. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  11. "1987-88 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  12. http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1988
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2009-05-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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