Arizona Wildcats basketball: On the Arizona Killer, Markkanen's big numbers, loud crowd
- Updated
Seen and heard at McKale Center during Arizona's 66-56 win over Utah.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Utah had a special guest for Thursday night’s game — Andre Miller, a Utes basketball legend and longtime NBA player.
Miller isn’t exactly a welcome visitor for Arizona fans.
Back in 1998, Arizona was the defending national champion and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when it faced a No. 3-seeded Utah squad in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats were armed with Mike Bibby, A.J. Bramlett, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson, Bennett Davison and Jason Terry, all back from the previous year’s title run.
Then Miller, and the Utes, got in the way.
The Wildcats scored just 20 first-half points and wound up falling by 25 points in one of the worst postseason losses of the Lute Olson era. Miller was the star that night, amassing a triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.
“Yes, I think this is the best game I’ve ever played,” Miller told reporters after the game.
The Utes defeated No. 1 seed North Carolina on their way to a national title matchup with Kentucky, but lost that game by nine points.
Miller went on to play 17 years in the NBA. He retired after spending last season with the San Antonio Spurs. He lives in San Diego.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
15: Games in double figures for Lauri Markkanen. The UA freshman has scored at least 10 points in all but one game, the outlier an eight-point game against Missouri in December.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Miller wasn’t the only star on that Utes team, as two others went on to fruitful professional careers.
One, Michael Doleac, played center in the NBA for 11 seasons.
The other, Hanno Mottola, is perhaps the best Finnish basketball player of all time.
In Finland, Mottola coached Arizona star Lauri Markkanen, who is working to take away the title of “Best Finn Ever.”
The Utes recruited Markkanen because of the Mottola connection.
In the end, though, Arizona won that recruiting battle, as it often does.
“I love the kid on and off the court and his family — we had a great time here on his visit and I went over there,” Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak told the Salt Lake Tribune. “We lost out to a good basketball program. I’m not excited to play against him, but we’ll see what happens.”
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Bill Raftery was on the call Thursday night for Fox Sports 1.
Miller and Raftery go way back. Miller was a Pitt point guard in 1988 when he dished an assist that led to a rim-breaking dunk by big man Jerome Lane.
Raftery’s call — “Send it in, Jerome!” — went viral. Or whatever the Reagan-era version of viral was.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Arizona was still without the ZonaZoo on Thursday — and will be again on Saturday against Colorado — but that didn’t stop the sellout crowd from having its most raucous evening of the season.
The loudest point came in the first half after the Wildcats turned a 15-10 deficit into an 18-15 lead.
School won’t begin until Jan. 11, meaning the ZonaZoo will make its timely return against Arizona State on Thursday.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
In the strange world of recruiting, there’s still a scenario where Arizona might add a recruit from … the class of 2017.
Five-star shooting guard Hamidou Diallo is looking to enroll in college this semester, though 247sports.com reported Thursday he would take this semester essentially as a redshirt before beginning his college career in the fall.
Arizona is considered a finalist for Diallo, along with Kentucky and Connecticut.
More like this...
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Utah had a special guest for Thursday night’s game — Andre Miller, a Utes basketball legend and longtime NBA player.
Miller isn’t exactly a welcome visitor for Arizona fans.
Back in 1998, Arizona was the defending national champion and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when it faced a No. 3-seeded Utah squad in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats were armed with Mike Bibby, A.J. Bramlett, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson, Bennett Davison and Jason Terry, all back from the previous year’s title run.
Then Miller, and the Utes, got in the way.
The Wildcats scored just 20 first-half points and wound up falling by 25 points in one of the worst postseason losses of the Lute Olson era. Miller was the star that night, amassing a triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.
“Yes, I think this is the best game I’ve ever played,” Miller told reporters after the game.
The Utes defeated No. 1 seed North Carolina on their way to a national title matchup with Kentucky, but lost that game by nine points.
Miller went on to play 17 years in the NBA. He retired after spending last season with the San Antonio Spurs. He lives in San Diego.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Miller wasn’t the only star on that Utes team, as two others went on to fruitful professional careers.
One, Michael Doleac, played center in the NBA for 11 seasons.
The other, Hanno Mottola, is perhaps the best Finnish basketball player of all time.
In Finland, Mottola coached Arizona star Lauri Markkanen, who is working to take away the title of “Best Finn Ever.”
The Utes recruited Markkanen because of the Mottola connection.
In the end, though, Arizona won that recruiting battle, as it often does.
“I love the kid on and off the court and his family — we had a great time here on his visit and I went over there,” Utes coach Larry Krystkowiak told the Salt Lake Tribune. “We lost out to a good basketball program. I’m not excited to play against him, but we’ll see what happens.”
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Bill Raftery was on the call Thursday night for Fox Sports 1.
Miller and Raftery go way back. Miller was a Pitt point guard in 1988 when he dished an assist that led to a rim-breaking dunk by big man Jerome Lane.
Raftery’s call — “Send it in, Jerome!” — went viral. Or whatever the Reagan-era version of viral was.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
Arizona was still without the ZonaZoo on Thursday — and will be again on Saturday against Colorado — but that didn’t stop the sellout crowd from having its most raucous evening of the season.
The loudest point came in the first half after the Wildcats turned a 15-10 deficit into an 18-15 lead.
School won’t begin until Jan. 11, meaning the ZonaZoo will make its timely return against Arizona State on Thursday.
- Zack Rosenblatt Arizona Daily Star
In the strange world of recruiting, there’s still a scenario where Arizona might add a recruit from … the class of 2017.
Five-star shooting guard Hamidou Diallo is looking to enroll in college this semester, though 247sports.com reported Thursday he would take this semester essentially as a redshirt before beginning his college career in the fall.
Arizona is considered a finalist for Diallo, along with Kentucky and Connecticut.
More like this...
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Dusan Ristic scored a season-high 18 points.
Dusan Ristic says he wants to dedicate UA's win over Utah to his grandfather, who passed away.
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