SAN ANTONIO (AP) – They've put the distractions behind and lived
up to their preseason No. 1 status for months. Now Arizona is
headed to the Final Four.
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Sun, March 25
It was a heavyweight battle till the final bell. In the end, Arizona was
still standing. It has been a tough season for the Wildcats. They have dealt
with the death of Lute Olson's wife, Bobbi, suspensions to Loren Woods and
Richard Jefferson, and a sluggish start.
Olson's Wildcats hung on despite a furious charge by Bill Self's Illini. It
was backcourt play early and the defense of Woods late that led Arizona to
another Final Four.
Gilbert Arenas got off to a great start with 16 early points. Jason Gardner
stepped up and hit a couple of big trifectas in the second half, plus a key
free throw to lock up the game. Then Woods took over with blocked shots and
clutch free-throw shooting.
Arizona's defense did a great job shutting down Big Ten Player of the Year
Frank Williams. Richard Jefferson was given the early defensive assignment
and he set the tone.
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Gilbert Arenas scored 18 of his 21 points in the first half and
the Wildcats gave Illinois as much of a pounding as they took,
carrying Arizona and coach Lute Olson into the Final Four with an
87-81 victory in the Midwest Regional final Sunday.
The Wildcats, 19-2 since beginning the season 8-5, earned a trip
to Minneapolis for a national semifinal game against defending
champion Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans beat Temple 69-62
Sunday to win the South Regional.
Arizona (27-7) upheld the honor of the Pac-10, which saw
Stanford and Southern Cal get bumped in regional finals Saturday.
The Wildcats are the conference's first team to make the Final Four
since 1997, when they won the national title.
Back in October, the Wildcats were talking about not just
winning the title, but being among the best teams of all-time.
Then came the trouble: center Loren Woods suspended for six
games to start the season; a one-game suspension for Richard
Jefferson; the death of Olson's wife, Bobbi, beloved by generations
of Wildcat players.
Another problem was selfishness among a starting lineup that
featured five candidates for player of the year honors. This game
showed how far they've come.
With Illinois (27-8) concentrating on stopping Woods and Michael
Wright inside, the Wildcats kept the ball outside. On defense,
Arizona shed its "soft" label and played as aggressively inside
as any team the Illini saw in the Big Ten.
But Illinois' hard work in the paint paid off and midway through
the second half a layup by Robert Archibald, who had a career-high
25 points, put the Illini up 56-54, their biggest lead of the game.
It didn't last long, though. Archibald fouled Luke Walton on the
other end and his two free throws tied the game.
After Marcus Griffin missed the front end of a one-and-one,
Woods put Arizona ahead for good, 58-56, with his first basket, a
meek 2-footer that bounced several times on the rim before falling
through.
The Wildcats kept rolling for a 10-0 run that stretched the lead
to 64-56. Griffin and Brian Cook fouled out for the Illini in that
span, which Jason Gardner capped with an NBA 3-pointer and a pair
of free throws.
The Illini got as close as 84-81 in the closing seconds, but
Gardner and Woods buried three foul shots to seal Arizona's second
victory over Illinois in three games this season.
This was the most physical of the three with the teams combining
for 26 fouls and 81 free throws. The Wildcats took the most,
hitting 43-of-56. Six Illini players fouled out.
Arenas, who had 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting in two previous
games against the Illini, made 7-of-10 in the first half and the
Wildcats hit 56 percent of their shots. He missed all three of his
second-half shots.
Instead, Woods came through, scoring 16 of his points in the
second half. He was 3-of-3 from the field and 12-of-13 from the
line. Gardner also had 18.
Illinois' Cory Bradford bounced back from a wretched 1-for-13
game in the regional semifinals to hit 8-of-14 shots including
6-of-11 3-pointers. He scored 25 points.
Illinois was trying to get back to the Final Four for the first
time since 1989. The loss also prevented a second straight Big Ten
showdown in the national semifinals. Michigan State beat Wisconsin
last year.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
Illinois Clubhouse
Michigan State tops Temple, reaches third straight Fnal Four
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