Greg Hansen's top 10 blowout wins in Arizona Wildcats basketball history
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Star sports columnist Greg Hansen counts down the top 10 blowout victories in UA basketball history.Β
Editor's note: Between now and Aug. 27, Star columnist Greg Hansen will count down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.Β
Today's list: The top 10 blowout victories in UA basketball history.Β
Of recent vintage, Arizona pole-axed Washington State 60-25 a day after New Yearβs, 2014. You could have almost predicted it.
The Wildcats were 14-0 and ranked No. 1. The Cougars were dreadful, en route to going 3-15 in the Pac-12 and losing 66-47 at ASU, 80-48 at Stanford and 72-49 at Washington. It would be too easy to dump on the β14 Cougars, whose 25 points set a new standard of bungling at McKale Center; no other team has scored fewer than 37.
Ken Boneβs final Wazzu team doesnβt even make our list.Β
The 64-point margin is the most lopsided in UA basketball history. It got so bad that first-year UA walk-on guard Jason Lee came off the bench to score 15 points after playing at Allegheny College a year earlier. "This is what Iβve been dreaming about all my life," said Lee. No. 9 Arizona led 53-19 at half.Β
The defending national champs were in no mood to take it easy in the season opener, not with Kentucky and Duke on the schedule a week later in Hawaii. Eugene Edgerson had his only career double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds.Β
After this late-night mashing in the Great Alaska Shootout opener, word got out that Arizona was really good (it would get to the Final Four.) The UA scored 70 points in the second half, a school record to match the 133 points, also a school record. Tom Tolbert made 11 of his 12 shots afield.Β
Scoring 84 points in 1943 was a headline-maker, even when played at Tucson High School as Bear Down Gym was given over for military uses during World War II. Arizona freshman Tommy Donovan was the leading scorer in the preliminary game, the UA freshmen vs. NAU freshmen. He then changed uniforms and scored 15 for the varsity.Β
It was the worst defeat in UW history as Sean Elliott opened his senior Pac-10 season on an odd date, five days before Christmas.Β
Sophomore 7-footer Brian Jung had led Canyon del Oro High School to a pair of state championship games β both losses β but as an Arizona freshman he came off the bench with a 14-14 double-double.Β
Lute Olson missed much of Arizonaβs practice time early (and five games) in the 2000-01 season, spending time in the hospital with his wife, Bobbi, who would die of cancer on New Yearβs Day. But on Dec. 2, his team outscored the Gaels 52-13 in the second half on a night Luke Walton and Loren Woods were suspended for various misdeeds.Β
McKale Center fans were promised a free pizza (per person) if the Wildcats scored 100. Khalid Reeves had 19 points and a career-high 11 assists. Eat up.Β
Joe Skaisgir, who was also Arizonaβs top baseball player, scored a school-record 33 points in the first half and 44 in the game. The Wildcats were 6-7 and only 1,079 attended, leaving hundreds of empty seats in one of the top individual performances in school history.Β
For total shock mode, the margin over No. 8 Stanford β 32 points β was off the charts. On Senior Day, the No. 2 Wildcats gave it their best shot as A.J. Bramlett had 19 rebounds and Bennett Davison nine steals, a school record.Β
Arizona opened its run to the 1988 Final Four by belting Cornell 90-50 in a first round game. It followed with a 29-point win over Seton Hall and a 20-point blowout over Iowa. Really good season.
Editor's note: Between now and Aug. 27, Star columnist Greg Hansen will count down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.Β
Today's list: The top 10 blowout victories in UA basketball history.Β
Of recent vintage, Arizona pole-axed Washington State 60-25 a day after New Yearβs, 2014. You could have almost predicted it.
The Wildcats were 14-0 and ranked No. 1. The Cougars were dreadful, en route to going 3-15 in the Pac-12 and losing 66-47 at ASU, 80-48 at Stanford and 72-49 at Washington. It would be too easy to dump on the β14 Cougars, whose 25 points set a new standard of bungling at McKale Center; no other team has scored fewer than 37.
Ken Boneβs final Wazzu team doesnβt even make our list.Β
The 64-point margin is the most lopsided in UA basketball history. It got so bad that first-year UA walk-on guard Jason Lee came off the bench to score 15 points after playing at Allegheny College a year earlier. "This is what Iβve been dreaming about all my life," said Lee. No. 9 Arizona led 53-19 at half.Β
The defending national champs were in no mood to take it easy in the season opener, not with Kentucky and Duke on the schedule a week later in Hawaii. Eugene Edgerson had his only career double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds.Β
After this late-night mashing in the Great Alaska Shootout opener, word got out that Arizona was really good (it would get to the Final Four.) The UA scored 70 points in the second half, a school record to match the 133 points, also a school record. Tom Tolbert made 11 of his 12 shots afield.Β
Scoring 84 points in 1943 was a headline-maker, even when played at Tucson High School as Bear Down Gym was given over for military uses during World War II. Arizona freshman Tommy Donovan was the leading scorer in the preliminary game, the UA freshmen vs. NAU freshmen. He then changed uniforms and scored 15 for the varsity.Β
It was the worst defeat in UW history as Sean Elliott opened his senior Pac-10 season on an odd date, five days before Christmas.Β
Sophomore 7-footer Brian Jung had led Canyon del Oro High School to a pair of state championship games β both losses β but as an Arizona freshman he came off the bench with a 14-14 double-double.Β
Lute Olson missed much of Arizonaβs practice time early (and five games) in the 2000-01 season, spending time in the hospital with his wife, Bobbi, who would die of cancer on New Yearβs Day. But on Dec. 2, his team outscored the Gaels 52-13 in the second half on a night Luke Walton and Loren Woods were suspended for various misdeeds.Β
McKale Center fans were promised a free pizza (per person) if the Wildcats scored 100. Khalid Reeves had 19 points and a career-high 11 assists. Eat up.Β
Joe Skaisgir, who was also Arizonaβs top baseball player, scored a school-record 33 points in the first half and 44 in the game. The Wildcats were 6-7 and only 1,079 attended, leaving hundreds of empty seats in one of the top individual performances in school history.Β
For total shock mode, the margin over No. 8 Stanford β 32 points β was off the charts. On Senior Day, the No. 2 Wildcats gave it their best shot as A.J. Bramlett had 19 rebounds and Bennett Davison nine steals, a school record.Β
Arizona opened its run to the 1988 Final Four by belting Cornell 90-50 in a first round game. It followed with a 29-point win over Seton Hall and a 20-point blowout over Iowa. Really good season.
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