The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
As soon as the lights went out in McKale, I could hear the University of Arizona basketball gods whispering to each other that this game will go down in the annals of UA basketball lore.
And so it will. I’ll never forget the intensity in the air before tip-off between Arizona and Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 19.
I could feel the energy of the crowd vibrating through every seat in McKale as I called the game for KAMP radio, the UA student radio station, with my broadcast partner Trevor. The deafening chants of the crowd sent out seismic shock waves for five minutes during player introductions, triggering Arizona players to go into a frenzy. The arena was lit up with glowing sticks to a point where I could have sworn a shooting star crash-landed at midcourt.
McKale being a rather small arena, all the senses get amplified. I could hear my broadcast partner’s heart palpitating as each player was introduced. During our game preview, we had to set our headphones to max volume because the noise in the building was getting louder and louder with each passing minute.
I couldn’t believe the sight that I was taking in. I blinked five times to make sure it wasn’t a dream. After the fifth blink, I knew Trevor and I, along with the fans, 14,545 strong, were in for something special that night. McKale’s atmosphere was reminiscent of a Game 7 NBA playoff game.
It’s hard not to give ESPN College GameDay partial credit for this as they did an exceptional job of fueling the hype train that morning. But the fans deserve most of the credit. This is what I love about Tucson. It’s a classic college town that always gives its full support to the local university’s athletic programs. During the game, the love from the home crowd felt genuine and unconditional. I could tell there was no place they would rather be at 8 p.m. on a Saturday.
I knew this game wasn’t going to be a cake walk for Arizona. Oregon was coming off a blowout loss at Arizona State and needed a quality win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. They also have a knack for playing well at McKale.
The Wildcats were in for a back-and-forth affair, and for the first 10 minutes of the game, Arizona and Oregon traded blows like Ali and Foreman in “The Rumble In The Jungle” in 1974.
At one point, the Oregon players, who revel in playing in a hostile environment, went on a 9-0 scoring run. You could hear a pin drop in McKale when they went on that streak.
Arizona came right back with an 11-1 scoring run, turning McKale back into a madhouse, thanks to the Wildcats’ vintage “run and gun” offense, topped off by an Azoulas Tubelis and-one conversion that sent the student section into hysteria. Those plays are always fun to call.
The second half also had its share of moments, like when the crowd serenaded the referees with boos after some interesting calls on the floor.
I loved calling Benedict Mathurin’s defense on Will Richardson near the final minutes of the game. Mathurin’s passion and tenacity when guarding Richardson had me on the verge of running out on the court and guarding someone myself. This would have proven costly for Arizona’s sake, however.
Right when it appeared Oregon might escape McKale with a victory, my favorite play of the night and a moment I will never forget happened: Kerr Kriisa hit a three-pointer from 30 feet to give Arizona a three-point lead with 1:25 left in the game, sending me into an out-of-body experience and blowing the roof off McKale.
When Kriisa’s shot fell, all I could hear was the voice of the famous NBA announcer Mike Breen in my head screaming, “bang … bang!”
The only thing I didn’t like about this game was that it ended. I know UA basketball fans aren’t going to like me for saying this, but there was a part of me that wished Oregon had made a game-tying three to send it to overtime.
After Arizona prevailed 84-81, my partner and I had so much adrenaline that we figured it would have been a crime if we conducted our postgame analysis sitting down.
This game will go down as a classic, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. As the final buzzer went off, I swore to the UA basketball gods that I would have “Arizona 84 — Oregon 81” inscribed on my tombstone when it’s all said and done.
