UA freshman has strong all-around effort to help Cats
MIAMI – Arizona freshman Kyle Fogg said he was nervous going into the Wildcats’ game with Utah on Friday.
The nerves didn’t last long. He was fine by the time he scored his first basket to give UA a 5-4 lead two minutes into the contest.
“I was excited and had lots of emotions,” said Fogg, who was instrumental in Arizona’s 84-71 win over Utah at America Airlines Arena. “As soon as I got my first steal and basket, it was a big weight off my shoulders.”
He then played like an old-school veteran. He finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes.
The big stage was no problem for Fogg, who had run hot and cold the last month of the season. He had zero points against Arizona State last week in the Pac-10 Tournament.
“I thought Kyle handled (the stage) the way he’s handled most things this year,” said UA interim coach Russ Pennell. “I don’t know if he’s calm, cool and collected. Or if he’s just naive enough not to know that he’s supposed to be nervous.
“I thought he played extremely well.”
Tights gone
UA’s Nic Wise played without his calf socks, which look like tights. He’s played with them all season, but the NCAA didn’t allow him to wear them in the tournament.
He said he was fine with it, and showed it by scoring a game-high 29 points.
Utah coach Jim Boylen said he noticed the tights were missing, joking that “was the difference.”
“I don’t know if you noticed that,” Boylen said, “maybe that’s the key for him, taking off your tights.”
Wise also didn’t play with his headband. He decided on that, he said, and not the NCAA.
Gotta be Horne
With 44 seconds left in the game and Arizona up 80-69, UA’s Jamelle Horne went in for a dunk – and missed. Well, sort of. The dunk went through the rim, but then bounced out and didn’t count.
Strange things happen to Horne. Remember the intentional foul he had against Alabama-Birmingham? Or the last-second foul at USC?
Those cost his two team a pair of possible victories.
“That’s the first time that has ever happened,” Horne said of the dunk attempt. “It seems like things happen over and over but I’m going to stick with it. I have tough skin. I’m going to stick with it because I know my team needs me.”