Tucson Citizen.com

Steve Rivera Ventures

Lute Olson on Arizona-Duke: “It should be another great game”

by on Mar. 20, 2011, under Sports

Lute Olson, at the Pac-10 tournament earlier this month, has a long history against Duke. Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Image.

Duke vs. Arizona.

Oh, the memories. There will be more Thursday in the Sweet 16 in Anaheim, Calif.

Arizona made sure of that with another Houdini-act victory, this time upsetting Texas 70-69 in Tulsa in the NCAA tournament’s third round.

“Yes, it is a great history and it should be another great game,’’ former Arizona coach Lute Olson said after Sunday’s game. “The biggest thing will be handling Miles Plumlee down low and I think we have the guys who can handle Kyle Singler. It should be a really good ball game.’’

The last time the two teams played it was in the 2001 NCAA title game, when Arizona lost 82-72 in Minneapolis.  But they’ve always been classics.

Arizona beat Duke in 1987 in the annual Fiesta Bowl Classic 91-85; and won again in the Meadowlands 77-75 a year later; in 1990, it fell 78-76 at Duke.

“There’s been some great competition between us,’’ Olson said.

He expects the same on Thursday. And yes, he will be there to watch.

It will happen because Arizona’s golden parachute, Derrick Williams, scored on a three-point play with 9.6 seconds left to help UA get to the Sweet  16, the team’s second in three years.

“They really did a good job,’’ Olson said. “We’ve all said that our biggest concern is that they don’t bury people. When they had that good lead, well, they were on their way and were going to put them away. They didn’t but they escaped. It’s scary for the fans, including me.’’

UA led by as many as 13 points but – again – gave up the lead late in the second half. It looked like Arizona’s season was over when Texas had the ball with 14 seconds left and was inbounding the ball. But Arizona created a five-second violation and got the ball back under its basket. Williams then scored and hit a free throw to take the lead for good.

“Never a doubt,’’ Olson said, jokingly. “They had to get that one from the dead.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 20th, 2011 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

RSS feed for this post (comments)
  • Carlos J. M.

    Steve, I’ve got to say, that’s just way too much talent there in Austin for Texas not to be a perennial Top 10 to 5 team.  At least.  Every season, all season – ’til April.  Or longer.  For sure.  And there’s more coming in next year in the way of some kid named Kabongo who can flat-out ball?  These cagers, and many of them like Johnson (who I recall Arizona wanting badly) from right there in the Lone Star State, might want to reconsider who it is that’s going to help them get ready for life after Kansas…and the rest of the Big 12.

    But all kidding aside, UA, Washington and UCLA are better than UT in 4 out of 7, 3 out of 5 and 2 out of 3 game sets.  Whatever the case may be.  WSU and Cal, on any given day, can give the ‘Horns a darn good game and come out even, if not on top.  There is no magic to the burnt orange.  Or Rick Barnes.  The only question is: When will the media, pollsters and NCAA Mens Basketball Championship Selection Committee give up its infatuation with the guy and his teams?

  • Mark B. Evans

    Nice get, Steve.

  • macjoneszona

     I’m glad Coach Olson and I share a similar perspective on the 10′-11′ Wildcats.  And that’s,  for whatever reason(s), the unfathomable inability to get the T.K.O. punch on opposing teams, when Zona has them desperately against the ropes on the hardwood court.
    Nonetheless, this has been one magical season in only the second year of Miller’s longterm tenure in Tucson. Eh.

  • Brinson Early

     I miss you Luke. I remember the exciting Duke vs. Arizona games. You, on the sideline, nattily attired, standing tall and erect with not a strand of hair out of place
    directing your team as poised as an orchestra conductor. Your teams were very good and fun to watch. I hope you are enjoying retirement but I wish you were still coaching. 

«
»