Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category

In case you missed it: The Top 10 Badass Defensive Players and the Top 10 Badass Offensive Players in Arizona football history

1987-88 Arizona Wildcats (35-3)
–Beat North Carolina 70-52 in the West Regional Final; lost to Oklahoma 86-78 in the Final Four. To note: The Wildcats of 1987-88 continue to hold school records for victories (35), points in a season (3,234), average margin of victory (22.9 points), field goals made (1,147), field-goal percentage (54.5 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (48.3), fewest foul-outs (only six), and fewest blocked shots by opponents (only 1.4 a game).

2010-11 Arizona Wildcats (30-8)
–Lost to Connecticut 65-63 in the West Regional Final. To note: The 2010-11 Wildcats set school records for three-point field goals made (296) and opponent three-point field-goal percentage (only 29.3 percent).

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>> 1993-1994 versus 2004-2005
>> 1996-1997 versus 2002-2003
>> 1975-1976 versus 2000-2001

MATCHUPS

Point Guard

Steve Kerr (1984-1988) vs. Lamont “MoMo” Jones (2009-2011)

Steve Kerr

Lamont MoMo Jones

A Kerr vs. Jones matchup at the starting point guard spot is as contrasting as this Elite Eight event can muster. Kerr is the cool, calm and collected player from the serene beach town of Pacific Palisades, Calif., while Jones is the rough and tumble, get-in-your-face player from Brooklyn.

Their polar-opposite characteristics is indicative of the different capabilities each team had to offer. The teams had one thing in common: They share the record for playing the most games in a season (38) in the program’s history. But more contrasts exists than similarities.

The 1987-88 Wildcats, led by the deft outside shooting of Kerr, shot a school-record 48.3 percent from three-point range. The 2010-11 edition, captained by the defensively active Jones on the perimeter, held opponents to a school-record low of 29.3 percent from three-point range.

Who would win the battle? The 1987-88 team with its offensive perfection or the 2010-11 team with its defensive prowess?

Kerr set UA records shooting 57.3 percent from three-point range and posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of almost 5-to-1 (150 assists compared to only 36 turnovers). Jones was not as good of a shooter making only 31.6 percent of his three-pointers last season. But he converted 82.8 percent of his free-throw attempts and was clutch in memorable victories over California, scoring a career-high 27 points in a three-overtime game in Berkeley, and Duke, with 16 points, six assists and no turnovers in the Sweet 16 game.

Kerr was the model of reliability and consistency. Little-known fact: Kerr played all 50 minutes (a school record) in a double-overtime 79-72 victory over Cal at McKale Center on Jan. 12, 1986.

Jones is the only starter on an Arizona Elite Eight team who transferred to another school. He switched to Iona this season to be closer to home so he can be near his ailing grandmother. The NCAA granted Jones, a junior, a hardship waiver and allowed him to play this year for Iona.

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UA senior Jamelle Horne is consoled by teammate Derrick Williams as they walk off the court following the Wildcats' 65-63 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

No qualms or questions here about Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horne taking three-pointers in the final two attempts of Arizona’s season Saturday.

In fact, knowing Williams and Horne had a chance to beat Connecticut should allow for a calm night of sleep for Arizona followers, despite the 65-63 loss in the Elite Eight game in Anaheim. Those who began watching the Wildcats in the postseason (ahem, national-media types) will argue that Arizona, namely Williams, should have attacked the basket with only a two-point deficit.

They don’t realize, or choose to consider, that Williams and Horne were mostly effective from three-point range all season. Entering the game, Williams and Horne were a combined 48.5 percent from three-point range — 48.5 percent! — and they are not shooting guards by any stretch. They are technically power forwards. For Arizona, those three-pointers are high-percentage shots, practically no-brainers.

And wasn’t it Williams who kept Arizona alive in the NCAA tournament by shooting 5-of-6 from three-point range against Duke in the Sweet 16? Nobody yelled “No! No! No!” when Williams tried a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer before halftime against the Blue Devils. He nailed it, to no one’s surprise really, especially those who know something about Arizona basketball.

When Kobe Bryant takes a step back and nails a long-range jumper in crunch time, is the first reaction: Why didn’t he take the defender off the dribble? Well, only if he misses, that’s when the cynics emerge.

Bryant can call his next shot, overriding Phil Jackson, because of his MVP status with the Lakers. Without him, how many NBA titles would the Lakers and Jackson have?

Williams similarly has earned that carte blanche status with Arizona and Sean Miller. Without Williams, the Wildcats do not have a winning record.

That’s not to indicate Williams can do whatever he pleases without consequence. That’s not a concern. Williams is not reckless and he generally plays within the team framework.

Telling: When Williams stepped back and launched his three-point attempt with 8 seconds left, Miller remained kneeling by the Arizona bench, motionless. He did not throw his arms up as if to suggest, “No! No! No!” None of the assistant coaches or his teammates flinched either.

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A look at what to expect from the starting perimeter players Saturday at approximately 4 p.m., Tucson time, at Anaheim between No. 5-seed Arizona (30-7) and No. 3 seed Connecticut (29-9) in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament:

PERIMETER

UConn guard Kemba Walker averages 24 points a game and has gone to the free-throw line 296 times, making 242 (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

CONNECTICUT

What’s going right: Arizona must be very concerned about Kemba Walker because look at what Jimmer Fredette, a similar point guard with a scorer’s mentality, did for BYU against the Wildcats the last two seasons. Moreover, San Diego State’s only three losses this season were to BYU and UConn. Fredette scored 49 points in McKale Center last year and 33 this season in Salt Lake City. The Cougars outscored the Wildcats 99-69 and 87-65 in those games, respectively. Walker can break down the defense like few other guards, and he has the flair for spectacular (See: Game-winning plays in Big East tournament). Defensively, Walker is a stud as well, with a team-leading 73 steals. When he draws double-team defenses, Walker generally kicks it out to shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, who has good size (6-5, 185) to shoot over defenders. Lamb was a deadly shooter against San Diego State, making 9 of 11 field goal attempts, including all three from three-point range.

What’s going wrong: Similar to his former Harlem (N.Y.) Rice High School teammate, Lamont “MoMo” Jones, Walker is a scorer who is required to make plays for others. Walker had only three assists and four turnovers against San Diego State in 40 minutes, but the Huskies won 74-67 because Walker set a UConn scoring record in the NCAA tournament with 36 points. Overall, however, Walker has a respectable 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 170 assists and 85 turnovers. A glaring stat is Lamb’s scant 49 free-throw attempts all season (he’s made 39). That shows that Lamb can be sheepish with the ball, not being the aggressor and settling for the pull-up shot or three-pointer.

Walker said Thursday: “We won five games in five days in the Big East tournament, and everybody said we were going to be tired. After that, everybody said it was going to affect us in the second and third round of the tournament and it hasn’t yet. We’re playing great basketball as a team. We have something huge in front of us. We have a huge goal as a team, and we’re not going to let fatigue beat us. We’re going to overcome it. We have a team that is extremely mentally tough, and that’s going to get us over the hump.”

ARIZONA

MoMo Jones and Derrick Williams hope to continue their celebration against UConn in the Elite Eight at Anaheim (US Presswire photo/Gary A. Vasquez)

What’s going right: Jones did not take a backseat to former UA point guard greats like Mike Bibby and Damon Stoudamire with his 16-point, 6-assist and zero-turnover performance against Duke Thursday night. The 6-foot sophomore matched a season high with six assists (also against WSU on Feb. 17), had no turnovers for the fourth time this year. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was so impressed he embraced Jones and patted him on the head after the game. An example that Jones played within himself: He didn’t attempt a three-pointer, only the fifth time this year that’s happened. In fact, he has not attempted a three-pointer in his last two games.

What’s going wrong: Kyle Fogg played adequately against Duke with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting but he is still mired in somewhat of a shooting/scoring funk since posting 20 points against Oregon on March 5. Fogg is shooting 29.4 percent (5 of 17) from three-point range in the six games since the game against the Ducks at McKale Center. His three-point percentage has dipped from 41.7 percent last year to 34.1 this season.

Jones said Thursday: “It’s always going to be love (in terms of relationship with Walker). That’s like my brother. That’s off the court. When you on the court you’re enemies. I got to go with my teammates. He got to go with his teammates. That’s basically the bottom line. We’re going to come out and play two great games and try to lead our teams to the win, to the Final Four. You know, off the court is off the court. On the court, I run with my teammates all the time.”

Who has the edge? Connecticut. Aside from the decisive loss to BYU and Fredette, the Wildcats also lost two of three games to Washington and point guard Isaiah Thomas. They came a blocked shot away by Derrick Williams from going 0-3 against the Huskies. Walker is in the same mode as Fredette and Thomas because he demands attention, which should open possibilities for others. The Wildcats’ help-side defense and awareness will be put to the test perhaps more so by Walker than Fredette and Thomas because he has speed, athleticism and no fear going to the basket (his 296 free-throw attempts are only 23 fewer than Williams).

NEXT BLOG: MATCHUP PREVIEW OF THE STARTING FRONTCOURT PLAYERS FOR EACH TEAM