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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The marquee matchup that many college
basketball fans wanted to see -- Arizona vs. Dan Dickau and Gonzaga -- won't happen.
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I said it at the begining of the season and I'll say it again: Jason Gardner made a great decision to return to college and pull out of the NBA draft. Gardner was the superstar in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, when Arizona really built up its confidence. And Gardner was the star of stars Thursday, scoring 28 points as Arizona held off UC Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos got a brilliant performance by Mark Hull, who scored 32 points and seemed like he wasn't going to miss from three-point range all night. He hit eight of 11 three-point attempts.
For a while it looked like a UCSB-Wyoming matchup in the second round. Talk about Shock City! But Lute Olson's team came through in the end. |
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And that's just fine with Jason Gardner because his team is
still playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Gardner scored 28 points and Arizona averted yet another early
exit, overcoming a 3-point barrage by Mark Hull and UC Santa
Barbara 86-81 on Thursday night in the West Regional.
"I think the first-round game is the hardest game," Gardner
said.
The Wildcats had lost their NCAA Tournament opener four times in
the past 10 years. The Gauchos threatened to add to the list behind
Hull.
Hull scored 32 points, shooting 8-for-11 on 3-pointers and
making all eight of his foul shots. Hull, showing no ill effects
from breaking his nose two games ago, shot 6-for-6 on 3s in the
first half.
"I was just feeling it in the first half," he said. "I hit
one or two, and if I hit one, that's pretty much enough to get me
going."
UC Santa Barbara was 16-for-27 overall on 3s, and it almost was
enough to topple the team that reached last season's national title
game.
"This is a matter of survival, and we survived," Arizona coach
Lute Olson said. "Not by much."
The third-seeded Wildcats (23-9) advanced to play 11th-seeded
Wyoming, which upended Gonzaga 73-66, on Saturday. The Zags, led by
their All-American guard Dickau, finished No. 6 in the rankings and
Arizona was No. 7.
Gardner was the only Arizona starter to come back for the team
that fell to Duke 82-72 in last year's title game. The junior
returned after deciding to wait at least another year for the NBA
draft.
Gardner made 12 of 14 free throws, and helped hold off the
inspired Gauchos.
With the crowd pulling for an upset, UC Santa Barbara closed to
78-76 on Nick Jones' basket with 1:44 left. He was fouled, but
missed the free throw and the Gauchos never got another chance.
Arizona won the Pacific-10 tournament title to earn an automatic
bid to its 18th straight NCAA appearance.
The Wildcats' tournament history included the 1997 championship,
but also is dotted with poor first-round showings in the last
decade, including losses to East Tennessee State, Santa Clara,
Miami of Ohio and Oklahoma.
Olson heard boos all night from most of the crowd that packed
The Pit. After a close loss three years ago to New Mexico, he vowed
he would not return to the Lobos' home arena.
The NCAA selection committee did not give Olson a choice.
The local fans jeered everything about Arizona, including the
big "A" flags its cheerleaders carried around the court. The
Gauchos' mascot took advantage of the sentiment -- he stripped off a
jacket to reveal a T-shirt that read "New Mexico Basketball" and
got a loud cheer.
The 14th-seeded Gauchos (20-11) have won only once in the NCAA
Tournament, with that victory coming in 1990, the last year they
reached the field.
Hull scored from behind the arc for a 24-21 lead with 4:39 left
and, having found his range, rapidly hit three more 3s in giving
the Big West tournament champs a 35-32 halftime lead.
The Wildcats tightened up on Hull right after the break, and it
took him 5½ minutes to merely get off a shot. Once he got going, he
quickly added a pair of 3s and three free throws.
Rick Anderson added 19 points and Channing Frye had 16 for
Arizona. Mike Vukovich scored 14 for UC Santa Barbara.
Tempers briefly flared with 12:36 left when Anderson and Bray
Skultety tangled under the boards. Skultety threw down Anderson and
was given a technical foul.
"I thought our showing was good, but we just came up a little
short," Gauchos coach Bob Williams said.
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