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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Amid hooting fans and a harassing
defense, Cool Hand Luke kept his composure.
Luke Walton hit a couple of one-handed push shots in the clutch,
and third-seeded Arizona staved off Wyoming 68-60 Saturday in the
second round of the West Regional.
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After losing the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright and Loren Woods, who would have ever believed that Lute Olsen and the Arizona Wildcats would make it to the Sweet 16? Olsen is always a terrific leader, but getting these kids this far in the Tourney might be one of his best performances yet.
Jason Gardner responded against Wyoming with 14 points, but it was the all-around play of Mr. Versatility Luke Walton -- the best passing big man in the country. Walton scored 21 and grabbed nine boards. Diaper dandy Channing Frye finished with a double-double -- 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Wildcats were just too strong for Steve McClain's gallant Wyoming Cowboys.
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The son of basketball great Bill Walton scored 21 points and
made several nifty passes. Equally important, the junior forward
steadied the young Wildcats in front of a crowd that began booing
them well before tipoff.
"A hostile environment isn't really going to affect us,"
Walton said.
Walton stood near halfcourt dribbling out the final seconds as
Arizona (24-9) advanced to play the Xavier-Oklahoma winner next
Thursday in San Jose, Calif.
The Wildcats reached the round of 16 for the seventh time in the
past 12 seasons. They lost last year's NCAA championship game to
Duke, and won the 1997 national title.
"We don't care if they're cheering for us or against us," said
Arizona coach Lute Olson, who doesn't like playing at The Pit. "As
you can see, that's what our guys enjoy."
Walton had nine assists, and freshman center Channing Frye added
18 points and 11 rebounds for Arizona.
Wyoming (22-9) could not duplicate the drama it pulled in
toppling Gonzaga in the opening round.
Josh Davis and Marcus Bailey each scored 17 points for the
11th-seeded Cowboys.
"We established that Wyoming basketball is going to be around
for awhile," coach Steve McClain said.
Wyoming has won at The Pit more than any other visiting team _
16 times -- but Walton would not let it happen again.
After Davis scored to pull the Cowboys to 58-55 with five
minutes left, Walton used his soft touch for a pair of baskets from
in close on the right side.
"Coach told me if they are not going to come up and attack me,
then take the shot," Walton said.
While he shot only 8-for-20, those key baskets were enough to
settle down his team and send them deeper into the tournament.
Jason Gardner, who had 14 points, stood with Walton as the clock
ticked down. Soon, the team that sometimes had three freshmen on
the court at the same time was celebrating.
The big cheers began for the Cowboys when they walked down the
steep ramp from the locker room midway through the second half of
Missouri's 83-67 win over Ohio State. Getting high-fives from fans,
the Wyoming players sat in the stands for a few minutes.
|  | | Luke Walton kept his cool in leading his Wildcats to the Sweet 16 with a game-high 21 points. |
"It was nice to have the support from the other Mountain West
schools," Davis said. "It shows that our conference is a classy
conference, that we have other teams' fans cheering for our team."
Olson drew an even bigger reaction when he came on the court
before the game. He's never made it a secret that he's not a huge
fan of The Pit, and the New Mexico fans showed him the feelings
were mutual.
With the boos reaching a crescendo, Olson had the slight hint of
a smile as he shook hands with McClain. They had met long ago, too
-- as a junior in high school, McClain attended Olson's basketball
camp.
Wyoming's partisan support included Gov. Jim Geringer, who was
supposed to talk to the team before the game but arrived late.
"You can just tell by going to Albuquerque and being in the
crowd, Wyoming is a favored underdog," he said at halftime.
Geringer was among the Cowboys' most enthusiastic rooters. He
was so excited after the first-round victory that when he spoke to
the team in the locker room, he described No. 6 Gonzaga as
"overrated."
Walton hit a 3 as Arizona took an 8-0 lead. Freshman Salim
Stoudamire, cousin of NBA guard Damon Stoudamire, hit a rainbow 3
during a 14-0 run that put the Wildcats ahead 29-19.
At that point, Arizona also was getting the job done on defense.
Aware that Wyoming wanted to drive to the basket, Frye blocked four
early shots without committing a foul.
Donta Richardson, a key Cowboys' defender, had his problems.
After shadowing All-American guard Dan Dickau all night in the win
over Gonzaga, he picked up his third foul in the first half while
checking Gardner, and got his fourth foul soon after the break.
Arizona went 20-of-28 on free throws, while Wyoming shot only
4-of-7.
"It happens. People take it to the rack," McClain said.
"Things get called and things don't." | 
