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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1997)
ION THE TUBE Major League Baseball I Seattle vs. New York ■ ESPN (34), 5 p.m. Tuesday April 1,1997 ARIZONA Davison Dickerson Bramlett Bibby Simon Terry Edgerson Harris fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp 29 3-9 3-3 4-7 0 2 9 24 1-8 2-2 2-4 0 0 5 27 1-3 1-1 3-6 15 3 38 5-12 6-6 2-9 4 1 19 40 8-18 14-17 1-3 1 1 30 33 2-6 2-2 0-2 5 1 8 15 0-0 2-2 0-5 0 2 2 19 2-2 4-8 4-7 1 4 8 NCAA Championship FINAL SCORE KENTUCKY ig min m-a Mercer 41 5-9 Padgett 30 5-16 Magloire 14 0-1 Turner 28 4-9 Epps 38 4-13 Prickett 21 1-4 Mohammed 25 6-11 Mills 22 5-9 ft rb m-a o-t a pf tp 1-1 5-9 6 5 13 4-4 0-1 0 5 17 0-0 3-4 14 0 0-1 1-4 5 5 8 0-0 0-5 4 0 11 4-5 1-5 15 6 0-6 7-11 0 3 12 0-0 0-1 1 2 12 Arizona steals the show ■ mm. i ne wuacais oecame trie first team ever to beat three No. 1 seeds and win the championship The Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Now there’s only one No. 1 left for the Arizona Wildcats — them selves. Arizona, the team that was supposed to be a year away, just needed an extra five minutes to win its first NCAA basketball championship. Led by the backcourt of junior Miles Si mon and freshman Mike Bibby, Arizona kept Kentucky from repeating as national champion with an 84-79 overtime victory Monday night. With three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman in the starting lineup, next year was supposed to be the one for Arizona. In stead, the Wildcats (25-9 overall) made their first championship appearance a thrilling one in a game featuring 20 ties and 18 lead changes. r ourtn-seeaea Arizona Decame tne nrst team in tournament history to knock off three No. 1 seeds — Kansas, North Carolina and now Kentucky, the winningest pro grams in college basketball history. “We just wanted it more than them,” said Simon, the game’s MVP. “Their legs were dragging, they were in foul trouble. We just wanted it more.” Kentucky was trying to become the sec ond repeat champion since UCLA’s stretch of seven straight titles ended in 1973. Duke repeated as champion in 1992. “It’s been the most fun I’ve ever had as a coach,” Kentucky’s Rick Pitino said. “I walked off the court feeling very proud.” Instead, Arizona won the first overtime championship game since Michigan beat Seton Hall 80-79 in 1989. “The thing that I’m so pleased about is this is a tough group of Cats,” Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. “At halftime, we talked about the toughest team mentally and physically would win the basketball game.” Simon, who missed the first 11 games of the season because of academic problems, finished with 30 points. Bibby, the son of former UCLA star Henry Bibby, who won three college championships himself as a player, had 14 of his 19 points in the second half. Arizona became the team with the worst Turn to NCAA Page 12 fifi The thing that I’m so pleased about is this is a tough group of Cats. At halftime, we talked about the toughest team mentally and physically would win the basketball game. — Lute Olson Arizona head coach -99 Wildcats’ guard Miles Simon celebrates Arizona’s 84-79 victory over Kentucky Monday night. Simon’s 30 points keyed the Wildcats’ win. UO Women’s Tennis The Oregon women's tennis match scheduled for April 1 against the University of Portland has been canceled, Oregon head coach Jack Griffin said. Portland coaches re quested the match be canceled af ter realizing its 1997 spring sched ule was overbooked. The Ducks (7-7 overall, 2-4 Pacific 10 Conference), who are now No. 48 in the nation, have one remain ing home match against Washing ton on April 11. UO Golf The Oregon men's golf team fin ished in sixth place out of 24 teams at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate March 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Ducks shot a three-round total of 885, shooting rounds of 297, 291 and 297. Ben Crane led the way for Oregon, finishing in a tie for seventh place overall with a 217. Chris Cone and Jeff Barney tied for 18th place at 220, while Derek Croskrey and Ryan Lavoie tied for 69th at 228. Ducks open spring practice today I ■ FOOTBALL: ® A total of 11 starters will return from the Ducks’ 1996 team that finished at 6-5 The Oregon football team will start its preparation for the 1997 season today with the start of spring practice at Autzen Stadi um at 4 o’clock. More than 80 players are expected to at tend today’s workout, among them 11 starters who helped the Ducks to their 6-5 record last season. In all, 41 returning letter men will return to the team today. Offensively, Oregon will return four starters from the 1996 team that finished No 14 in the country in scoring and No. 18 to tal offense. Tailback Saladin McCullough will return after setting a school record in 1996 with 15 rushing touchdowns, while racking up 685 yards rushing in just seven games. Among the top additions to this year’s of fensive squad is junior-college transfer Akili Smith. Smith threw for 3,212 yards and 32 FOOTBALL touchdowns, which earned him first-team all America honors in the ju nior college ranks. On the other side of the ball, five starters will re turn to a defense that was second to last in the Pacif ic-10 Conference in 1996. Peter Sirmon will move from inside to outside linebacker to fill the losses of Der rick Barnes and Reggie Jordan. Kevin Parker, the Ducks’ reserve tailback in 1996, will move to the secondary. Spring practice will end April 26 with an intrasquard scrimmage at Autzen Stadium.
