Arizona’s 27-2 Run Puts Foe in Ill State

Arizona concluded its NCAA tournament Cactus League season Saturday, tinkering and toying with another early-round opponent in rapt anticipation of Thursday’s real opening day at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim against Maryland in the West Regional semifinals.

The weekend damage toll?

The Wildcats, a basketball El Nino, defeated two schools in three days by 72 points.

Arizona played Wildcat and mouse with spunky Illinois State on Saturday before going on a 27-2 run in the second half en route to an 82-49 victory at Arco Arena before a crowd of 16,402.

“It was a game of halves,” Arizona Lute Olson said afterward.

Yeah, haves and have-nots.

The wounded Redbirds played without their starting guards, both out with injuries, yet were awash with hope early in the second half when Dan Muller’s three-point shot tied the score, 32-32.

Arizona (29-4) then cranked up the defensive pressure, reeled off nine points in a minute--27 in a frenetic seven-minute basketball waltz--and the game was over.

The time line: Muller’s shot with 19 minutes left tied the score at 32.

With 12:01 left, Jason Terry’s second three-point shot in 14 seconds put Arizona ahead, 59-34.

“It’s hard for people to stay with us when we come out with that kind of intensity,” said Wildcat guard Mike Bibby, who finished with 19 points.

So, that must have been some halftime speech by Olson, huh?

Actually, Olson said he said little with his team ahead by three points, 30-27, at the intermission.

“The guys are real finicky if you yell at them,” Olson deadpanned. “Mike Bibby, you almost see tears in his eyes. Try to bear in mind they’re very sensitive guys.”

It was a stark contrast weekend for Arizona, which last year narrowly survived early-round scares against South Alabama and College of Charleston en route to the national title.

The worst thing that happened in Sacramento was Terry forgetting his lucky socks back in Tucson. No big deal? Terry missed all nine shots without them in Thursday’s wipeout win against Nicholls State.

After having the socks express-mailed to him Friday, super-sub Terry entered the game and knocked down a quick three-point basket, reaching down afterward to rub his good-luck charms.

Illinois State (25-6) had a pretty good idea how fast a game against Arizona can turn.

“In a three-minute span, they can end a game, and that’s what they did,” Redbird Coach Kevin Stallings said.

Arizona guard Miles Simon watched the NCAA life drain from the Redbirds during his team’s 27-2 rampage, their faces turning white as Olson’s hair.

“It just steamrolled,” Simon said. “You saw that guys just did not want to dribble any more and were making shaky passes against the press.”

Illinois State star Rico Hill went four for 17 from the field and finished with nine points.

“They’ve got the kind of team, if they get it going, they’re hard to beat unless you got weapons to gun it with them,” Hill said.

The Redbirds entered the game with holsters empty.

While Maryland should provide a stiffer test next week, Arizona also caught a down-the-road break when second-seeded Cincinnati suffered a last-second Saturday loss to West Virginia, short-circuiting a proposed Arizona-Cincinnati showdown in the West Regional final.

Still looming, though, is a possible Final Four rematch between Arizona and North Carolina.

Does a team as good as Arizona dare look that far ahead?

“If because we beat them twice last year they want revenge, they can come and get it,” Bibby said of North Carolina.