His Style of Play Could Be Called Arenas Football

Arizona guard Gilbert Arenas had 12 points, seven assists and six steals--but he didn’t stick around to talk about his performance.

He was escorted out with an ice pack strapped to his right shoulder as reporters poured into the locker room. He stayed to watch the first half of the Maryland-Duke game and still wore the ice pack.

Richard Paige, sports information director for Arizona basketball, said Arenas has a sore shoulder that will be examined further today, and that he is expected to play in Monday’s championship game against Duke.

Arenas’ father, Gilbert Sr., attended the game and said his son hurt his shoulder while fighting through a pick.

“I’m sure he’ll be OK,” he said. “He said he was going for a steal and had to get through a pick. He just kind of hyperextended it. He’s able to move it fine.”

Arenas looked like a defensive back during the game, darting into passing lanes and making interceptions. Jason Gardner and Richard Jefferson did the same thing.

“Our guards are so smart and they read those passes,” swingman Luke Walton said. “They’ve been doing that all year long. Especially Gilbert, he gets in more passing lanes than anyone I’ve seen in college basketball. He started getting them and then Rich and Jason starting getting them too. From there, we just poured it on.”

With his six steals, Arenas set an NCAA semifinal game record. The previous record was five by Kentucky’s Anthony Epps and Wayne Turner, both against Minnesota in 1997.

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Hello, Michigan State. Goodbye, elbow pads.

“They had to come off, man,” said Arizona forward Eugene Edgerson, who usually wears thick pads on both elbows. “Guys were grabbing them and doing all kinds of silly things. I just felt I could be more mobile by taking them off. That was just an easy way for them to keep me in one spot.”