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Arizona vs USC Basketball Recap

A regular season that has been defined by exhilarating highs and crushing lows concluded in characteristically dramatic fashion Saturday for the University of Arizona basketball team.

Saved at the end of regulation when sophomore Kyle Fogg knocked down three free throws to tie the score with 0.2 seconds remaining, the Wildcats pulled out an 86-84 victory over visiting USC on a layup by senior Nic Wise with 1.4 seconds left in double-overtime.

“I thought, in a funny way, this game has represented our entire season,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said afterward. “And in a funny way this game represented Nic Wise, what he’s endured during his career – the peaks and valleys, the ups and downs.”

The buzzer-beater was the third of the season at McKale Center for Wise, who has played for four head coaches during his four years at the U of A and who was honored after the game in an emotional Senior Day celebration.

“I just felt a lot of love,” Wise said about the post-game ceremony. “Guys were telling me not to cry before the game and stuff like that, but I think I held it in pretty well. It’s tough what I’ve been through. I was talking to Coach and we were saying he doesn’t think another college player in history has gone through everything I’ve been through. Sometimes it’s hard to hold it in, but I just have a lot of love for my fans and this university. It was a great feeling today.”

In winning their third straight game to end the regular season, the Wildcats secured the fourth seed in the Pac-10 Tournament. Arizona (16-14 overall, 10-8 Pac-10) will play fifth-seeded UCLA (13-17, 8-10) in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at 1 p.m. Mountain time Thursday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“I will say we have momentum on our side,” Miller said. “Every coach, every team wants to enter their conference tournament feeling good, and we do.”

After falling below the .500 mark both overall and in the league with a 95-71 loss at California on Feb. 25, the Wildcats have responded by winning three games in the final minute over the ensuing nine days.

“When we were at Cal, it looked like the bottom was falling out,” Miller said. “But the Stanford win (a 71-69 road victory Feb. 27 on a last-second shot by freshman MoMo Jones) prevented that from happening. It allowed us to have a good week of practice and stay with it. We beat UCLA (rallying for a 78-73 triumph at McKale Center on Thursday), stayed with it, and (won) here today. We’re a resilient group right now.”

Saturday’s victory would not have been possible without the clutch performance of Fogg, who was fouled by Nikola Vucevic while attempting a potential game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation. With the Wildcats trailing 69-66 with 0.2 seconds remaining, Fogg stepped to the foul line and needed to make three consecutive shots to send the game into overtime.

“I wish I could tell you that I got ice water going through my veins, but, man, I was shaking,” said Fogg, who finished with 18 points.

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Fogg’s first free throw bounced off the back of the rim and then the front before falling through the net. The 6-foot-3 sophomore then swished his next two shots to complete the trifecta and tie the score at 69-69.

Miller described Fogg’s task of having to make three free throws to extend the game as “the most pressure-packed situation you can have.”

“That one is the putt at The Masters from like 10 feet away,” Miller said. “It’s not for everyone. Give Kyle tremendous credit. He allowed us to have a chance to win the game.”

Arizona took a 77-71 lead during the first overtime, but USC came back to tie it at 78-78 before Wise missed a jumper from the left baseline with three seconds remaining.

A three-pointer by Fogg put the Wildcats ahead 81-78 early in the second overtime. After USC drew even on a layup by Marcus Simmons with 3:02 remaining, the teams traded free throws over the ensuing 2:50.

During the sequence, Wise split a pair of foul shots for Arizona and Mike Gerrity did the same for USC. After Jamelle Horne made two free throws for the Wildcats with 26.5 seconds remaining in double-OT, Gerrity swished two from the stripe for the Trojans with 12.7 seconds left, setting the stage for Arizona’s final possession.

“We just ran a ball-screen and they ended up switching,” said Wise, who dribbled into the lane and drove to the basket for the game-winner. “I learned my lesson from the first overtime, (when) I took a jump shot and it was short. So I told myself I was going to get to the rack this time, and I ended up making it.”

Wise finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats, who had five players score in double figures. Freshman forward/center Derrick Williams matched Fogg for team-high honors with 18 points and also pulled down 11 rebounds, while Horne contributed 16 points and Solomon Hill added 12.

USC (16-14, 8-10) was led by Dwight Lewis, who scored a game-high 21 points, and Gerrity, who finished with 16.

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer