Arizona Basketball has had some memorable game endings in Tucson, is it even possible to name the top five?
Few college basketball arenas can rival the atmosphere Arizona Basketball fans give every night at McKale Center.
Though the years Coach K, Jerry Tarkanian, Shaquille O’Neal, Billy Donovan, Gary Payton, Bill Self, Reggie Miller, Christian Laettner, Tom Izzo and Mike Montgomery have all had to deal with the raucous atmosphere of McKale Center
All of these college basketball legends have left McKale Center with a loss at some point in their careers.
There have been countless memorable moments in McKale’s 40 plus years on planet earth, but what are the greatest endings in the history of the storied arena?
This Top 5 attempts to answer that question.
Next: No. 5
No. 5- Dec. 15, 2012
Arizona 65
Florida 64
Mark Lyons was a talented two-guard from Xavier who hoped to come to play for Sean Miller would increase his basketball career stock, by showing he could play the point.
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He was not a prototypical point guard, but he helped the Cats win a lot of games on the way to the Sweet Sixteen.
Early in the season Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators came to Tucson for a top-ten showdown.
With a minute left the game and the Cats trailing by six, the game appeared to be over, but the Cats scratched and clawed back into the game to set up a great McKale memory.
With seven seconds remaining Lyons took the game into his own hands and hit a nifty layup to give the Cats a one-point lead.
Arizona’s defense did it’s job at the end by holding the Gators to a desperation shot that didn’t have a prayer.
Next: No. 4
No. 4 – Jan 18, 1979
Arizona 70
UCLA 69
When Arizona joined the Pac-10 for the 1978-79 season, fans circled the first time the mighty UCLA Bruins would be playing in McKale for the first time as a conference foe.
John Wooden was gone but the mystique of his ten championships still strongly resonated in the college basketball world. The Bruins coming to Tucson was a BIG deal.
Late in the game Arizona sophomore, John Smith stepped to the free-throw line with the game tied at 69. Smith knocked it down, and all the Cats had to do was play defense for six more seconds to record the upset.
UCLA All-American David Greenwood let a 20-footer fly from the corner. It bounced off the rim, and the rowdies in Tucson celebrated a monumental victory over a basketball giant.
Next: No. 3
No. 3- Jan. 9, 1999
Arizona 88
Washington 86
Before Richard Jefferson was playing with the best player in the world, he played with the best college basketball player of the 1998-99 season.
With little time remaining against the Washington Huskies, fan favorite Jason Terry had the ball with the game tied.
His fadeaway 18-footer fell short, but Jefferson grabbed the errant shot and dropped it in the hoop as time expired.
Jefferson celebrated with the McKale crowd by jumping on top of a table behind the hoop.
Next: No. 2
No. 2- Dec. 21, 2009
Arizona 83
Lipscomb 82 (OT)
In Sean Miller’s first season, wins were hard to come by. If it were not for senior Nic Wise, it could have been a really, really bad year.
Wise led the Cats to a winning record in 2009-10 and was responsible for late game wins over North Carolina State and USC, but his greatest hero moment came against Lipscomb.
Yes, that’s not a misprint.
Lipscomb.
In overtime, the Cats trailed by two when Solomon Hill rebounded a missed free throw. He quickly threw it up the court to Kyle Fogg who fired it to Wise for a wide-open three at the buzzer.
When the ball went in, the Arizona bench ran the full length of the floor to celebrate with Wise,
The fans in McKale were a nervous wreck for several minutes as officials reviewed the play.
After a long examination, the zebras counted the bucket and made it out of McKale alive.
Next: And...Drumroll please...No. 1
No. 1 – Jan. 23, 1986
Arizona 63
Oregon State 62 (OT)
There was a time when Oregon State was known more for its basketball than the fact it was once coached by the President’s brother in law.
In 1986 the Beavers had a Hall of Fame coach roaming the sidelines when Ralph Miller and company visited McKale Center.
With the Cats trailing by one with little time remaining, Arizona needed an Anu Solomon to Austin Hill miracle.
Steve Kerr threw a baseball pass the full length of the court into a mass of humanity. The ball ricocheted right into Craig McMillan’s hands, and his lay-in gave the Cats a one-point victory as time expired.
The “McShot” was born, and Cats fans are still talking about it 30 years later.
Next: Top 5 Forgotten Teams of the McKale Center Era
What is your favorite McKale Center ending? Let us know in the comments below. BearDown Arizona!