Arizona Basketball: Top 10 Moments in Wildcats History and Bonus Clips
By David Rosen
No. 9 – Arizona vs. Duke OT Thriller in 1991
Two great teams were battling it out! In 1991 the Arizona Wildcats faced off against the Duke Blue Devils inside McKale Center. At the time, the Wildcats had a 61-game home winning streak and bragging rights on the line with the overall series between the two teams tied at two.
Head coaches of both teams, Mike Krzyzewski and Lute Olson, had their work cut off for them knowing this was going to be a battle to the end. The likes of Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner, the late Sean Rooks and Brian Williams (later went by Bison Dele), Chris Mills, Matt Muehlebach, Matt Othick were all part of this classic battle of Division 1 powerhouses. What a lineup!
In the closing seconds of regulation, Matt Othick was able to force a turnover and get the ball to Sean Rooks who tied up the game and sent the game into overtime. Chris Mills had a chance to win it in the first overtime, but it was Matt Muehlebach who led the way in the second overtime to give the Cats the win 103-96.
Boxing had “The Thrilla in Manila,” and Arizona Basketball had a “Thrilla in McKale!”