1997 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, Southwest Region: #10 Providence Friars vs. #4 Arizona Wildcats

by Chris Maynard ([email protected])

Weary from a business trip to Texas, the middle-aged man trudged up the stairs of his Chicago home with his wife by his side.

As the key turned and opened the door, the man's downtrodden look was apparent but quickly gone.

SURPRISE!

Family and friends greeted the man with love, celebrating his 40th birthday.

A smile, from ear to ear, filled the man's face.

---

Forty years to the day of my father's surprise 40th birthday party, college basketball fans were treated to an NCAA championship game that figured to be a classic yet still proved to be a surprise.

The 1957 final between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, would go three overtimes, with UNC emerging victorious and national champions.

No other title game has gone three overtimes.

---

On the 40th anniversary of the UNC-Kansas classic, and the birth of my father, two surprise teams battled in Birmingham, Alabama, for the last trip to the 1997 Final Four.

During my father's party, Arizona and Providence engaged in a classic game itself, with plenty of surprising twists and turns, including a near Arizona collapse at the end of regulation.

While my attention to this game would be in and out at the time as I celebrated my Dad with family and friends, I recently gave this Elite Eight contest my full attention, as seen in the latest "Thursday Treasures."

Talk about a roller-coaster ride.  Enjoy.

Game Nuggets: Here is some cool information contextualizing this game.

• Providence and Arizona was the last Elite Eight game of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. The other three Elite Eight games had been won by No. 1 seeds Minnesota, Kentucky and North Carolina.
• It's no wonder that CBS announcer Jim Nantz called the Southwest Region the "Cinderella" region, with No. 4 Arizona and No. 10 Providence left standing.
• Of course, No. 1 Kansas was expected to take this region, with just one loss on the season. However, Arizona had different plans in the Sweet Sixteen, holding Kansas seniors Scot Pollard scoreless, Jacque Vaughn to just 8 points, and Jerod Haase to a mere 2 points.
• In the second round, Providence knocked off No. 2 seed Duke, and then met up with Cinderella No. 14 UT-Chattanooga, which upset No. 3 seed Georgia and defeated No. 6 seed Illinois in the opening weekend.
• The Friars would survive UT-Chattanooga, 71-65, in the Sweet Sixteen, setting up this improbable regional final.

 
Arizona Game Nuggets

• Entering the Elite Eight, the Wildcats had shot 50 more free throws than its opponents in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. There would be plenty of free throws in this game, especially in a foul-ridden second half. Arizona would shoot 13 more three throws than Providence, holding a 38-25 advantage.
• At the time, Arizona head coach Lute Olson was 3-0 in Elite Eights. He would win this Elite Eight game but lose 3 of his next 4 appearances, including a 1998 drubbing at the hands of Utah.
• The 1996-1997 Arizona Wildcats are known for players like Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry while big men Bennett Davison and A.J. Bramlett don't get enough recognition. Entering the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Bramlett had just one double double. In the first three rounds of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Bramlett had three double doubles. As for Davison, he was huge this game.
• While Bibby was the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 1997, and Simon would be the M.O.P. of the 1997 NCAA Final Four, Dickerson was the only first-team All Pac-10 selection on the conference's 11-man team at the end of the 1996/1997 regular season.

Providence Game Nuggets

• Providence was looking to become the first No. 10 seed to reach the Final Four. At the time the lowest seed to make the Final Four was No. 11 LSU in 1986. As a No. 9, Pennsylvania reached the 1979 Final Four, losing to Magic Johnson and Michigan State. In 1985, No. 8 Villanova not only crashed the Final Four but won the national championship during a flawless performance against Georgetown. In 1984, Virginia made the Final Four as a No. 7 seed, the year after Ralph Sampson had graduated. 
• The Friars were led by senior forward Austin Croshere, who was averaging just less than 27 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. Croshere scored a tournament-high 39 points in the Friars' first-round drubbing of Marquette. He would have just 12 points against Arizona, fouling out with roughly 10 minutes left in the second half. 
• Providence was seeking its first Final Four birth since the 1987 team led by Billy Donovan and head coach Rick Pitino. Interestingly enough, Providence began its 1987 NCAA Tournament play in Birmingham, Alabama, defeating host Tulane and then Austin Peay, which upset Illinois in the first round. The Friars were 3-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in Birmingham.
• While a surprise team in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Providence had lost 5 of its last 7 regular season games before winning a pair in the Big East Tournament.
• Apparently, this Providence team did not always get along so well during the regular season, with East Coast players like God Shammgod, Jamel Thomas and Derrick Brown, and California native Croshere having differences of opinion.

 
A Bargain Find:  Here's a quick summary of this game.

The first half started back and forth before Arizona used some hot shooting to take a seven-point lead. However, Providence went to a 2-3 zone that flummoxed the Wildcats and rode point guard God Shammgod to go on a 14-2 run late in the first half. Arizona led 32-31 at the break on a three by Miles Simon, the best player for the Wildcats in the first 20 minutes.

Out of the halftime gate, Arizona build its lead back up as the game got testy and fouls became the norm, including four technicals (three on Providence, 1 on Arizona).  Croshere would foul out after the under-12 timeout and Bramlett would be gone soon after. Arizona actually led this game by 10 points with 6 minutes left and by 8 points at the under-4 timeout. That's when the game went crazy.

Behind Shammgod's driving, Providence cut into the lead. The Wildcats kept splitting trips at the free throw line as the Friars were coming. Poor shot selections by Dickerson (@1:28:50) and Simon (@1:31:25) kept Providence in the game, along with the hearts of Shammgod, Jamel Thomas, Corey Wright and Ruben Garces. After Simon's terrible shot was blocked, Providence raced the ball down court, where Thomas hit a three to tie the game at 85. The Friars then stole the ball and Shammgod fired a shot @1:31:46 that would have won it for Providence. While the shot missed, the ball caromed out of bounds to Providence. After an Olson timeout to settle down his Cats, Providence's Wright badly missed a wide-open three from the top of the key, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, Arizona was able to rebound and take an early lead. Shammgod, Garces and Thomas would not let the Friars die, with a Thomas two cutting the Arizona lead to 95-92. After Terry hit one of two free throws, Providence missed a shot and inexplicably did not foul in the overtime's final 10 seconds.

Arizona survived 96-92. It's amazing to think how close Arizona was to blowing this game, which would have meant no national championship or crazy fascination with this program that I would develop. All in all, the second half of this game was slowed down by fouls but worth the wait for the drama that would unfold. While losers of this game, this Providence team was a bunch of street fighters. 
 
Medal Winners
 
Arizona Gold: Shooting guard Miles Simon. Despite his brain cramp late in regulation, Simon was a stud, with his 30-point performance against Providence setting up his big weekend in Indianapolis.

Providence Gold: Point guard God Shammgod. While CBS went with Garces, I am going with Shammgod, who scored 23 points and dished out 5 assists. Shammgod got wherever he wanted all night long and set up many Providence trips to the free throw line. In simple terms he could not be contained.
 

Arizona Silver: Power forward Bennett Davison. While Arizona had six players in double figures, including Bibby, who had a quiet 17 points, Davison was huge all night, going for 14 points and 12 boards, setting up several baskets with beautiful assists and swatting several memorable shots.

Providence Silver: Center Ruben Garces. While Croshere and Shammgod were the stars of this Providence team, the undersized Garces, along with front-line mates Derrick Brown and Thomas, were the heart of this team. Garces had 16 points and 19 boards, and was a force in the game's final minutes with his activity on the offensive glass. 
 

Arizona Bronze: Center A.J. Bramlett. Limited to just 24 minutes due to foul trouble that resulted in an early disqualification, Bramlett continued his stellar play with 12 points. I just loved the way Bramlett and Davison played on the interior from the start to the finish of this game. They brought a lot of toughness against a physically superior Providence team.

Providence Bronze: Forward Jamel Thomas. The older brother of Sebastian Telfair had a slow first half but left it all on the floor in the second half and overtime, hitting the game-tying three at the end of regulation and finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Honorable Mentions: Arizona's Terry (11 points) hit a big shot with a minute left in overtime while Brown (18 points, 9 rebounds) played valiantly, if not always efficiently, before fouling out in overtime.

Arizona Offensive Charms: Here are some examples of the Arizona offense clicking.

• @0:47 to @0:57, Arizona freshman guard Mike Bibby fires a no-look feed to center A.J. Bramlett for a monster two-handed slam.
• @1:23 to @1:33, Miles Simon hoists a gorgeous three from the top of the key, netting nothing but net.
• @5:14 to @5:24, Bibby controls a rebound and goes the full-length of the court for a scoop layup.
• @9:40 to @9:50, Simon scores on a beautiful drive and spin in the lane.
• @10:47 to @10:57, Arizona's Michael Dickerson uses a wicked crossover to get to the cup for a basket.
• @31:40 to @31:50, Simon hits a big three to give Arizona a 32-31 lead following a 14-2 Providence run.
• @48:10 to @48:20, Terry demonstrates great self control, hitting a gorgeous pull-up.
• @1:00:38 ot @1:00:48, Simon hits another big three just when Arizona needs it, as is his custom all game long.
• @1:05:25 to @1:05:35, Simon gives Arizona a 12-point lead with 9 minutes left after another three.
• @1:19:28 to @1:19:38, Davison scores on an offensive put back.
• @1:34:30 to @1:34;40, Bibby hits a tough pull up to quiet the Providence storm early in overtime.
• @1:34:56 to @1:35:05, Terry scores a graceful layup.
• @1:35:45 to @1:35:55, Simon hits a banker as Arizona extends its overtime lead.
• @1:41:41 to @1:41:51, Terry hits a big jumper from the free throw line to give Arizona a 94-90 lead with a minute left in overtime.

Providence Offensive Charms: Here are some examples of the Friars running the show. I've created a separate section for Shammgod's highlights, as he was unbelievable.

• @9:04 to @9:14, and @10:25 to @10:35,, Providence stars Jamel Thomas and Croshere get on the scoreboard with three pointers of their own.
• @15:55 to @16:05, Croshere draws a foul on a gorgeous drive to the basket.
• @51:11 to @51:21, Thomas shows his New York City toughness, tumbling down on an acrobatic fast-break finish set up by a Wright steal.
• @56:18 to @56:28, Thomas sticks with the ball on the glass, scoring a tough basket on the inside.
• @1:00:31 to @1:00:41, Thomas goes to work again on the offensive glass, scoring on a follow.
• @1:23:52 to @1:24:02, Garces tips in a missed Shammgod layup as Providence furiously rallies back.
• @1:26:34 to @1:26:44, Brown rebounds a missed Shammgod free throw, draws a foul of his own and hits two free throws to cut the Arizona lead to 85-79.
• @1:29:05 to @1:29:15, Garces scores on another tip in off a miss, cutting the Arizona lead to 85-82.
• @1:31:20 to @1:31:40, After an inexcusable Simon shot, Thomas hits a corner three to tie the game at 75.
• @1:34:07 to @1:34:17, Brown starts off overtime with a big board and score.
• @1:35:18 to @1:35:28, Garces won't let the Friars die, scoring on another put back of a Providence miss.
• @1:43:03 to @1:43:13, Thomas hits what looks to be a three, but is a two, cutting the Arizona lead to 95-92.

Defensive Diamonds

• @3:40 to @3:55, Providence big man Ruben Garces gets in the passing lane, making a steal that leads to a Brown layup.
• @6:39 to @6:49, Bramlett blocks Austin Croshere on a drive to the basket.
• @9:53 to @10:03, Simon gets in the passing lane, making a steal and going in for the slam.
• @11:02 to @11:12, Bramlett strips Thomas on a drive to the basket.
• @19:21 to @19:31, Davison obliterates a Thomas shot at the rim.
• @22:30 to @22:40, Garces adeptly denies a post feed to an Arizona big man.
• @30:07 to @30:28, Providence and Arizona send out invitations to a "Block Party," with Friars' big Ndongo N'diaye and Arizona's Davison sending back respective shots.
• @48:43 to @48:53, Wright proves to be a defensive nuisance, drawing a charge on Bibby.
• @51:37 to @51:47, Simon sets up a Bramlett score with a nice dish.
• @1:08:47 to @1:08:57, Davison sends a Shammgod shot out of bounds after the Providence guard penetrates a bit too far, a rarity.
• @1:31:30 to @1:31:50, After Thomas improbably ties the game with a three, Providence steals an Arizona pass, leading to a Shammgod shot that would have won the game but misses. 

Sensational Shammgod: Here's an entire section dedicated to Providence point guard and New York City legend God Shammgod going to work against the Wildcats.

• @0:11 to @0:21, Shammgod blows by the Arizona defense, with a beautiful wrap-around pass to Derrick Brown for the game's first two points.
• @1:08 to 1:18, God cannot be contained as another drive leads to a Brown bucket.
• @1:27 to @1:37, a theme is clearly emerging as Shammgod hits Brown with an up-court pass for another basket and a 6-5 Providence lead.
• @11:25 to @11:35, Shammgod proves unable to be contained, getting to the rack and drawing a foul on the Arizona defense.
• @20:39 to @20:49, Shammgod blows by Dickerson, getting to the rim and hitting Garces, who is hammered.
• @22:57 to @23:03, Shammgod has the Arizona defense on its heals and thus drains a three instead of taking the ball to the rack.
• @23:47 to @23:57, Shammgod is spearheading a first-half Providence comeback, attacking the rim, spinning and drawing a foul, getting the Friars crowd rolling.
• @24:57 to @25:07, Shammgod utilizes some more nifty dribbling to get to the rim and hit Garces for a layup and a 10-0 Providence run.
• @26:34 to @26:44, Shammgod hits a pull-up on Bibby, increasing the Providence run to 12-0.
• @39:18, Shammgod once again has the ball on the string, getting into the lane and hitting a wide open Brown, who misses a three.
• @45:18 to @45:28, Shammgod gets to the rim and makes a big layup, cutting Arizona's 45-38 lead to five early in the second half.
• @49:16 to @49:26, Shammgod sets up Croshere for a score, off yet another drive.
• @51:58 to @52:08, Shammgod spins out of the post to hit Brown, who is fouled.
• @1:11:48 to @1:11:58, Shammgod uses the "Shammgod" dribble to set up Brown. Wow!
• @1:15:38 to @1:15:48, Shammgod scores off another dribble drive to the hoop to cut the Arizona lead to 64-54 with 6:20 remaining.
• @1:16:47 to @1:17:55, Shammgod keeps the Friars alive with his uncanny ability to get anywhere he wants with his dribble and finish at the hoop.
• @1:19:37 to @1:20:10, Shammgod knocks down two free throws after putting more pressure on the Arizona defense with his dribbling and drawing a foul.
• @1:21:45 to @1:21:50, Shammgod dunks the ball off a steal to cut the Arizona lead to 82-76 with 2:57.

Passing Pearls

• @4:12 to @4:22, Simon makes a beautiful pass over the top of the zone to Bramlett. The play does not count, but this is a fantastic pass.
• @17:17 to @17:27, Arizona big man Bennett Davison spins out of the post into the lane, drawing the defense and hitting Bramlett for a two-hand slam.
• @17:47 to @17:57, Terry comes up with a steal and leads a three-on-one fast break, throwing a beautiful behind-the-back bounce pass to Simon, who cruises in for a smooth layup.
• @22:10 to @22:20, Garces shows some deft interior passing, hitting Brown for a score.
• @26:45 to @26:55, After Shammgod hits a pull-up in his eye, Bibby comes back with a beautiful lob to Davison, who rocks the rim with some authority.
• @35:37 to @35:47, Davison opens the second half with a beautiful cross-court pass to Bibby for a three.
• @40:35 to 40:45, Simon taps a missed Arizona shot to Davison for an easy score.
• @44:17 to @44:27, Simon gets into the lane, drawing the defense and dishing to the struggling Dickerson, who hits just his third three in his last 25 attempts.
• @46:16 to @46:26, Davison again draws the defense with a spin to the lane and hits reserve Donnell Harris for a two-hand slam.
• @48:32 to @48:42, Providence reserve guard Corey Wright sets up Croshere with a great dish.
• @57:15 to @57:25, Dickerson hits Davison on a sweet high low feed.
• @59:08 to @59:18, Thomas throws a no-look to Brown.

Coaching Charms

• With Arizona controlling the game in the first half, Providence's Pete Gillen went to an active 2-3 zone that flustered the Wildcats, which were not patient with its ball movement or shot selection, allowing the Friars to get back into the game.
• After Providence tied the game on a three, missed a jumper but retained control of a ball that went out of bounds in the game's final seconds, Olson called a timeout, allowing Providence, which had no timeouts left, to draw up an inbound play. While Packer didn't like this timeout, I did, as Arizona was falling apart and needed to slow things down and regain its composure, even if it meant letting Providence draw up a last-second shot.

Awesome Announcing: Jim Nantz and Billy Packer called this game, with the insufferable Craig James (yikes!) on the sideline. James looked and sounded like a deer in the headlights during this game. It's no wonder he did not work many NCAA Tournaments afterwards. For a lack of a better word, James is an entitled jerk.

• @13:00 to @13:30, CBS comes out of the commercial break with Packer analyzing how Bibby and Shammgod are palming the ball, and how this violation is not being called. Nantz says not to expect a call against God, especially on "Palm Sunday."
• @1:31:20 to @1:31:50, Nantz and Packer are shocked when Simon takes an unneeded shot, Thomas hits a game-tying three, and Providence steals the ball. Nantz screams "Providence can win" just before Shammgod misses a game-winner. The ball goes out of bounds to Providence. Olson calls a timeout to get his team composed, and Wright misses a game-winning three, sending the game to overtime. What a crazy, exciting finish to regulation.

Cream of the Crop: While my heart says Simon, I am going with the entire Providence team, which showed tremendous heart despite the loss. This team was fun to watch. While I am glad that Arizona won all of these years later, this Providence team would have been fun to see in the Final Four.

Well, that's it for this fantastic Regional Final.

One more Elite Eight game to go (North Carolina versus Louisville) and it's onto the 1997 Final Four, which might be my favorite Final Four of all time.