| by Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com) Oftentimes the memory of the moment is greater than the actuality of the moment. This became clear to me this afternoon, |
as I was driving through downtown Chicago traffic to play in my Wednesday night pickup game.
To bide the time, and multitask for today's post, I decided to listen on YouTube to the 1997 Final Four game between Arizona and North Carolina.
While I typically re-watch these games prior to doing my reviews, I made an exception with this game, which I watched over and over again as a freshman in high school.
Feeling like I knew this game like the back of my hand, I was surprised by just how sloppily and poorly played this game was on both sides, looking back at it for the first time in at least five years.
While I remember Arizona's Michael Dickerson and North Carolina's Shammond Williams having really tough shooting nights, I was shocked as I listened to this game to hear how bad the shooting was throughout, even when the Wildcats pulled away in the second half.
There was a lot of bricklaying on this night, as seen in North Carolina shooting a ghastly 31% (23-for-74) from the field.
As for the victorious Wildcats, they were hardly better, shooting just 33% (22-for-66).
While I clearly remember Arizona scoring off the game's opening tip on a Miles Simon layup, only to fall behind 15-4 before taking a 34-31 lead at the break, the Wildcats were not all that great in the second half.
Of course, Mike Bibby did hit five threes in the second half, but they seemed more explosive back in 1997 than they did today.
What I had forgotten was that Bibby started this game 2-for-12 from the field, not scratching until a minute left in the first half.
Even after Bibby hit a bank three early in the second half, I thought I remembered him going crazy from this point forward, when in reality, he would continue to miss for a while.
In fact, both teams would throw up a lot of bricks, and the score would be rather low, 47-42 Arizona, at the under-8 timeout.
Essentially, this game came down to Bibby and Miles Simon hitting some big shots out of this timeout and Carolina continuing to miss.
The Tar Heels would trail by 15 points late, but have the game cut down to six points with 30 seconds to go, heaving three threes that were closer to breaking the backboard than going in.
Even with the game in hand, Arizona would fumble away the ball late, with Simon trying to execute a needless fast break and losing the rock out of bounds. This happened a week after Simon and Michael Dickerson took atrocious shots late in the Providence game, allowing the Friars to come back and nearly steal this Final Four bid.
With all that said, this game was not as exciting as I remembered, more of a classic case of winning ugly and one team playing slightly less worse than the other.
Still, that's okay, because back in 1997, this game was exciting for so many reasons, including:
Even if this game was not as charming as I expected, I still love it, for it made me the March Madness fanatic that I am.
Why You Should Watch This Game: You should watch this game because sometimes the memory of watching something when it happened meant so much more than revisiting it many years later. I don't know what it was about this game, but it was so exciting to watch back in the day, from North Carolina's Vince Carter dunking on Arizona in the first four minutes to Miles Simon doing a shoulder shimmy dance after an and-one giving Arizona the lead late in the first half to Bibby hitting big shots to put the game away to the Wildcats and Tar Heels just looking so damn cool with those great uniforms on the glistening RCA Dome floor.
What You Would Have Been Watching for North Carolina in 1997: I have covered the 1996-1997 Tar Heels quite extensively, with all four of their prior tournament games having been reviewed. While Carolina looked like it was rolling into the Final Four after a 23-point win against Louisville in the Elite Eight, looks can be deceiving. The Tar Heels were spectacular in bursts throughout the tournament but rather up and down, surviving a first-round scare against Fairfield, actually trailing by two against Colorado at the half before getting some beneficial whistles in the second half, outlasting California in an underrated Sweet Sixteen game, and nearly blowing a 21-point halftime lead to Louisville. While Carolina had the star power in Carter, Antawn Jamison and Williams, and the legend Dean Smith on the sidelines, this Tar Heels team was primed to be beaten, especially if not clicking, as would be the case after an opening barrage to start the Final Four.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Arizona in 1997: Maybe I came to love Arizona so much back in 1997 because its championship seemed so improbable? Looking back at the Wildcats 20 years later, this championship seems even more improbable, despite the star power of Simon, Bibby, Dickerson and Jason Terry. Don't get me wrong. Arizona was playing well in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, but the Cats were victims of inconsistency as well. Arizona could have very well been bounced in the first and second round by South Alabama and College of Charleston, trailing both games by double digits in the second half before rallying. The Wildcats pulled the tournament's biggest shocker in the Sweet Sixteen, building a 13-point lead against Kansas with less than four minutes to go before nearly letting it slip away. The Jayhawks missed three three-pointers in the game's final seconds, and Arizona moved on. The Wildcats seemed to have beaten Providence in the Elite Eight before a series of poor decisions helped propel a Friars' comeback (and two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation). Lucky for Arizona, those shots missed, and the Cats were able to live another day. This Arizona team truly seemed to have nine lives, straddling that thin line between victory and defeat, emerging as a team of destiny, the only Final Four participant not to be a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats were seeking to become the first No. 4 seed to win the championship, and would do so.
What I Remember Watching: I remember so much of this game, including Simon's layup off the tip, Serge Zwikker hitting a jumper from the top of the key during the ensuing Carolina blitz, Dickerson and Williams struggling mightily, Arizona wearing out a Carolina team that was not very deep, CBS cutting to shots of Bibby's mom Virginia and Simon's sister Charisse, who was married to Darryl Strawberry, Bennett Davison picking up three quick fouls, Dean Smith coaching his last game, etc. The list goes on and on, though it's interesting to see how many little details I had forgotten, like Bibby's rough first half, all of the bricks from both teams in the second half, and the fact that these two teams opened the season against each other, an Arizona victory. Pretty basketball this was not, though the victory felt pretty to me at the time, and teams don't get style points this late in March.
Who Was Watching for You: This game was called by the CBS A-team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer. Prior to Final Fours, Packer used to have his "Packer Pointers," or keys to the game, which I used to love. His first one was quite telling, the match up between the athletic Davison and Jamison. While Jamison was clearly the better player, Packer was quick to point out how Arizona's athleticism, as seen in players like Davison, gave the Tar Heels a lot of problems. Packer was spot on right at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, noting how the Carolina players had their hands on their shorts while Arizona was getting all of the loose balls. Packer was absolutely right; Arizona was relentless and did not tire. As for Nantz, I appreciated his honesty when commenting just how bad the shooting was on both sides. Curse those damn domes.
Where Were They Watching: The 1997 Final Four took place at one of my favorite tournament venues of all time, the RCA Dome. This floor just sparkled, with the players' reflections seen on the court. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of this Final Four, from the logo to the orange lanes to the light blue baselines with small Final Four logos in the corners. Simple. Elegant. Classy. Subtle. Wonderful. This was a great court design for a great Final Four.
If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): Arizona led 4-2 before Carolina blitzed the Cats with a 13-0 run, playing a spectacular at-the-rim game with Carter and benefiting greatly from Jamison's pogo-stick rebounding and put backs. Arizona would stay afloat thanks to the brilliance of Simon and his efficient 15 first half points, and Packer would note how Carolina would get caught up in trying to make the spectacular instead of the solid play. As the shooting was awful for both sides in the first half, Carolina built a 31-26 lead late in the first half. However, Bibby hit his first three, and Simon converted an old-fashioned three-point play. The Wildcats did not play well but were still up three at the break, 34-31.
In the second half, my memory was of Arizona pulling away. But this was not the case. Both teams struggled mightily with their shooting, outdoing each other with brick upon brick. After a great first half, Simon would start off 1-of-9 in the second half. As for UNC, the Tar Heels would go on a scoreless drought that stretched eight minutes, dating back to late in the first half. In some regards, the second half became a comedy of bad shooting, with Arizona holding a 5-point lead that seemed bigger due to Carolina's ineptitude from the field. At one point late in the second half, Arizona was shooting 30% from the field in the final 20 minutes; Carolina just 25%.
Coming out of the under-8 timeout, with Arizona up 47-42, Packer noted how both teams kept throwing up shots, and that the first team to hit some was probably going to win. The Wildcats immediately responded with a Simon three off an inbound play, a Bramlett steal, and a Bibby three. All of a sudden, Arizona was up 11. After Zwikker hit a stick back, Simon knocked in a floater in the lane. Keeping Carolina in the game, Zwikker would hit another jumper before Bibby would bury another three for a 12-point lead and Carolina timeout. Bibby would add two more threes later on, though Carolina would get the game to six with 30 seconds left before missing the aforementioned three threes. As Packer stated, the team that hit some shots would win this game, and Bibby and Simon hit just enough at the right moments to give Arizona the 66-58 win, and the program's first birth in the national title game.
To bide the time, and multitask for today's post, I decided to listen on YouTube to the 1997 Final Four game between Arizona and North Carolina.
While I typically re-watch these games prior to doing my reviews, I made an exception with this game, which I watched over and over again as a freshman in high school.
Feeling like I knew this game like the back of my hand, I was surprised by just how sloppily and poorly played this game was on both sides, looking back at it for the first time in at least five years.
While I remember Arizona's Michael Dickerson and North Carolina's Shammond Williams having really tough shooting nights, I was shocked as I listened to this game to hear how bad the shooting was throughout, even when the Wildcats pulled away in the second half.
There was a lot of bricklaying on this night, as seen in North Carolina shooting a ghastly 31% (23-for-74) from the field.
As for the victorious Wildcats, they were hardly better, shooting just 33% (22-for-66).
While I clearly remember Arizona scoring off the game's opening tip on a Miles Simon layup, only to fall behind 15-4 before taking a 34-31 lead at the break, the Wildcats were not all that great in the second half.
Of course, Mike Bibby did hit five threes in the second half, but they seemed more explosive back in 1997 than they did today.
What I had forgotten was that Bibby started this game 2-for-12 from the field, not scratching until a minute left in the first half.
Even after Bibby hit a bank three early in the second half, I thought I remembered him going crazy from this point forward, when in reality, he would continue to miss for a while.
In fact, both teams would throw up a lot of bricks, and the score would be rather low, 47-42 Arizona, at the under-8 timeout.
Essentially, this game came down to Bibby and Miles Simon hitting some big shots out of this timeout and Carolina continuing to miss.
The Tar Heels would trail by 15 points late, but have the game cut down to six points with 30 seconds to go, heaving three threes that were closer to breaking the backboard than going in.
Even with the game in hand, Arizona would fumble away the ball late, with Simon trying to execute a needless fast break and losing the rock out of bounds. This happened a week after Simon and Michael Dickerson took atrocious shots late in the Providence game, allowing the Friars to come back and nearly steal this Final Four bid.
With all that said, this game was not as exciting as I remembered, more of a classic case of winning ugly and one team playing slightly less worse than the other.
Still, that's okay, because back in 1997, this game was exciting for so many reasons, including:
- Arizona continuing its improbable run, knocking off its second No. 1 seed.
- Bibby still firing shots with no hesitation despite a rough start.
- Simon being so cool and unflappable on the court.
- My jumping on the Arizona bandwagon, where I would stay for nearly 10 years.
- This Final Four taking place on the Saturday before Easter Sunday.
- This Final Four also occurring on my first day of spring break as a freshman in high school.
Even if this game was not as charming as I expected, I still love it, for it made me the March Madness fanatic that I am.
Why You Should Watch This Game: You should watch this game because sometimes the memory of watching something when it happened meant so much more than revisiting it many years later. I don't know what it was about this game, but it was so exciting to watch back in the day, from North Carolina's Vince Carter dunking on Arizona in the first four minutes to Miles Simon doing a shoulder shimmy dance after an and-one giving Arizona the lead late in the first half to Bibby hitting big shots to put the game away to the Wildcats and Tar Heels just looking so damn cool with those great uniforms on the glistening RCA Dome floor.
What You Would Have Been Watching for North Carolina in 1997: I have covered the 1996-1997 Tar Heels quite extensively, with all four of their prior tournament games having been reviewed. While Carolina looked like it was rolling into the Final Four after a 23-point win against Louisville in the Elite Eight, looks can be deceiving. The Tar Heels were spectacular in bursts throughout the tournament but rather up and down, surviving a first-round scare against Fairfield, actually trailing by two against Colorado at the half before getting some beneficial whistles in the second half, outlasting California in an underrated Sweet Sixteen game, and nearly blowing a 21-point halftime lead to Louisville. While Carolina had the star power in Carter, Antawn Jamison and Williams, and the legend Dean Smith on the sidelines, this Tar Heels team was primed to be beaten, especially if not clicking, as would be the case after an opening barrage to start the Final Four.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Arizona in 1997: Maybe I came to love Arizona so much back in 1997 because its championship seemed so improbable? Looking back at the Wildcats 20 years later, this championship seems even more improbable, despite the star power of Simon, Bibby, Dickerson and Jason Terry. Don't get me wrong. Arizona was playing well in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, but the Cats were victims of inconsistency as well. Arizona could have very well been bounced in the first and second round by South Alabama and College of Charleston, trailing both games by double digits in the second half before rallying. The Wildcats pulled the tournament's biggest shocker in the Sweet Sixteen, building a 13-point lead against Kansas with less than four minutes to go before nearly letting it slip away. The Jayhawks missed three three-pointers in the game's final seconds, and Arizona moved on. The Wildcats seemed to have beaten Providence in the Elite Eight before a series of poor decisions helped propel a Friars' comeback (and two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation). Lucky for Arizona, those shots missed, and the Cats were able to live another day. This Arizona team truly seemed to have nine lives, straddling that thin line between victory and defeat, emerging as a team of destiny, the only Final Four participant not to be a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats were seeking to become the first No. 4 seed to win the championship, and would do so.
What I Remember Watching: I remember so much of this game, including Simon's layup off the tip, Serge Zwikker hitting a jumper from the top of the key during the ensuing Carolina blitz, Dickerson and Williams struggling mightily, Arizona wearing out a Carolina team that was not very deep, CBS cutting to shots of Bibby's mom Virginia and Simon's sister Charisse, who was married to Darryl Strawberry, Bennett Davison picking up three quick fouls, Dean Smith coaching his last game, etc. The list goes on and on, though it's interesting to see how many little details I had forgotten, like Bibby's rough first half, all of the bricks from both teams in the second half, and the fact that these two teams opened the season against each other, an Arizona victory. Pretty basketball this was not, though the victory felt pretty to me at the time, and teams don't get style points this late in March.
Who Was Watching for You: This game was called by the CBS A-team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer. Prior to Final Fours, Packer used to have his "Packer Pointers," or keys to the game, which I used to love. His first one was quite telling, the match up between the athletic Davison and Jamison. While Jamison was clearly the better player, Packer was quick to point out how Arizona's athleticism, as seen in players like Davison, gave the Tar Heels a lot of problems. Packer was spot on right at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, noting how the Carolina players had their hands on their shorts while Arizona was getting all of the loose balls. Packer was absolutely right; Arizona was relentless and did not tire. As for Nantz, I appreciated his honesty when commenting just how bad the shooting was on both sides. Curse those damn domes.
Where Were They Watching: The 1997 Final Four took place at one of my favorite tournament venues of all time, the RCA Dome. This floor just sparkled, with the players' reflections seen on the court. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of this Final Four, from the logo to the orange lanes to the light blue baselines with small Final Four logos in the corners. Simple. Elegant. Classy. Subtle. Wonderful. This was a great court design for a great Final Four.
If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): Arizona led 4-2 before Carolina blitzed the Cats with a 13-0 run, playing a spectacular at-the-rim game with Carter and benefiting greatly from Jamison's pogo-stick rebounding and put backs. Arizona would stay afloat thanks to the brilliance of Simon and his efficient 15 first half points, and Packer would note how Carolina would get caught up in trying to make the spectacular instead of the solid play. As the shooting was awful for both sides in the first half, Carolina built a 31-26 lead late in the first half. However, Bibby hit his first three, and Simon converted an old-fashioned three-point play. The Wildcats did not play well but were still up three at the break, 34-31.
In the second half, my memory was of Arizona pulling away. But this was not the case. Both teams struggled mightily with their shooting, outdoing each other with brick upon brick. After a great first half, Simon would start off 1-of-9 in the second half. As for UNC, the Tar Heels would go on a scoreless drought that stretched eight minutes, dating back to late in the first half. In some regards, the second half became a comedy of bad shooting, with Arizona holding a 5-point lead that seemed bigger due to Carolina's ineptitude from the field. At one point late in the second half, Arizona was shooting 30% from the field in the final 20 minutes; Carolina just 25%.
Coming out of the under-8 timeout, with Arizona up 47-42, Packer noted how both teams kept throwing up shots, and that the first team to hit some was probably going to win. The Wildcats immediately responded with a Simon three off an inbound play, a Bramlett steal, and a Bibby three. All of a sudden, Arizona was up 11. After Zwikker hit a stick back, Simon knocked in a floater in the lane. Keeping Carolina in the game, Zwikker would hit another jumper before Bibby would bury another three for a 12-point lead and Carolina timeout. Bibby would add two more threes later on, though Carolina would get the game to six with 30 seconds left before missing the aforementioned three threes. As Packer stated, the team that hit some shots would win this game, and Bibby and Simon hit just enough at the right moments to give Arizona the 66-58 win, and the program's first birth in the national title game.
What You Should Watch in 2017: @52:00 to 54:16, Simon and Bibby team up for 11 points, hitting three threes and taking Arizona's 47-42 lead to 58-46 with 5:00 left. For good measure, Bibby would hit another three at @55:37 to bring the Arizona lead to 61-46. In a matter of just minutes, Bibby would score 9 of his 20 points. He would later hit another three @59:03, finishing with 17 points in the second half. Simon would lead Arizona with 24 points on the game, and scratch the Cats back into the game in the first half, while Bibby would be the difference in the second half.
Player You Should Watch in 2017: Simply watch Bibby during the stretch above. This was Bibby on a night he was really struggling with his shot. Shooters keep shooting, and Bibby did not hesitate. His lack of memory, along with a sweet shooting stroke, made all the difference in getting Arizona to the title game.
What Stood Out During This Watch:
Player You Should Watch in 2017: Simply watch Bibby during the stretch above. This was Bibby on a night he was really struggling with his shot. Shooters keep shooting, and Bibby did not hesitate. His lack of memory, along with a sweet shooting stroke, made all the difference in getting Arizona to the title game.
What Stood Out During This Watch:
- Carter was amazing, scoring 21 points and being the only Carolina player who shot more than 50% from the field in this game. Carter had a ton of dunks, foreshadowing what he would eventually do in the NBA.
- Arizona got great games from big men reserves Donnell Harris, who had 4 points and 2 blocks, and Eugene Edgerson, who cleared 9 boards.
- Arizona left the door open with missed free throws; this team just didn't like finishing games easily.
- Jamison had a quiet 18 points. Arizona's athletic front line was somewhat able to neutralize him. The Wildcats already had 7 blocks early in the second half.
- Dean's Smith last game (and loss) was just the second time in 36 years that he would lose twice in the same season to a non-ACC team. In addition to Arizona in 1996-1997, Smith lost twice to Villanova in 1995-1996.
- A.J. Bramlett was huge in this tournament for Arizona, scoring just 2 points but being active inside with 10 boards against Carolina.
- Davison would play just 10 minutes due to foul trouble.
- North Carolina saw its 16-game win streak, longest in the nation at the time, come to an end.
- In his two prior Final Fours at Arizona, Olson watched his Wildcats, including Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Rheeves make just 4 threes. While the Wildcats would not have a good shooting night overall against Carolina, Olson got better three-point shooting, thanks to Bibby (6 threes), Simon (3), Dickerson (1) and Terry (1), in this National Semifinal, just enough to make the title game.
Related Watch: Here is Arizona and North Carolina tipping off the 1996-1997 season.
Miles Simon did not play in this game as we was under academic probation for the first 11 games.
Dickerson would be huge, and Bibby would start his college career on a promising note during the Arizona victory.
Miles Simon did not play in this game as we was under academic probation for the first 11 games.
Dickerson would be huge, and Bibby would start his college career on a promising note during the Arizona victory.