The Arizona Wildcats' triple-overtime road win last year over California-Berkeley was one of the best college games we've seen in awhile, and not just because our alma mater came out on top by a score of 107-105
We were looking forward to last night's rematch (the only time the two teams will play in the regular season under the new Pac-12 format), though we fully expected the first-place Bears to win, having seen both teams on TV.
But they didn't.
The Wildcats held on in a thriller, holding off Cal 78-74, handing the veteran squad its first home loss of the season.
The somewhat improbable victory was the first time all season that Arizona had won a game decided by six points or less.
Kyle Fogg and Nick Johnson provided great defense in the frenetic last minute, blocking shots and sealing the win--and possibly turning around what was looking like a really mediocre season.
A senior, Fogg is a real gamer, and has turned himself into an excellent college player with pro-level shooting range.
We especially liked the energy of freshman Angelo Choi, who scored 8 points in 16 very active minutes. We should be seeing more of Choi as the season progresses.
The win moved Arizona within two games of the league lead with eight to go in the regular season. We'd love to see the Cats see Cal again in the Pac-12 tournament, held in early March over at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Down in Palo Alto, the Stanford Cardinal routed the hapless Arizona State Sun Devils 68-44.
Let's just leave it at that, other than to say that Coach Herb Sendek must be having some sleepless nights over the sad state of this yer's squad.