The 1987–88 Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in competitive college basketball during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season…. playing their home games in the Lloyd Noble Center….as a member of the Big Eight Conference at that time. The team posted a 35–4 overall record and a 12–2 conference record to earn the Conference title under head coach Billy Tubbs….which was the third Big Eight Conference Regular Season Championship for Tubbs and his second Big Eight Conference Tournament Championship.
The team was led by three future NBA Draft first round selections….in F Harvey Grant…C Stacey King…and G Mookie Blaylock….as Grant and King earned All-American recognition for the season. This team won its first 14 games before losing back to back contests to unranked LSU and Kansas State…. then won 12 consecutive games before falling to unranked Missouri in overtime in its regular season game finale….as the team then ran off 9 more wins taking it to the NCAA championship game of the 1988 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament….where it lost to Kansas.
Mookie Blaylock established the current National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball single-season steals (150) and single-game steals (13) records….as Stacey King set the current OU single-season blocked shots (103) record….and G Ricky Grace set the single-season assists (280) record….and the team holds numerous Sooner records including wins (35), and points per game (102.5)
The 1987–88 Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team represented the University of Arizona….was led by College Hall of Fame Head Coach Lute Olson….as they team played their home games in the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference….who won the Pacific-10 Basketball Tournament by beating Oregon State by a score of 93–67 to claim its first Pac-10 title. The 1987-1988 Wildcats were led by three (3) future NBA players in 1st round pick F Sean Elliott by the San Antonio Spurs….C Tom Tolber in 2nd round by the Charlotte Hornets and G Steve Kerr in the 2nd round by the Phoenix Suns.
Simply put, this 1988 NCAA Mens Semifinal game with the Sooners and Wildcats was jammed packed with great players on each team….led by two legendary college coaches….was a great game which was eventually won by Oklahoma by a score of 86 – 78….and for any true ncaam basketball fan….and all Sportsphiles….a game well worth watching.
