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Tuesday, March 27
Woods willing to play winning role
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Loren Woods didn't remember a thing, not one comment he made about making a mistake by returning to college for his senior year.
Well, that's what he said Friday.
After his 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks led the Wildcats to a 66-56 Sweet 16 win over an underappreciated but tough-out Ole Miss at the Alamodome, Woods claimed amnesia.
|  | | Loren Woods is making folks forget both his and Arizona's slow start to the season. |
Yeah, he said it with a smile and a smirk, knowing that getting Arizona to the Elite Eight by playing as well as he's playing was well worth the anguish he endured this season.
"I guess I don't have good short-term memory," Woods said about his stinging comments a few weeks ago. "We've got three down and three to go. And all I know is I'm having a lot of fun. We're relaxed and we're all having lots of fun."
Maybe it's because the Wildcats are one win away from the Final Four after one of the most emotionally draining regular seasons in recent memory. And Woods has been at the center of the storm.
Woods started the season in October bragging about being the potential top pick in this spring's NBA draft. He, and his Wildcat teammates, boasted freely about winning a national title. The word "undefeated" even came up in conversation.
To say Woods had a difficult time living up to the bravado would be kind.
A six-game suspension for receiving extra benefits kept Woods in street clothes as the Wildcats went 5-1 to start the season. The 7-foot-1 center returned in time to play a pivotal role in a controversial loss at Connecticut (a goaltending call on Woods resulted in the Huskies' winning points). With the senior in the lineup, the Wildcats then went 0-2 the next weekend by losing in Chicago to Illinois.
Woods was stuck in a funk, joined by the rest of the team while coach Lute Olson dealt with the death of his wife Bobbi. Woods didn't help the situation with an embarrassing outburst on the court in December, followed by a practice at Oregon State that put him down on the bench.
But since a trip to the Bay Area to end the regular season, Woods has been on a tear. And, as a result, Arizona is a different team -- a better team -- in the past month. Woods scored 10 points and had eight boards and four assists in the win at Stanford and was a willing decoy for Michael Wright on the winning basket. Two days later, he scored 22 and grabbed nine boards in the win at Cal.
He entered the Sweet 16 averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in the tournament.
"Loren Woods has been the difference for this team," Olson said. "He's so much more aggressive. He wants the ball, he goes 8-for-8 at the line. He does a great job reading everything defensively. He's developed into a solid leader where the guys really look up to him."
And it wasn't easy Friday.
Ole Miss played what the Wildcats termed the toughest defense they have faced this season. The Rebels read every loose ball and soft pass, making entry passes even tougher for Woods. The Wildcats all talked about how hard it was to get their offense going against the Rebels and it showed with a 0-for-8 game on 3s.
But the Wildcats were patient, matched the Rebels' defensive intensity and proved that they can play defense just as tough and grinding to get a win. This was the first close game for Arizona in the tournament, but another gut-check for Woods, who was going against a stronger and feisty Rahim Lockhart in the post.
"Loren kept telling us that he would eventually play well," Wright said. "He's doing everything right now."
Arizona point guard Jason Gardner said Woods beat himself up too much during the year. He said he demanded too much excellence, so much that it would bring his overall game down. But Woods said he's as relaxed right now as he has been at any point in the season.
He almost can't believe he's in this position. Woods was a backup to Tim Duncan his freshman year at Wake Forest when the Demon Deacons got bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was booted off the team as a sophomore, sat out as a transfer in Year Three, and sat out Arizona's two rounds last year with a back injury.
"This is the longest I've been in the tournament and it feels real good," Woods said. "Everyone said the longer you're in the tournament the better it feels."
Arizona can make it stretch another weekend with a victory Sunday. And the Wildcats are starting to feel that they're close, real close to being in the Final Four after all they've been through this season. This isn't the same team that lost to Illinois in Chicago or to Mississippi State. Not even close.
Gardner said the Wildcats wouldn't have won a close game like Friday's encounter with Ole Miss back in November. They wouldn't have known what to do against the Rebels' beat-you-up and make-you-play-ugly defense.
"This is a different ballclub," Olson said. "They're more focused on team, not individuals. They understand their responsibility and roles."
And they want to get to the Final Four for coach Olson more than themselves.
"Going to the Final Four would be the best thing we could do for Coach O," Gardner said. "He deserves it."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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Loren Woods and Arizona knew what to do in the 2nd half against Mississippi.(Courtesy: NCAA Productions)