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On Tuesday night, there were no one-liners from Bill Walton, but there was certainly just as much drama.
The fact that the #2 Arizona Wildcats were the only Pac-12 team in action made for what was anticipated to be a slow night. They were taking on the 2-0 UC Irvine Anteaters who boasted wins over Pacific University and something named Chapman-not exactly high profile victories.
What came out of what was anticipated to be a double-digit blowout turned into something not even SportsCenter's Top 10 could shy away from.
#2 Arizona 71, UC Irvine 54: Oh, a 17-point victory you say? Clearly, this wasn't much of a game. Alas, this is the reason reading a box score is not always the way to go (hint: it's never the way to go).
At the half, the Anteaters were munching on some Wildcat as they took a 29-26 lead into the break. For Sean Miller and Arizona, this was the biggest highlight over the first 20 minutes:
Then came the second half. T.J. McConnell was magnificent, finishing the game with 12 points, nine rebounds, six steals and four assists (all while not turning the ball over) to lead the Wildcats charge. But all the pub and adulation will go to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Not because he went 11-for-13 from the free throw stripe and finished the game with 19 points and six rebounds, but because of the ferociousness of this dunk:
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Posterizes UC Irvine Big Man
After Irvine made a bucket to go ahead by five with 10:30 left to play, they'd go ice cold over the next six minutes and two seconds, finally scoring after the ‘Cats unleashed a hellacious 15-0 run.
Also of interest, if you were so inclined to gamble on this game (note: you may have an addiction considering the incredibly small magnitude), Brandon Ashley's dunk either won you some money, or lost you some. But remember either way, it was him doing the dunking and not seeing one single cent.