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News
Analysis: Hey Andre: It's all your fault


Photo
CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA freshman point guard Mustafa Shakur makes a leaping pass over USC's Desmon Farmer during the first half of Arizona's 97-70 win last night at McKale Center. Shakur had 10 points, four rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes of play.
By Brett Fera
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday, February 13, 2004
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This time around, Andre Iguodala only shouldered part of the blame.

His teammates are responsible for the rest.

But this time, there's one major difference: a 27-point rout for the No. 16 team in the nation, rather than a stunning last-second loss.

"Things change with a win," said Iguodala, who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 boards during Arizona's 97-70 win over Southern California last night in McKale Center.

Iguodala was his own worst critic last weekend, incessantly pointing the finger at himself after the Wildcats blew a four-point lead with less than a minute to go at Stanford, losing 80-77 after a desperation Stanford 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"If I play bad, we lose every game. It was my fault Salim got the ball stolen from him," he said just minutes following Cardinal forward Nick Robinson's game-winner after picking Salim Stoudamire's pocket with three seconds to go.

Iguodala said he was out of position, which drew his man - Robinson - right to Stoudamire for the steal.

Five days later, however, Iguodala's chin was up and the intensity was back for the Wildcats' most versatile player.

Iguodala rebounded from his nine-point, two-rebound effort last weekend against Stanford by being as consistent as his team needed. Nothing more, nothing less.

"I knew I could come out and have a different kind of game," he said, adding that he appreciates the comforts of playing at home. "It's just knowing that everybody's behind you and they want you to succeed and do well."

Iguodala's timely pull-up jumpers helped guide the Wildcats back from a nine-point deficit in the game's opening three minutes, ending the debate as to which team the McKale Center crowd was booing.

"Teams just come out hot against us. They're 10 deep and we're six, seven deep. They were fresh for a while," Iguodala said. "But those second-half spurts, they're always when we tire teams out a little bit, and we did that (last night)."

During that second-half burst, Iguodala created his own personal "SportsCenter" highlight reel as Arizona rattled off a 14-0 run over a span of just two and a half minutes. The sophomore followed a soaring tomahawk jam off a Chris Rodgers assist by showing off his own handles, driving through the lane and dishing a behind-the-back pass to Channing Frye for the easy bucket.

Iguodala's final stat line was nowhere near perfect - he turned the ball over six times and made just five of 14 from the floor. But his presence at the most opportune times for Arizona changed what looked like another upset-in-the-making into just another UA blowout.

"I don't think we can be perfect out there, but guys are playing their butts off," he said. "Things change with a win. Things are definitely different, but we have to get back hard in practice tomorrow and just focus on (tomorrow's game against) UCLA."



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