By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 23, 1998

Elite Eight was Miller time

ANAHEIM, Calif. Keith Van who?

That's got to be what fans of the Utah Utes are asking themselves after junior point guard Andre Miller led their team to the Final Four with a triple double performance in a 76-51 win over Arizona Saturday.

Miller's triple-double wasn't just any triple double either. It was of the this-guy-dominated-every-portion-of-the-game variety.

He had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. For good measure, he threw in two steals and a block.

Those 14 rebounds are not a typo. Neither is this: 13 of them were defensive.

"That's the kind of line you hardly see," Arizona head coach Lute Olson said.

As for his performance, Miller was as cool in front of the mic as he was facing Arizona's Mike Dickerson.

"I was confident out there," Miller said.

Arizona senior guard Miles Simon said after the game that he knew what Miller was capable of.

"I was aware he was one of their better players and today he showed that in all facets," Simon said.

As for Utah's chances against another No. 1 seed -- North Carolina - on Saturday, Miller should listen to Olson.

"They can play with anyone provided they can handle the fullcourt press," Olson said.

Well, take a look at the fullcourt presses Miller has left in his wake. First it was Arkansas in the second round, then a solid West Virginia team in the Sweet Sixteen, and Saturday Arizona.

"If they play as well as they did today they can play with anyone," Simon added.

Including the defending national champions. Consider one more important point from Olson.

"Utah is playing better that anyone we saw all year by miles," he said.

That's strong praise considering Arizona has played three of the four teams playing in this year's Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Saturday, Kentucky (33-4) will play Stanford (30-4) at 3:42 p.m. Tucson time.

North Carolina (34-3) and Utah (29-3) square off 30 minutes after the first game.

Then, the two winners meet a week from today at 7:18 p.m. for the national championship trophy.