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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Simon’s Revenge Is Sweet

From Wire Reports

An hour before tip-off, Miles Simon entered the RCA Dome singing and bopping to music blaring from his headphones while his Arizona teammates walked silently around him.

When the headphones came off and the game began, it was Simon making all the noise again for the Wildcats.

The lifelong North Carolina fan missed Arizona’s victory over the Tar Heels in the Tipoff Classic because of academic problems. But he made up for that absence Saturday, scoring 24 points as the Wildcats (24-9) beat North Carolina 66-58 in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

“Luckily, I was able to be on,” said Simon, the only returning starter from last year’s squad. “My team … kept saying, ‘Man, you’ve just got to keep taking it,’ and that’s what I tried to do. I just put up shots and took what was coming to me.”

While Mike Dickerson, Arizona’s leading scorer, struggled, Simon gave North Carolina (28-7) a game all by himself. It was sweet turnabout for the Fullerton, Calif., native, who still keeps his rejection letter from Dean Smith on the bulletin board in his bedroom.

Smith said he quit recruiting Simon because he had two young shooting guards.

Simon downplayed the personal significance of the game, saying he was more concerned with the NCAA title. But Arizona forward Eugene Edgerson said Simon’s public indifference was an act.

“He was just basically like this: ‘We need to kill these people. They recruited me, but they didn’t recruit me hard enough. We’ve got to make them pay,”’ Edgerson said.

Scalpers get scalped

Scalpers were grumbling outside the RCA Dome before the semifinals.

Single-session tickets with a face value of $100 were being offered for anywhere from $200 to $1,100, depending on location inside the Dome, but there were few takers willing to pay those prices.

“They want $500, and that’s for upper levels,” one prospective buyer said.

Scalping is legal in Indianapolis.

Terry hospitalized

Arizona sophomore Jason Terry was taken to a hospital to be examined after the Wildcats’ semifinal win.

“He fell late in the game but did not hit his head,” Arizona team physician Dr. Donald Porter said.

“He complained of dizziness and he was nauseated,” Porter said. “He was suffering from a cold earlier in the week.”

Terry, a reserve, played 20 minutes and scored three points in the victory over North Carolina.

Kerr takes Jordan to cleaners

The Chicago Bulls’ Steve Kerr, an Arizona alum, won a $20 bet he made with teammate Michael Jordan, a North Carolina product.

They were watching their alma maters before Saturday night’s game against the New Jersey Nets. Late in the second half, Jordan came from the training room into the locker room and shut off a TV that was showing the game. “Man, they’re playing street ball… . I’m walking my frustration off,” he said.

Moments later he took an Arizona T-shirt that had been hung in his locker and stuffed it in a garbage can.

Anderson returns

Derek Anderson of Kentucky was along strictly for the ride, dressed for his team’s semifinal only because this is the Final Four and it seemed the right thing to do.

Anderson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Jan. 20. That was supposed to be a season-ending injury for the senior, who was the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference and the heart of Kentucky’s defending national champions when he was injured.

After Minnesota coach Clem Haskins received a technical foul in the second half, Kentucky coach Rick Pitino went right to Anderson, his best foul shooter, torn ACL or not. Anderson had been cleared to play, but Pitino, not wanting to risk Anderson’s future in the NBA, insisted the only action he would see would be at the foul line.

For the first time since he was injured, Anderson came on the court. He hit the two free throws, increasing Kentucky’s lead to 49-43 with 14:31 to play, and then went back to the bench.