Arizona

Arizona voters surprised the pollsters Tuesday and narrowly voted down a proposed Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, a move that apparently will cost the state Super Bowl XVII and more than $100 million in revenue.National Football League commissioner Paul Tagliabue reacted to the vote yesterday by announcing that he will recommend the owners move the game -- scheduled for January 1993 after the 1992 season -- out of Phoenix."I am confident they will endorse my recommendation," Tagliabue said.

PHOENIX -- With primary elections in Arizona and North and South Dakota, the West begins today to exert some influence over the Republican presidential nomination. Sen. Bob Dole is favored in the Dakotas, but Patrick J. Buchanan's aggressive candidacy poses a serious threat here in the Valley of the Sun.After having upset Mr. Dole in New Hampshire, Mr. Buchanan made two brief stops in South Dakota before committing himself full time to Arizona. He has been relentlessly pounding home his arguments against free trade with neighboring Mexico and against the flow of illegal immigrants into this and other border states.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- When Arizona knocked off Kansas in the signature game of this NCAA tournament, four Wildcats hopped onto press row for a joyous victory dance.Reserve guard Jason Terry made like Tarzan and hung from one of the rims when a Final Four berth was finally secure last night, but everyone else from Arizona was wasted emotionally and mentally after the Wildcats wasted a 12-point lead and needed overtime to repel Providence, 96-92, in the Southeast Regional final."This is the most tired I've ever been after a game," said Miles Simon, the junior guard who poured in 30 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the regional.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Miles Simon and Mike Bibby had left the building along with 14,642 Arizona fans and the CBS cameras.But Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell lingered behind yesterday afternoon in an empty McKale Center where his Eagles had been wiped out 45 minutes earlier, 99-82, by a powerful sixth-ranked Arizona squad.Mitchell stared at the big blue words on the court that read "1997 National Champions" and he turned philosophical for the first time on a day the Eagles made history by being the first historically black school to appear on a major network in a regular-season game.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Oh, the motivation running through Andre Miller's head yesterday morning.Miller runs the point for No. 7 Utah and was a first-team selection in the Western Athletic Conference. His coach, Rick Majerus, said, "I wouldn't trade Miller for anyone, but I stand by my statement that Mike Bibby is the best point guard in the nation."Bibby is one-half of Arizona's All-America backcourt, the other being Miles Simon. Four years ago, Simon was the premier backcourt prospect in Southern California, at a time when the region's guard talent ran deep.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Miles Simon is not a student of college basketball history, recent or otherwise. The Arizona junior guard had no clue who "Danny and the Miracles" were, when former Kansas star Danny Manning and the 1988 Kansas Jayhawks were mentioned to him on the eve of last night's NCAA championship game.He thought they were a singing group.But Simon is now part of that history, and so is Arizona.Just call them "Miles and the Miracles, Part II."With Simon outplaying Kentucky star Ron Mercer, and with the underdog Wildcats outshooting their more fabled and favored nicknamesakes here at the RCA Dome, Arizona upset the defending national champion in overtime, 84-79, to give long-maligned coach Lute Olson his first NCAA title.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In a flash, the Illinois State Redbirds were sent flying south yesterday.One steal led to another, one basket to another and Illinois State had suddenly hit the wall in its quest to surprise defending national champion Arizona at Arco Arena.Arizona's easy, 82-49 victory -- its second straight laugher of the tournament -- set up the expected confrontation with Maryland next week in the West Regional semifinals in Anaheim, Calif.Once the top-seeded Wildcats turned up their defense and shifted into a gear Illinois State couldn't find, the match with Maryland was assured.

CHICAGO -- Kansas coach Roy Williams and his players wouldn't dare ask the question, or even answer it. Yet it had to run through their minds and the minds of their loyal fans during last night's game against Arizona here at the United Center.Where was this performance when they needed it -- or at least the first 30 minutes of it -- in the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA tournament?With a thrilling 90-87 victory over the defending national champion and fourth-ranked Wildcats in the Great Eight Basketball Classic, the second-ranked Jayhawks continued to enhance their reputation for being a great early-season team as well as a regular-season giant-killer of other top 10 teams.

TEMPE, Ariz. - All weekend, Reggie Geary was an afterthought in the point guard theme that dominated the NCAA West Regional here.There was Jacque Vaughn, the second-team All-American from Kansas. There was Steve Nash, the Canadian wizard from Santa Clara. There was Shawnta Rogers, the 5-foot-3 wunderkind from George Washington.And, if the conversation lasted that long, there was Geary, the talkative guard who directs traffic in Arizona's racehorse offense.Did he feel slighted? You bet."I definitely do," Geary said.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Mike Bibby agreed with the masses. Next year, he thought, would be Arizona's year. And then the Wildcats staged their brilliant run through the NCAA tournament this season to turn college basketball on its axis."