Michigan’s famed “Fab Four†walked into McKale Center a few minutes before ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ended its practice a day before the Dec. 29, 1993, Fiesta Bowl Classic championship game.
Everybody knew the Fab Four’s names and faces: Juwann Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King.
A moment later, after Lute Olson excused the No. 12 Wildcats from practice, I was standing next to Jon Wilner, the Star’s beat writer, when ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ senior guard Khalid Reeves approached.
“When are you going to get me some front-page pub?†Reeves asked in his quiet manner.
Wilner smiled and pointed to the Fab Four. “There’s the front-page pub,†he said without missing a beat.
But that all changed 24 hours later. Reeves scored 40 points as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ creamed the seventh-ranked Wolverines, 119-95. By season’s end, Reeves had become a bigger name than any of the “Fab Four.â€
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“Khalid is as good a player as I’ve had the misfortune to sit on the opposite bench and coach against,†said Michigan coach Steve Fisher.
And he was. The 1993-94 Wildcats won a rugged Pac-10, routed Missouri’s once-a-generation Big Eight champions 92-72 in the Elite Eight and Reeves set a still-standing ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ record of 848 points in a season. He also set the UA’s season scoring record of 24.2 points per game.
The normally camera-shy guard from New York City led ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ to a 29-5 record until it ran into Arkansas’ “40 Minutes of Hell†defensive force at the Final Four in Charlotte. The Razorbacks beat ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 91-82 as Reeves and fellow All-Pac-10 point guard Damon Stoudamire combined for their least productive game of the season, shooting 2 for 22 from 3-point distance.
Now, 28 years later, the Wildcats are viewed as a colossal success rather than the club that lost to Nolan Richardson’s national champs in North Carolina.
As with most Lute Olson teams, the 1993-94 Wildcats took on all comers. They went 8-4 against top-25 teams, a wickedly tough schedule that included victories over No. 5 Missouri, No. 8 UCLA, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Louisville and a road win against a No. 18 Cal team blessed with formidable point guard Jason Kidd.
The Final Four first came into view in the championship game of the Maui Invitational in Hawaii two days before Christmas. Kentucky beat ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on a last-second shot, 93-92, but it was enough to convince ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans that two difficult seasons — first-round NCAA losses to East Tennessee State in 1992 and Santa Clara in 1993 — wouldn’t be repeated.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star Damon Stoudamire's throng of quote-seekers grew after each tournament win in 1994. He scored 16, 20, 11, 27 and 16 points in five postseason games.
The 1993-94 Wildcats became known as “Thunder and Lightning,†a tribute to the backcourt of Reeves and Stoudamire, who combined to average 42.5 points per game, surely the best guard tandem in school history.
There was nothing superficial about Reeves. A day before ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was to meet Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Sacramento, Reeves was asked about Cornel Parker, Virginia’s defensive hotshot.
A week earlier, ESPN’s Dick Vitale had anointed Parker as the top defensive player in college basketball.
“Who’s that?†asked Reeves, who didn’t mean it as an insult; he wasn’t simply one who didn’t follow much college basketball news.
Parker was suitably motivated, but it didn’t help. Reeves scored 30 as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ hammered Virginia, 72-59.
Reeves and Stoudamire combined to score 53 points in the Final Four-clincher against top-seeded Missouri, and although the second-seeded Wildcats celebrated in their locker room, Olson didn’t join in.

In his press conference Olson spent 40 minutes roasting the media for being critical of his club’s first-round losses of 1992 and ‘93.
“I’m bitter,†he said. “I’ve been dealing with this for two years.â€
There wasn’t much Olson could say after the Final Four loss. Arkansas, a No. 1 seed, was clearly the better team. There were no tears shed in the UA locker room; the Wildcats had got the most of their material. They averaged a school-record 89 points per game, which has only been topped by the 1997-98 UA club, the defending national champions.
“We weren’t happy just to get to the Final Four,†said Stoudamire. “I think years from now when we look back, we’ll be happy at what we accomplished.â€
Photos: 1994 University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ basketball team
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Reggie Geary and forward Joseph Blair enjoy the moment at a rally for the team following it's run to the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C., in 1994.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Kevin Flanagan avoids a foul while guarding Michigan's Bobby Crawford in a Dec. 29, 1993, game against Michigan. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won 119-95.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Lute Olson directing his charges during ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s loss to Arkansas in the 1994 Final Four.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Judith Blair cheers on her son, Joseph Blair, and the team at the West Regional in Los Angeles.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Then-current ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ basketball player Kevin Flanagan (sitting) goofs around with another Wildcat who played in a Final Four, Tom Tolbert, during the Cats' 1994 run to NCAA basketball's biggest event in Charlotte, N.C. Tolbert played on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s 1988 Final Four squad.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Former Cats Reggie Geary, left, and Joseph Blair share a moment of celebration during ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s 1994 Final Four run. Geary, one of the best defenders in UA history, and Blair, a solid post player who won a Euroleague MVP award in 2002-03, were key players on the team that finished the season 29-6.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats star guard Khalid Reeves jukes Missouri guard Mark Atkins while bringing the ball up the court in the West Regional final on April 7, 1994 in Los Angeles. Reeves scored 26 points in the Cats' 92-72 win that pushed them to the Final Four.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

A Jeep filled with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ cheerleaders leads the parade procession following the Cats' return from the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C., in 1994.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star Damon Stoudamire's throng of quote-seekers grew after each tournament win in 1994. He scored 16, 20, 11, 27 and 16 points in five tournament games.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ point guard Damon Stoudamire had 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Cats' 92-72 West Regional final win over No. 1-seed Missouri.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Damon Stoudamire dishes the ball under pressure from Louisville's Greg Minor, left, and Dwayne Morton, right, during the 1994 West Regional semifinal in the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won 82-70 to advance to the West Regional final against Missouri.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

From left to right, Jim Rosborough, Reggie Geary, Kevin Flanagan, Dylan Rigdon, Ray Owes, Jason Richey, Danny Brown, Lute Olson, Steve Condon and Lou Baltus look on during ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s loss to Arkansas in the 1994 Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Dylan Rigdon plays defense against Oregon during a Jan. 24, 1994 game at McKale Center.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

Khalid Reeves in a Dec. 14, 1993, game against New Orleans at McKale Center.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Lute Olson and star point guard Damon Stoudamire embrace during the Wildcats' 1994 run to the Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Reggie Geary during the 1994 Final Four in Charlotte, N.C.
1994 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats Final Four basketball team

An ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ cheerleader kickstarts Wildcats fans in the crowd at the West Regional in Los Angeles in 1994.