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Arizona Wildcats men's basketball

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Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
2024–25 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Arizona
All-time record1,889–986–1 (.657)[1]
Athletic directorDesiree Reed-Francois
Head coachTommy Lloyd (4th season)
ConferenceBig 12
LocationTucson, Arizona
ArenaMcKale Center
(capacity: 14,688)
NicknameWildcats
ColorsCardinal and navy[2]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1997
NCAA tournament runner-up
2001
NCAA tournament Final Four
1988, 1994, 1997, 2001
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1976, 1988, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1976, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2022, 2024
NCAA tournament round of 32
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2022, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
1951, 1976, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999*, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008*, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference tournament champions
1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2023
Conference regular season champions
1932, 1936, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1976, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2024
*Vacated by NCAA

The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. They compete in the Big 12 of NCAA Division I and is coached by Tommy Lloyd. Arizona previously spent the past 50 seasons in the Pac-10/12.

The program came to national prominence during the tenure of former head coach Lute Olson (1983-2007), who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to U of A as "Point Guard U"[3] because the school has produced successful guards like Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Khalid Reeves, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner, Jerryd Bayless, and T. J. McConnell, among others.

From 1985 to 2009, the Arizona basketball team reached the NCAA Division I tournament for 25 consecutive years, tied for 3rd longest in NCAA history.[4][5][6] Despite having their 1999 and 2008 appearances later vacated by the NCAA, the media still cites Arizona's streak, and simply notes the changes.[7][8] The Wildcats have reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament on four occasions (1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001). They have also made two appearances in the National Championship (won over Kentucky Wildcats in 1997, lost to Duke Blue Devils in 2001). In Pac-10 play, former head coach Lute Olson currently holds the record for most wins as a Pac-10 coach with 327.[9] In addition, the team has won 18 Pac-10/12 regular season championship titles and 9 Pac-10/12 tournament championship titles.[9] Arizona also holds the distinction of recording five out of the seven 17–1 Pac-10 seasons (one-loss seasons).[9] In 2022 Arizona became the first team in conference history to win 18 conference games in a season. No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10/12.

Arizona ranks eighteenth all-time heading into the 2024–25 season with 1,889 wins and ranks eight by winning percentage at (.657).[10] Arizona has spent 39 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll, which is ninth-most all-time; 30 weeks at No. 2, ninth most all-time; 174 weeks in the Top 5, seventh all-time; 346 weeks in the Top 10, sixth all-time; and 608 weeks in the top 25, seventh all-time.[11]

Team history

[edit]

Early years (1904−1925)

[edit]

The University of Arizona fielded its first men's basketball team in 1904–05. Orin Albert Kates coached the team and drew opponents from local YMCAs. The first game Arizona played ended in a 40–32 victory over the Morenci YMCA.[12]

In 1914, Arizona's first famous coach, James Fred "Pop" McKale was lured away from a teaching and coaching job at Tucson High School to take over as Athletic Director and coach basketball, football, baseball and track.[12] McKale took things to a new level, posting a 9–0 record his first season as a basketball coach.[12] Moreover, McKale elevated the program to intercollegiate play.[12] While basketball was his least favorite of the many sports he coached while at U of A, he chalked up three undefeated seasons and a career-winning average of .803, which has never been bested by a U of A coach who has held the post for at least three years.[12] The McKale Memorial Center, the main arena for Arizona basketball, is named in his honor.[12]

Fred Enke (1925−61)

[edit]
Fred Enke in 1960.

From 1925 to 1961, the program was under the stewardship of Fred Enke, U of A's longest-tenured coach.[13] Coach Fred A. Enke was responsible for the early successes of Wildcat basketball. Enke amassed 509 wins in his tenure on the U of A sidelines and still ranks as the second-winningest coach in school history, winning more than 60 percent of his games. Enke also led the Cats to the first four postseason appearances (3 N.I.T./1 NCAA) in school history and in 1950–51 competed in both the N.I.T. and NCAA postseason tournaments. Finally, he was the first coach to lead Arizona to a national ranking. Two of his teams (1950, 1951) finished the season ranked in the top 15.[13]

Under Enke, U of A competed in the now-defunct Border Conference. Under Enke's direction, Arizona won 12 conference championships, including a span in which the Cats won or shared seven consecutive Border Conference titles (1942–51). No Border Conference team won as many league games (231) or overall contests (398) during its membership.[13] In 1962, Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.[13]

Bruce Larson (1961−71)

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Bruce Larson, a player and assistant under Enke before coaching at Eastern Arizona and Weber State, coached the Wildcats from 1961 to 1971, leading the school to a 136–148 record. Under his tenure, major planning began[14] for a larger and more modern basketball arena (which would become McKale Center) to replace the outdated Bear Down Gymnasium. Larson would later serve as an analyst on Wildcat football and basketball telecasts during the Lute Olson (and Dick Tomey) era.[15]

Fred Snowden (1973−1982)

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In 1972, Fred Snowden was hired as the head basketball coach, making Arizona the second Division I school and the first major program to hire an African American head coach.[16][17] Known as "The Fox", Snowden brought the excitement back to Wildcat basketball during his 10 years on the Arizona sideline, averaging more than 80 points per game in six of his 10 years and topping the 100-point barrier 27 times.[13] Snowden led Arizona to the NCAA tournament twice, in 1976 and 1977, getting as far as the Elite Eight in 1976 before losing to UCLA 82–66, a game after defeating UNLV in a Sweet Sixteen matchup. During the 1976 tournament, he also logged Arizona's first and only tournament wins until Lute Olson's hiring, beating John Thompson's Georgetown team 83–76. Snowden's 1976 team also won the school's only WAC championship title on a buzzer-beater by Gilbert Myles verses New Mexico, with the help of the spectacular play of Bob Elliott, Jim Rappis, and Al Fleming. In 1978, Coach Snowden helped transition the basketball program over to the newly formed Pac-10. Snowden could not sustain success in the Pac-10, however, finishing no higher than 4th place in the conference. His 9–18 final season led U of A to look for a replacement.[12]

Known for his high-octane offense and remembered as a trailblazer, Fred "The Fox" Snowden brought excitement to Arizona basketball during his 10-year tenure as the program's head coach. Snowden, who led the Wildcats from 1972 to 1982, was the first African-American head basketball coach at an NCAA Division I institution, amassing a 167–108 mark. The 1973 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, his career winning percentage of .607 has been topped by only three U of A coaches since 1924. Nicknamed "The Fox" due to his cool demeanor, Snowden led Arizona to three postseason berths, including the 1975 National Commissioners’ Invitational Tournament and the 1976 and 1977 NCAA Tournaments. His best season came in 1976, when the Wildcats went 24–9, won the Western Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA West Regional Final. The Brewton, Ala., native was the head coach who led Arizona into the Pac-10 in the 1978–79 season, guiding the program for its first four seasons in the Conference. Snowden also oversaw the transition into the McKale Center after its opening in 1973. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Prior to his role at Arizona, Snowden was an assistant coach at Michigan. He also served on the coaching staff of his high school, Northwestern High School in Detroit, Mich., where he coached for five years after attending Wayne State University from 1954 to 1958. Snowden died in 1994 at the age of 57.

Athletic Director Dave Strack brought in Ben Lindsey to replace Fred Snowden in 1983, and on the surface, it seemed like a reasonable move. Lindsey had junior college expertise, having had a successful career at Grand Canyon University, where he won two national titles. What resulted, however, was nothing short of disaster. The 1983 team finished with the worst season in school history at 4–24, with only one Pac-10 win.[12]

Lute Olson (1983−2007)

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Lute Olson in 2017. Olson had an overall record of 589–187 at Arizona, the 2nd most wins by a coach in Pac-10/12 history

Olson's First class and 1st Final Four

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Newly hired U of A Athletic director Cedric Dempsey fired Lindsey after only one season and hired University of Iowa coach Lute Olson as his successor. U of A needed a coach with a history of quickly turning around programs, which Olson had done previously at Iowa. "I knew we had a tremendous amount of work to do", Olson recalled in a recent interview with Tucson Lifestyle. "The program was in shambles at that point, after the terrible year before..."[12]

All-American Sean Elliott won several national college basketball awards and set the school's scoring record while helping lead the Wildcats to the Final Four in 1988.

Under Olson, Arizona quickly rose to national prominence. Arizona won its first Pac-10 title in 1986, only three years after his arrival.[12] That season set up an amazing 1987–88 season, which included taking the Great Alaska Shootout championship, the Valley Bank Fiesta Bowl Classic championship and the Pac-10 championship.[12] Under players Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, and Sean Elliott, Arizona spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and made their first (and Olson's second) Final Four.[12] While Arizona lost in the Final Four round, their play put the program on the map and launched Arizona's reign as a perennial Pac-10 and NCAA tournament contender. Sean Elliott was awarded the John R. Wooden Award on the season and would set the PAC-10 scoring record.[12]

The road to a first championship (1997)

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In 1997, Arizona defeated the University of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA national championship. Prior to winning the championship in 1997, Arizona stormed back from 10-point deficits in the Southeast Regional First round and Second Round against #13 South Alabama and #12 College of Charleston, respectively winning 65–57 and 73–69. The Southeast Regional semifinal pitted Arizona against overall #1 Kansas (34–1) which had defeated Arizona the year before in the 1996 West Regional semifinal. However, Arizona came out fast and stunned the Jayhawks 85–82, then prevailed in overtime against Providence 96–92 in the Elite Eight to clinch a berth in the Final Four. Arizona then beat #1 seed North Carolina 66–58 in the Final Four, which turned out to be Dean Smith's last game as a coach. Arizona also accomplished the unprecedented feat of beating three number one seeds in the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. This feat has never been accomplished by another team.

Later years and 1999 NCAA sanctions under Olson

[edit]

The year following the Championship season, 1998, Arizona returned all 5 starters (Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon, Bennett Davison, and A. J. Bramlett[18]) and were poised to make another run after receiving the #1 overall seed in the West, but were upset by Utah in the Elite 8.

In 1999, all 5 starters were lost to graduation or early entry to the NBA draft and Arizona's hopes of continuing its streak of consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament was in jeopardy until senior point guard Jason Terry (the 6th man the previous two seasons) elevated his game (receiving National Player of the Year honors) and continued the school's amazing streak.

In 2000, former Wildcat Jason Terry, stated that he received approximately $4,500 in cash, checks and wire transfers from New York sports agent Larry Fox, after his junior season.[19] The NCAA announced that as a result a one-game 1999 NCAA tournament appearance was formally vacated. In addition, Arizona asked Terry to repay the $45,363 in forfeited NCAA 1999 tournament revenue and banned him from the U of A Sports Hall of Fame, including a provision that his jersey would not be retired.[20] Terry's jersey was later retired in 2015.[20]

NCAA Finalist (2001)

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2001 was one of the most challenging and rewarding years for the program. Lute Olson's wife Bobbi, well known to players and fans alike as a steadfast presence on the sidelines, died of cancer. The team, which had been a preseason pick by many to win the national title had to play without Olson for three weeks while Olson was on bereavement leave. The Cats vowed to dedicate their season to Bobbi. With guard Jason Gardner, center Loren Woods and forward Michael Wright — each an All-American — leading the way, the Cats trounced their opponents, beating Oregon 104–65, devastating USC 105–61, and charging through the Final Four. They took down Eastern Illinois, Butler, Mississippi, Illinois, and Michigan State, only to be stopped by Duke in the title game. While being considered the favorite to win the title, which would have been Coach Olson's 2nd and tied him with Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his opponent, the Blue Devils claimed a ten-point victory in the game. This is the last game Coach Olson ever coached in the Final Four and is considered by fans of the program to be his most bitter defeat. A championship would have vaulted him into hallowed ground among coaches, being one of few with multiple titles. Instead he remains tied with many coaches who have a single championship ring to their name. Meanwhile, his opponent in that game now is in second place among college coaches with five championship rings, behind only John Wooden's ten. All five of Krzyzewski's titles came in the 64 team field era; Wooden none. Still Coach Olson earned the respect of his contemporary, Coach K said in the post-game interview that "Arizona had a great team and an amazing season and was worthy of winning the championship, let's give a hand to Coach Olson and his team." The comment drew rousing applause from the audience in attendance and made Coach Olson proud, even in defeat, to be honored as an equal by Coach Krzyzewski who many claim is the best coach in college history.

Later years and Further NCAA sanctions under Olson (2002−2008)

[edit]

In his later years at U of A, Olson fielded competitive teams with extremely talented point guards. Continuing the reputation and nickname "Point Guard U,"[3] recent standouts include Jason Gardner, Salim Stoudamire, Mustafa Shakur, Jerryd Bayless and Nic Wise. Arizona would win Olson's last Pac-10 title during the 2004–2005 season under the spectacular play of seniors Salim Stoudamire and center Channing Frye. That team also made it to the Elite 8 and the verge of the Final Four before blowing a 15-point lead with four minutes to play and losing in overtime, 90–89, to the No. 1 seed and eventual national runner-up, University of Illinois.[21]

Olson took an unexplained leave of absence at the beginning of the 2007–2008 season. Assistant coach Kevin O'Neill took over interim head coaching duties for the Arizona Wildcats. At that time, Olson announced that he intended to be back for the 2008–09 season and finish out his contract, which was scheduled to end in 2011.[22] His departure was criticized by some members of the media. They also questioned how he and the U of A athletic department handled his return and the verbal succession agreement with coach O'Neill.[23] However, on October 23, 2008, he unexpectedly announced his retirement from the program (by way of an announcement from Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood).[24] A few days later, Olson's personal physician held a press conference and explained that the retirement was strongly advised due to health concerns.[25][26]

After Lute Olson's abrupt retirement, Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood appointed assistant coach Russ Pennell as the interim head coach for the 2008–2009 season 23 days before the start of the season.[27] The appointment came after Mike Dunlap, the associate head coach brought in to replace Kevin O'Neill, turned down the job. Under Pennell, the Cats finished 19–13 in the regular season, including a non-conference win over Kansas and a 7-game win streak with wins over UCLA and Washington. Despite a 19–13 finish to the season, Arizona was controversially selected as one of the last teams into the field of 65 as a 12th seed in the Midwest region, extending its NCAA consecutive tournament appearances to 25 years.[28] The Cats made it to the Sweet 16 (regional semi-finals) with wins over 5-seed Utah and 13-seed Cleveland State, before falling to overall 1-seed, Louisville.[29] Despite Pennell's post-season success, he was not retained, as Arizona announced before his hiring they would hold a national coaching search after the season ended.[29] (On April 9, 2009, Pennell was hired as head coach of the men's basketball team at Division II Grand Canyon University, a member of the Pacific West Conference.)

Following Olson's retirement, reports of NCAA violations arose regarding payment of impermissible benefits to players and recruiting violations. In response, Arizona self-imposed sanctions that included a reduction in the number of recruiting visits by coaches and prospective players, the disbanding of a booster group, and implementation of a series of administrative and rules changes to prevent further violations.[30] The NCAA upheld most of those self-imposed sanctions but determined the school had used two ineligible players in 2007-08 and would have to vacate all wins involving those players and eliminate their statistics.[31] The NCAA reduced the number of scholarships and visits with recruits Arizona was allowed to make.[32] The NCAA found that Olson failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance at the university but decided against sanctioning the coach because he was retired and had health issues. "I think that was my fault," Olson said during a 2008 interview with ESPN.com. "That wasn't anyone else's fault. It was my error and it was a big error. But I guess in 26 years you are allowed to make a mistake once in a while anyway and that's not to say I haven't made a lot of them but in terms of that, that was a big mistake on my part."[33]

Sean Miller (2009−2021)

[edit]
Sean Miller at Arizona

After the end of the season, various coaching names were considered to succeed Lute Olson on a permanent basis. Arizona was perceived to have interest in Gonzaga's Mark Few, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon and then-Memphis coach John Calipari (before he accepted the vacant position at Kentucky) to take the job. Arizona even brought USC's Tim Floyd on campus for an interview and while Arizona claims no formal offer was ever presented, Floyd ultimately turned down the job publicly.

First season (2009−10)

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Arizona hired Sean Miller from Xavier University to fill the head coaching position. He initially turned the job down before changing his mind and accepting the job on Apr. 6, 2009 despite having never visited the Arizona campus.[33] Miller was formally introduced as the 13th head men's basketball coach at Arizona at a press conference on April 7, 2009, at McKale Center.[34] At the press conference, Miller acknowledged Lute Olson's impact on the Arizona program by addressing Olson personally: "One of the reasons I sit here today is because of the great legacy you built."[35] Miller also promised U of A fans that they would enjoy the style of both offense and defense he would bring to Wildcat basketball. Miller's salary is $1.6 million per year; he will receive an additional $400,000 per season from Nike and media contracts during a five-year deal, as well as a $1 million signing bonus and other amenities such as season tickets to other Wildcat sporting events and the use of a private jet.[35] Within three months of joining the program, Miller compiled a strong five-player recruiting class that ranked 13th nationally in 2009.[36] After going 16–15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years during Miller's initial 2009–10 campaign.

Derrick Williams

Three Elite Eights under Miller (2011, 2014−15)

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In his second season as the head coach at Arizona, the Cats finished the season with 30–8, 14–4 Pac-12 play, behind the play of sophomore Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams.[37] It would be the Wildcats' first outright Pac-10 regular season title (its 12th overall), 4th 30+ win season (1st overall) and Elite Eight appearance (8th overall) since the 2004–2005 season. In addition, Miller led the Wildcats to their first unbeaten home record (17–0) in 14 years and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. This was the first time an Arizona coach received this honor since Lute Olson in 2003. The 17 wins without a loss at home is tied for the second-most in school history.[38] Miller would add to the season's success by guiding the Cats to their first Elite Eight appearance since the 2004–2005 Season as a 5-seed. In the second round, Arizona secured a 2-point victory over 12th seeded Memphis (coached by former Wildcat (and member of the 1997 national title team) Josh Pastner) with a blocked shot in the final seconds by Derrick Williams. Arizona would follow with another close game—a controversial one-point win against 4-seed Texas.[39] In the Sweet-16 match-up, Arizona found itself pitted against top-seeded Duke, the first time since the 2001 title game that the two schools had met.[40] Duke would extend an early lead, but 25 points from Derrick Williams kept the Cats in the game and down by 6 points at the half.[40] In the second half, Williams' teammates picked up the slack, dominating the Blue Devils by scoring 55 second-half points and routing the defending champs 93–77.[40] Arizona's run at the Final Four would fall 2 points short, losing to 3-seed (and eventual national champion) Connecticut 65–63.

For his third season, Arizona's 2011 recruiting class was ranked 7th, notably signing Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner. Arizona secured three players in the top nine of the ESPNU 100, with all four newly signed players within the top 36. This has cemented Arizona as the No. 1 signing class nationally, surpassing Kentucky who held the No. 1 spot 2010 and 2011.[41][42][43] The Wildcats missed the postseason for the second time, reached to the NIT Tournament before falling to Bucknell to finish the season 23–12 overall, 12–6 in Pac-12.

In his fourth season, Miller guided to its second top-5 ranking in the AP poll (the first coming in weeks 7–10 of the 2012–2013 season[44]), Arizona reached the Sweet 16 in 2013 falling to Ohio State, finished the season with 27–8, 12–6 in Pac-12.

In his fifth season with the most talent Coach Miller has had since arriving in Tucson. On December 9, 2013, Arizona became the #1 ranked Team in the Country for the 6th time in school history, after a 9–0 start with wins over traditional national powerhouses Duke and UNLV. The Wildcats followed this up by securing a key come-from-behind victory on the road at Michigan on December 14 and led the Wildcats to their second outright Pac-12 Regular Season Title (its 13th overall, 26th regular season overall) in Sean Miller's fifth year as the head coach. Arizona reached the second unbeaten home record at (18–0), Coach Miller again named the second Pac-10/12 coach of the year, 5th 30+ wins season (2nd overall), 2nd Elite Eight appearance (9th overall) in 2014. But in the 2014 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats fell to Wisconsin in overtime, they finished the season with 33–5, 15–3 in Pac-12.

In his sixth season as the Arizona Wildcats basketball head coach, after Gonzaga's home loss to BYU on February 28, 2015, Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball (38th home win at 2nd all-time, 82nd home win at 5th all-time). Arizona defeated #13 Utah in Salt Lake City the same day, winning its share of the Pac-12 regular season title. After three losses to Pac-12 archrival Arizona State, Oregon State and UNLV, Arizona won their third Pac-12 regular season championship title (2nd straight year, its 14th overall, 27th overall). Arizona reached the third unbeaten home record at (17–0). The Wildcats completes their sixth ever 30+ win (3rd overall) and won their first Pac-12 Tournament title (5th overall) since 2002. In the 2015 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in Elite Eight, 85–78, and finished the season 34–4, 16–2 in the Pac-12.[45]

In his seventh season, they finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to tie with California for third place. They defeated Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Oregon. In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, as a 6-seed in the South Region. They lost in the first round to Wichita State.

In his eighth season at U of A, AP polls & 81-straight coaches polls. The 97-consecutive weeks in the AP poll is currently the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas at 161 weeks.[1] They have been ranked every week in the 2016–2017 season, bringing those totals to 97 weeks for the AP & 100 weeks for the coaches poll. Arizona won its first 10 conference games, the best start since the '97-'98 season when they started 16–0. They finished the season at seventh ever 30+ wins with 32–5, tied at 16–2 with Oregon in Pac-12 play for first place to win their 3rd Pac-12 regular season championship title for the 15th time (28th overall). The Wildcats entered the Pac-12 Tournament as a 2-seed, the Wildcats defeated 7-seed Colorado in the quarterfinals, 3-seed UCLA in the semifinals and 1-seed Oregon in the championship game, Wildcats won their 2nd Pac-12 Tournament championship title for the 6th time. In the 2017 NCAA Tournament, as a 2-seed in the West regional, Arizona defeated the 15-seed North Dakota 100–82 in the first round, 7-seed Saint Mary's 69–60 in the second round and losing to Xavier 71–73 in the Sweet Sixteen.

Later seasons, 2021 Post-season ban, 2017−2018 NCAA sanctions under Miller (2018−2021)

[edit]

As Miller's ninth season as the head coach at Arizona was about to get underway, federal prosecutors announced, on September 26, 2017, bribery, soliciting a bribe and wire fraud charges against assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson as part of a far-reaching, college basketball-wide scandal.[46] Perhaps in part due to the ongoing scandal, the Wildcats ranked No. 2 in the country at one point, lost three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.[47][48] Arizona would eventually fire Richardson for his role in the scandal and the team would recover to lead the Pac 12 for the majority of the season.[49] On February 24, 2018, Associate head coach Lorenzo Romar was temporarily named head coach after news broke the previous day that Miller had been caught on an FBI wiretap offering to pay players to come to Arizona.[50][51] On March 1, Miller held a joint press conference with the university denying all allegations and stating he would be retained as men's head basketball coach. That same night, the Wildcats won their 29th regular season conference title, 16th in the Pac-12, and secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament by defeating Stanford 75–67. On March 10, Arizona defeated USC to win a record seventh conference tournament title. As a result, the Wildcats received an automatic bid to their sixth straight NCAA tournament (35th NCAA tournament appearance, 12th all time) as the No. 4 seed in the South regional. The Wildcats, a trendy pick to make the Final Four and win the championship were blown out in the first round by No. 13 seed Buffalo, losing 89–68.[52]

2018–2019 marked the tenth season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Arizona replaced all 5 starting players, 3 via the NBA draft. After a victory against UTEP, Miller recorded his 250th win for Arizona (370th win overall), in only 324 games, which was the 5th fastest of any coach at any Division 1 program all-time.[53] On January 5, 2019, Arizona won its 600th game in the McKale center with an 84–81 overtime victory over Utah.[54] Arizona became the first Pac-12 team to achieve 100 wins against conference opponents since the conference expanded to 12 teams before the 2011 season, after defeating Stanford 75−70 Jan. 9, 2019.[55] The Wildcats would go on to finish the season in Pac-12 play 8–10, 9th place overall & lose their first round Pac-12 Tournament match up against USC, 65−78.[56] They would end the season with an overall record of 17–15 & decline an invitation to the CBI.

2019–2020 marked the eleventh season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Despite again losing all 5 starting players, Arizona would bring in the 6th overall best recruiting class & ranked pre-season 21st by the AP Poll.[57][58] Arizona would open the season 9–0, capped off by winning the Wooden Legacy tournament located in Anaheim, California led by tournament MVP Nico Mannion & defeated Wake Forest 73–66.[59] Arizona finished non-conference play ranked 16th with an overall record of 10–3. On February 1, 2020, Miller would win his 400th overall game of his career in a 75−70 over USC to move their record to 16–6 & 6–3 in conference play.[60] They would defeat Stanford in Maples Pavilion for the conferences longest active streak 20th time, 69–60.[61] Arizona would finish the regular season with an overall record of 20–11 & 10–8 in conference play, which was good for 5th. The Wildcats would face 12 seed Washington in their first-round match up & win 77–70, to set up a second-round matchup versus 4 seed USC.[62] The season would end due to the COVID-19 Pandemic which shut down sports globally & end the 2019–20 season.[63] Arizona would have an overall record 21–11 & were a projected 7 seed but could have moved higher pending the remainder of the Pac-12 tournament.[64]

In 2020–21, Arizona would begin its twelfth season under Head Coach Sean Miller. The Pac-12 announced before the season started that schools would not allow for fans to be in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[65] Also due to travel restrictions, financial impact & COVID-19 testing, Arizona was forced to cancel non-conference match ups against pre-season top 5 teams, Gonzaga & Illinois,[66] as well as cancel their appearance in the 2020 NIT Season Tip-Off[67] in Brooklyn against top 15 ranked Texas Tech, Cincinnati & St. John's. In total Arizona would have 14 games cancelled, postponed or rescheduled but none of which were due to COVID-19 issues within the Arizona Wildcat program.

This season also marked the introduction of expanded Pac-12 play with each team adding two games, one home & one road, during the months of November & December for a total of 20 with the Wildcats adding games at home against Colorado & on the road against Stanford.[68] Arizona again would replace the entire starting 5 for a third straight season but bring in another top 10 recruiting class, 7th overall led by six international players from Canada, Estonia, France, Lithuania & Turkey, as well as the United States.[69] Arizona would finish non-conference play with an overall record of 6–0 against its opponents. Arizona would lose its opening Pac-12 game against Stanford 75–78 which would snap the Wildcats' 20-game winning streak against the Cardinal.[70]

Following 88–74 victory over Colorado, the Wildcats' announced a Self-Imposed one-year postseason ban, which included the 2021 Pac-12 tournament.[71]

On February 20, Sean Miller would win his 300th game at Arizona in only his 408th, 3rd fastest for any coach at any Pac-12 school by defeating the #17 USC Trojans by a score of 81–72.[72] During the halftime of match up against Washington, Arizona would induct former players Ernie McCray (1958–60) & Al Fleming (1972–76) as the 26th & 27th members of the program's Ring of Honor.[73] Arizona would end the season with an overall record of 17–9 overall and finish 5th in the conference at 11–9 but because of their self-imposed ban would not participate in the conference tournament. Many bracketologists stated that Arizona would have been an NCAA tournament team if not for the self-imposed ban.[74]

In March 2021, a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, originally issued in October 2020 at the conclusion of the NCAA's initial investigation, was released to the media by the university after a lawsuit was filed by ESPN; the school received five Level I violations, considered the NCAA's most serious, one specifically against Miller for failing to monitor his assistant coaches accused of academic misconduct and other rules violations. None of the allegations included anything regarding former player Deandre Ayton.[75]

On April 7, 2021, Arizona fired Sean Miller after 12 years.[76] Miller at the time had finished his coaching career with an overall record of 302–109, five regular–season Pac-12 championships, three conference tournament titles & seven NCAA appearances.[77] His 302 wins were the 3rd most in school history. The NCAA along with the IARP would vacate 32 wins from the 2016–17 season and 18 wins from the 2017–18 season, for a total of 50 wins. It would bring his all-time record to 252–109 and his 252 wins would remain the 3rd most in school history.[78]

Tommy Lloyd (2021−present)

[edit]
Tommy Lloyd coaching a game at Arizona.

After the university decided to part ways with Sean Miller, various coaching names were considered to succeed him on a permanent basis. Three former Wildcats who played under Lute Olson – Damon Stoudamire (head coach at the University of the Pacific), Miles Simon (assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers), and Josh Pastner (head coach at Georgia Tech), as well as Arkansas' Eric Musselman, were under speculation to take the job.[79] On April 14, 2021, it was announced that Tommy Lloyd, the longtime top assistant coach at Gonzaga under Mark Few, would become the 18th head coach of Arizona men's basketball. Both Lloyd and Few have been heavily influenced by the European style of basketball (and a focus on recruiting international players), as well as the uptempo, player-focused offense as implemented at Arizona under Lute Olson.[80] A formal press conference was held at McKale Center on April 15 to introduce Lloyd as the head coach.[81][82][83] Coach Lloyd got his first victory as a head coach versus the Wildcats' in-state rival Northern Arizona 81–52. His 29-point victory versus NAU was the second largest margin in a coach's debut in school history & largest since 1915.[84] He would win his first Pac-12 game on December 12, 2021, against Oregon State, 90–65.[85] Coach Lloyd & Arizona would go on to lose their first game of his career & season in Knoxville, 73–77 against no. 19 Tennessee.[86]

The Wildcats would finish the regular season undefeated on their home court at McKale Center for the 2021–22 campaign, one of only five programs in the nation to do so.[87] The Wildcats would be led by sophomore guards Bennedict Mathurin, Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry, as well as junior center Christian Koloko and sophomore forward Ąžuolas Tubelis. Coach Lloyd & the Wildcats would win their 1st regular season conference title under Lloyd & 17th overall as a program with a 91–71 road win over USC. In the season finale Arizona would defeat California 89–61, becoming the first program & coach to win 18 conference games in the Pac-12 in one season. Arizona clinched the top seed in the 2022 Pac-12 tournament; they would go on to defeat No. 9 seed Stanford 84–80,[88] No. 4 seed Colorado 82–72[89] & No. 2 seed (No. 16 in the AP poll) UCLA 84–76 to win their 8th overall conference tournament title & Coach Tommy Lloyd's 1st.[90] Following the end of the Pac-12 season Lloyd was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[91] Arizona finished the Pac-12 portion of the season with a 31–3 record, earning a number 2 ranking in both the AP & coaches poll. Following the Pac-12 tournament title win, Arizona was selected as the second overall number 1 seed in the South Regional of the 2022 March Madness Tournament where they would go on to play 16 seed Wright State in their first round matchup. Arizona reached its 20th "Sweet 16" by defeating TCU in overtime 85–80.[92] The Wildcats' season would end with a Sweet 16 loss to Houston 72–60.[93] Lloyd was named as a finalists for the Naismith Award.[94] Following the end of the season Coach Lloyd won the AP Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year & USBWA Coach of the Year.[95][96]

Arizona would begin the 2022–23 Season by winning the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament by defeating Cincinnati, No. 17 San Diego State, No. 10 Creighton as well as non-conference games against No. 14 Indiana in the Las Vegas Clash & No. 6 Tennessee in McKale. Arizona & Coach Lloyd would end the non-conference part of the schedule with a record of 12–0. Lloyd would become the fastest coach to 50 wins, doing so in 57 games, with a 58–52 win over their rival No. 5 UCLA, it was Arizona's 5th win over a ranked team during the season.[97] Arizona would end the season losing to their rival in Los Angeles, 73–82, giving them an overall record of 25–6 & 14–6 in conference play. They would enter postseason play ranked No. 8 overall & the No. 2 in the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Arizona defeated No. 10 seed Stanford Cardinal 95–84, which was his 59th career win, the most of any head coach to start their coaching career.[98] Arizona defeated Arizona State in the Semifinals, 78–59. Arizona then defeated rivals UCLA 61–59 to win Arizona's ninth conference tournament title overall, and the second title in a row. Arizona earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with a first round match up against Ivy League Champion and No. 15 seed Princeton. Arizona was upset 55–59, ending their season with an overall record of 28–7.

Arizona began the 3rd season under Lloyd ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll. They had several non-conference match ups against ranked opponents defeating No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium 78–73, No. 21 Michigan State 74–68, No. 21 Wisconsin 98–73, suffered defeats against No. 3 Purdue 84–92 and No. 14 Florida Atlantic 95–96. The Wildcats entered Pac-12 play with a 9–2 record and were ranked No. 4 in the country but suffered their first conference loss on the road against unranked Stanford 82–100. Arizona would go on to sweep the season series against rivals Arizona State and UCLA, finish the regular season with a record of 24–7(15–5) to win their 18th Pac-12 regular season title. Caleb Love won the schools 11th overall Pac-12 Player of the Year and was named second and third team all-American. Arizona lost their semifinal matchup in the Pac-12 tournament against eventual winners Oregon 59–67. Arizona earned a second straight No. 2 seed in the West Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, with a first round matchup against Big West Champion and No. 15 seed Long Beach State. Arizona defeated Long Beach 85–66 in the round of 64, defeated No. 7 Dayton 78–68 to reach their second Sweet Sixteen in three years but lost to No. 6 Clemson 72–77 ending their season with an overall record of 27–9. Coach Lloyd was one win shy of tying Brad Stevens record of 89 wins in a head coaches first three years as head coach. This would also mark Arizona's 50th and final season as members of the Pac-12 Conference, as they will move to the Big 12 Conference to start the 2024-25 season.

Season by season results

[edit]

Under Tommy Lloyd

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
2021–22 Arizona 33–4 18–2 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2022–23 Arizona 28–7 14–6 T–2nd NCAA First Round
2023–24 Arizona 27–9 15–5 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2024–25 Arizona 0–0 0–0
Arizona: 88–20 (.815) 47–13 (.783)
Total: 88–20 (.815)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Rivalries

[edit]

Arizona State

[edit]

Since Arizona State became a University on December 5, 1958, Arizona leads ASU 81–58. Since both schools joined the Pac-10 conference in the 1978–79 season Arizona leads ASU 67–30. Since Lute Olson took over as head coach for the 1983–84 season Arizona leads ASU 65–20. Sean Miller took over for the 2009–2010 season Arizona & finished with a 17–7 record against ASU. Tommy Lloyd is 6–1 all time versus ASU.

The most recent matchup came in Tempe, AZ on February 28, 2024, with Arizona winning 85–67. The largest margin of victory between the two teams occurred on February 17, 2024, with Arizona winning 105-60. Arizona leads the all-time series with 161–87.

UCLA

[edit]

Since then, the two schools competed for the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Championship every year, with the two teams winning 24 out of the 32 conference titles, and 9 of 18 conference tournament titles. Arizona clinched their first conference title in 1986, when they won on the road at UCLA in Olson's third season.[99][100] The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry is still seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference.[101] Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference. California Coach Mike Montgomery has stated, "...If those two are not good, the conference is not perceived as being good. People don't give credit to the schools across the board in the league." Since the mid-1980s, Arizona has also had a basketball rivalry with UCLA, as the two schools competed for the Pac-10 Championship every year. Since 1985 the two teams have combined to win 26 out of the 36 conference titles. The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry still is seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference. Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference.[102]

The most recent matchup came March 7, 2024, where Arizona beat UCLA 88–66. Arizona Wildcats trailed the all-time series lead by UCLA with 63–50.

Records vs rivals

[edit]

[13]

Team Arizona Record First Meeting Latest Result Home Record Away Record Neutral Record Link
Arizona State (in-state) 161–87 (.649) Dec 13, 1913 (Arizona 41–17) Feb 28, 2024 (Arizona 85–67) 92–31 (.748) 67–55 (.549) 2–1 (.667) Arizona–Arizona State
UCLA 50–63 (.442) Feb 19, 1923 (UCLA 43–30) March 7, 2024 (Arizona 88–65) 28–18 (.609) 15–38 (.283) 7–7 (.500) Arizona–UCLA
Total 211–150 (.584) 1913 Present 120–49 (.710) 82–93 (.469) 9–8 (.529) N/A

Notable players and coaches

[edit]

The Wildcats have had 18 coaches in their 116-year history. To date, one Wildcats’ coach has won the National Coach-of-the-Year award: Lute Olson twice, in 1988 and 1990. Additionally, 3 Wildcats coaches have been named Pac-12 Conference Coach-of-the-Year: Lute Olson in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2003, Sean Miller in 2011, 2014, and 2017, and Tommy Lloyd in 2022.

Wildcats inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

[edit]

Coaches

  • Lute Olson (2002)

Wildcats in the Olympics

[edit]

There have been seven Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that have represented four different countries eight total times in basketball (Budinger was an Olympian in Volleyball) in the Summer Olympics:

Year Player Country Location Medal
1984 Leon Wood  United States (USA) Los Angeles Gold
2004 Richard Jefferson  United States (USA) Athens Bronze
2012 Andre Iguodala  United States (USA) London Gold
2020 Nico Mannion  Italy (ITA) Tokyo 5th Place
2020 Josh Green  Australia (AUS) Tokyo Bronze
2024 Paris 7th Place
2024 Chase Budinger  United States (USA) Paris T-9th Place
U of A Olympians

Wildcats in international competition

[edit]

The following Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players and coaches have represented their country in basketball in international competition (excluding Olympics):

Current players in the NBA/NBA G-League

[edit]
Name NBA team Seasons as Wildcat Post-Wildcat accomplishment
Aaron Gordon Denver Nuggets 2013–14 3x NBA Dunk Contest participant (2016, 2017 & 2020), NBA Champion(2023)
T. J. McConnell Indiana Pacers 2013–15
Lauri Markkanen Utah Jazz 2016–17 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2018), NBA All-Star (2023), NBA Most Improved Player Award (2023)
Deandre Ayton Portland Trail Blazers 2017–18 First Arizona Wildcat to be selected 1st overall, NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2019)
Brandon Williams Dallas Mavericks 2018–19
Josh Green Charlotte Hornets 2019–20 Australia – 2020 Summer Olympics – Bronze medal
Zeke Nnaji Denver Nuggets 2019–20 NBA Champion(2023)
Christian Koloko Los Angeles Lakers 2019–22
Bennedict Mathurin Indiana Pacers 2020–22 Rising Stars Challenge (2023, 2024), NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2023)
Dalen Terry Chicago Bulls 2020–22
Keshad Johnson Miami Heat 2023–24 Two-way contract with the Sioux Falls Skyforce
Pelle Larsson Miami Heat 2021–24
Name G-League team Seasons as Wildcat Post-Wildcat accomplishment
Keshad Johnson Sioux Falls Skyforce 2023–24 Two-way contract
Brandon Randolph College Park Skyhawks 2017–19

Source: Arizona 2023–24 Media Guide[13]

NBA/NBA G League coaches and executives

[edit]

NCAA

[edit]

NBA draft history

[edit]

14 different NBA championships have been won by 15 Wildcats players. Since the NBA draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, 47 Arizona players have been selected. Former Wildcats have had successful NBA careers, totaling over $1.8 billion in total contracts through the 2024–2025 NBA season[13] Former Wildcat players have been drafted by every current NBA Franchise except the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz.

Name Round Overall Pick Year Team
Morris Udall ... ... 1948 Denver Nuggets (NBL)
Lincoln Richmond ... ... 1948 Fort Wayne Pistons
Leon Blevins 7 79 1950 Indianapolis Olympians
Leo Johnson 5 44 1951 Ft. Wayne Pistons
Roger Johnson ... ... 1952 Milwaukee Hawks
Ernie McCray 17 95 1960 Cincinnati Royals
Warren Rustand 4 31 1965 San Francisco Warriors
Bill Davis 12 160 1968 Phoenix Suns
Michael Foster ... ... 1970 Indiana Pacers (ABA)
Tom Lee 9 147 1971 Philadelphia 76ers
Eddie Myers 10 160 1971 Baltimore Bullets (ABA)
Bill Warner 11 170 1971 Buffalo Braves (ABA)
Bruce Anderson 7 101 1972 Detroit Pistons
Eric Money 2 33 1974 Detroit Pistons (ABA)
Coniel Norman 3 37 1974 Philadelphia 76ers (ABA)
Al Fleming 2 30 1976 Phoenix Suns
James Rappis 5 77 1976 Milwaukee Bucks
Bob Elliott 2 42 1977 Philadelphia 76ers
Herman Harris 2 43 1977 Philadelphia 76ers
Jerome Gladney 8 164 1977 San Antonio Spurs
Phil Taylor 10 198 1978 Denver Nuggets
Larry Demic 1 9 1979 New York Knicks
Joe Nehls 7 152 1980 Houston Rockets
Ron Davis 4 79 1981 Washington Bullets
Robbie Dosty 6 148 1981 Golden State Warriors
Frank Smith 8 177 1983 Portland Trail Blazers
Leon Wood 1 10 1984 Philadelphia 76ers
Pete Williams 4 89 1985 Denver Nuggets
Eddie Smith 7 158 1985 Denver Nuggets
Tom Tolbert 2 34 1988 Charlotte Hornets
Steve Kerr 2 50 1988 Phoenix Suns
Sean Elliott 1 3 1989 San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Cook 1 24 1989 Phoenix Suns
Jud Buechler 2 38 1990 Seattle SuperSonics
Brian Williams 1 10 1991 Orlando Magic
Sean Rooks 2 30 1992 Dallas Mavericks
Chris Mills 1 22 1993 Cleveland Cavaliers
Ed Stokes 2 35 1993 Miami Heat
Khalid Reeves 1 12 1994 Miami Heat
Damon Stoudamire 1 7 1995 Toronto Raptors
Joseph Blair 2 35 1996 Seattle SuperSonics
Ben Davis 2 43 1996 Phoenix Suns
Reggie Geary 2 56 1996 Cleveland Cavaliers
Mike Bibby 1 2 1998 Vancouver Grizzlies
Michael Dickerson 1 14 1998 Houston Rockets
Miles Simon 2 42 1998 Orlando Magic
Jason Terry 1 10 1999 Atlanta Hawks
A. J. Bramlett 2 39 1999 Cleveland Cavaliers
Richard Jefferson 1 13 2001 Houston Rockets
Gilbert Arenas 2 31 2001 Golden State Warriors
Michael Wright 2 39 2001 New York Knicks
Loren Woods 2 46 2001 Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Walton 2 32 2003 Los Angeles Lakers
Andre Iguodala 1 9 2004 Philadelphia 76ers
Channing Frye 1 8 2005 New York Knicks
Salim Stoudamire 2 31 2005 Atlanta Hawks
Hassan Adams 2 54 2006 New Jersey Nets
Marcus Williams 2 33 2007 San Antonio Spurs
Jerryd Bayless 1 11 2008 Indiana Pacers
Jordan Hill 1 8 2009 New York Knicks
Chase Budinger 2 44 2009 Detroit Pistons
Derrick Williams 1 2 2011 Minnesota Timberwolves
Solomon Hill 1 23 2013 Indiana Pacers
Grant Jerrett 2 40 2013 Portland Trail Blazers
Aaron Gordon 1 4 2014 Orlando Magic
Nick Johnson 2 42 2014 Houston Rockets
Stanley Johnson 1 8 2015 Detroit Pistons
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 1 23 2015 Portland Trail Blazers
Lauri Markkanen 1 7 2017 Minnesota Timberwolves
Kadeem Allen 2 53 2017 Boston Celtics
Deandre Ayton 1 1 2018 Phoenix Suns
Josh Green 1 18 2020 Dallas Mavericks
Zeke Nnaji 1 22 2020 Denver Nuggets
Nico Mannion 2 48 2020 Golden State Warriors
Bennedict Mathurin 1 6 2022 Indiana Pacers
Dalen Terry 1 18 2022 Chicago Bulls
Christian Koloko 2 33 2022 Toronto Raptors
Pelle Larsson 2 44 2024 Houston Rockets

Source: Arizona 2023–24 Media Guide[13]

Wildcats with NBA championships

[edit]

A total of 33 NBA championships have been won by 15 former Wildcats, consisting of 15 different finals years (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023). 7 of the last 10 championship teams have had a former Wildcat as a player and/or coaching staff member on the team.

Former Wildcats have played in 22 of the last 29 finals and have coached in 7 of the last 10 finals.

Player (College Years) Finals Year Team
Andre Iguodala (2002–04) 2015, 2016 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 Golden State Warriors (4), Miami Heat
Steve Kerr (1983–88) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 Chicago Bulls (3), San Antonio Spurs (2)
Richard Jefferson (1998–01) 2002, 2003, 2016, 2017 New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers
Luke Walton (1999-03) 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 Los Angeles Lakers (2)
Jud Buechler (1986–90) 1996, 1997, 1998 Chicago Bulls (3)
Channing Frye (2001–05) 2016, 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers
Jason Terry (1995–99) 2006, 2011 Dallas Mavericks
Deandre Ayton (2017–18) 2021 Phoenix Suns
Mike Bibby (1996–98) 2011 Miami Heat
Ben Davis (1994–96) 1999 New York Knicks
Bison Dele (1988–91) 1997 Chicago Bulls
Sean Elliott (1984–89) 1999 San Antonio Spurs
Al Fleming (1972–76) 1978 Seattle SuperSonics
Aaron Gordon (2013–14) 2023 Denver Nuggets
Solomon Hill (2009–13) 2020 Miami Heat
Josh Green (2019–20) 2024 Dallas Mavericks
Zeke Nnaji (2019–20) 2023 Denver Nuggets
Brandon Williams (2018–19) 2024 Dallas Mavericks
Derrick Williams (2009–11) 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers
Player (College Years) Finals Year Team
Steve Kerr (1983–88) 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 Golden State Warriors (4)
Bruce Fraser (1984–87) 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 Golden State Warriors (4)
Luke Walton (1999-03) 2015, 2016 Golden State Warriors
Bret Brielmaier (2004–08) 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers
Quinton Crawford (2011–13) 2020 Los Angeles Lakers
Miles Simon (1994–98) 2020 Los Angeles Lakers

Honors, awards, and accomplishments

The individual honors, awards, and accomplishments listed in the succeeding subsections are aggregated by player in the following table. Players with only all-conference honors (other than conference player of the year), lower than first-team All-America honors, or later than second-round draft positions are not included.

Name Seasons as Wildcat Post-Wildcat accomplishment
Deandre Ayton 2017–18 First Wildcat selected 1st Overall, 2019 & 2020 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 7 NBA Seasons
Gilbert Arenas 1999–01 2003 Rookie Challenge, 3-time NBA All-Star, NBA Most Improved Player Award, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2006 & 2007), 11 NBA Seasons
Mike Bibby 1996–98 2000 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2000 & 2009), 14 NBA Seasons
Jud Buechler 1986–90 3-time NBA champion, 11 NBA seasons
Bison Dele (Brian Williams) 1989–90 NBA champion, 7 NBA seasons
Sean Elliott 1985–89 2-time NBA All-Star, NBA champion, 12 NBA seasons
Channing Frye 2001–05 NBA champion, 2006 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 1-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2010), 15 NBA seasons
Aaron Gordon 2013–14 3x NBA Dunk Contest participant (2016, 2017 & 2020), NBA champion, 11 NBA seasons
Josh Green 2019–20 2x Australian Olympian2020 Summer Olympics, 2024 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medal (2020), 5 NBA Seasons
Andre Iguodala 2002–04 4x NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, 2005 & 2006 Rookie Challenge, 2012 NBA All-Star, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA All-Rookie First Team, NBA Rookie Challenge MVP, United States2012 Summer Olympics – Gold Medal, 19 NBA seasons
Richard Jefferson 1998–01 NBA champion, 2003 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie Second Team, United States2004 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medal, 18 NBA Seasons
Steve Kerr 1983–88 5x NBA champion as Player, 4x NBA champion as Coach, 4-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant & 1-time winner(1997), 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, NBA All-Star Game Head Coach (2015 & 2017), All-time leader in 3 Point FG %, Most Single Season Wins by a Coach (73 Wins), 1st All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Win %(.707), Highest Single Post Season Win % (.933), 7th All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Wins (99), T-3rd All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Conference Title Games (6), 6th All-time leader in Coaching NBA Finals Wins (4), Head Coach of Team USA Basketball
Kenny Lofton 1985–89 6-time MLB All Star, 4-time Gold Glove Award, 17 MLB seasons
Lauri Markkanen 2016–17 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2018), 2018 & 2019 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Star (2023), NBA Most Improved Player Award (2023), 1-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2023), 7 NBA Seasons
Bennedict Mathurin 2020–22 2023 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2023), 3 NBA Seasons
Chris Mills 1989–93 1994 Rookie Challenge, 10 NBA Seasons
Eric Money 1972–74 456. Slam the 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time, 6 NBA Seasons
Khalid Reeves 1990–94 1995 Rookie Challenge, 6 NBA Seasons
Damon Stoudamire 1991–95 1996 Rookie Challenge, NBA Rookie of the Year Award, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 13 NBA seasons
Jason Terry 1995–99 2001 Rookie Challenge, NBA champion, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, NBA All-Rookie Second Team, 18 NBA seasons – All-time leading scorer of Arizona players in NBA, 7th most made 3pt Field Goals all time, 10th in Games played
Mo Udall 1941–42, 46–48 Former member U.S. Congress (30 years)
Derrick Williams 2009–2011 2012 Rookie Challenge, 7 NBA Seasons
Leon Wood 1979–80 United States – 1984 Summer Olympics – Gold medal, 7 NBA seasons

Source: Arizona 2023–24 Media Guide[103]

National honors and awards (players)

[edit]

Source:[13]

Conference honors and awards (players)

All-Americans

[edit]

Arizona has had 32 All-American All-Americans selections. Arizona has 7 players selected as Consensus First Team All-Americans 8 times. They have also had 6 players selected as Consensus Second Team All-Americans. 14 Arizona players have received AP All-America honorable mention.[13]

McDonald's All-Americans

[edit]

The following 30 McDonald's All-Americans listed below have signed with Arizona. An asterisk, "*", Indicates player did not finish his college career at Arizona. A cross, "†", indicates player did not begin his college career at Arizona.

All-Pac-12 Honors

[edit]

Source:[104]

Arizona has had 86 All-Conference selections, which is 6th most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named first, second or third team All Pac-12:

Note

  • ‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Player of the Year
  • † indicates player was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
  • ∞ indicates player was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year

Note: Second team was only awarded from the '77–79' & starting again in the 2007 season.

All-Pac-12 Freshman Honors[104]

Arizona has had 33 All-Freshman selections(*One selection vacated due to NCAA penalty, revised total is 32), which is 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 Freshman team:

Note

  • ‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

All-Pac-12 Defense & Newcomer

[edit]

Source:[104]

Arizona has had 11 All-Defense selections, which is 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. Arizona has also had 3 Newcomer selections, which is tied for 8th among the Pac-12. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 Defense or Newcomer:

Pac-12 All-Academic Team

[edit]

Arizona has had 14 All-Academic, which is 8th most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 All-Academic team:[104]

National Achievements, Awards & Honors

[edit]

Source:[104]

Arizona's Ring of Honor

[edit]

A total of 36 Wildcats have or will earn entry into McKale Center's Ring of Honor, the display of names that begins in the southeast corner of the building's rafters. In order to join this elite group, players must meet at least one of the following six criteria[106]:
1.) First-team All-America recognition by one or more of the major national organizations or media;
2.) Major national “player of distinction,” i.e. the Wooden Award or other honor of significance;
3.) Pac-12 Player of the Year or Pac-12 Freshman of the Year;
4.) Arizona career leader in three or more major positive career categories at the conclusion of his collegiate career and must hold the career record for a minimum of five years (excluding single-game records);
5.) 10+ years in the United States Major Professional Leagues of the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB and/or been selected as an All-Star/All Pro by the official league;
6.) Olympic medalist


Retired numbers

[edit]
To have his number retired, a player must win one of the following six widely recognized player of the year awards:[107]
Arizona Wildcats retired numbers
No. Player Career Achievement
10 Mike Bibby 1996–1998 Naismith Player of the Year
22 Jason Gardner 1999–2003 Wayman Tisdale Award
25 Steve Kerr 1983–1988 USBWA National Courage Award
31 Jason Terry 1995–1999 Naismith Player of the Year
32 Sean Elliott 1985–1989 John R. Wooden Award & Naismith Player of the Year
34 Miles Simon 1994–1998 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player

Postseason appearances

[edit]

Arizona has appeared 38* NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments (34),[108] and 4 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools. 

NCAA tournament

[edit]

National championship results

[edit]
Year Coach Opponent Score Record
1997 Lute Olson Kentucky Wildcats 84–79 OT 25–9
National Championships 1
1997 NCAA Tournament Results
Round Opponent Score
Round #1 #13 South Alabama 65–57
Round #2 #12 College of Charleston 73–69
Sweet 16 #1 Kansas 85–82
Elite 8 #10 Providence 96–92 (OT)
Final 4 #1 North Carolina 66–58
Championship #1 Kentucky 84–79 (OT)

Final Fours results

[edit]

The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools. 

1988–Semifinalist 1994–Semifinalist 1997–Champion 2001–Finalist
Season Coach Region Regional Final Result Final Four Site Semifinal Result Championship Game Result
1987–88 Lute Olson Seattle Arizona 70,
North Carolina 52
Kansas City, Missouri Oklahoma 86, Arizona 78 N/A  
1993–94 Lute Olson Los Angeles Arizona 92, Missouri 72 Charlotte, North Carolina Arkansas 91, Arizona 82 N/A
1996–97 Lute Olson Birmingham, Alabama Arizona 96, Providence 92 OT Indianapolis Arizona 66, North Carolina 58 Arizona 84, Kentucky 79 OT
2000–01 Lute Olson San Antonio Arizona 87, Illinois 81 Minneapolis Arizona 80, Michigan State 61 Duke 82, Arizona 72
Total Final Four Appearances 4

NCAA Tournament Seeding History

The NCAA began seeding the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with the 1979 edition.[109] The 64-team field started in 1985, which guaranteed that a championship team had to win six games.[110]

Year Tournament
Seed
Tournament
Result
1985 10 1st Round
1986 9 1st Round
1987 10 1st Round
1988 1 Final Four
1989 1 Sweet Sixteen
1990 2 2nd Round
1991 2 Sweet Sixteen
1992 3 1st Round
1993 2 1st Round
1994 2 Final Four
1995 5 1st Round
1996 3 Sweet Sixteen
1997 4 Champions
1998 1 Elite Eight
1999 4 1st Round
2000 1 2nd Round
2001 2 Runner-Up
2002 3 Sweet Sixteen
2003 1 Elite Eight
2004 9 1st Round
2005 3 Elite Eight
2006 8 2nd Round
2007 8 1st Round
2008 10 1st Round
2009 12 Sweet Sixteen
2011 5 Elite Eight
2013 6 Sweet Sixteen
2014 1 Elite Eight
2015 2 Elite Eight
2016 6 1st Round
2017 2 Sweet Sixteen
2018 4 1st Round
2022 1 Sweet Sixteen
2023 2 1st Round
2024 2 Sweet Sixteen

Complete NCAA tournament results

[edit]

The Wildcats have a record is 60–37 (.619). They were NCAA National Champions in 1997, is the only team to date to beat three #1 seeds to win the national championship.[111]

Appearances are grouped by the number of teams in the bracket. Round names are based on what round names were at the time of the tournament, not the present names. The term "Elite eight" began in 1956, "Final four" began in 1975, and "Sweet Sixteen" began in 1988.

Arizona is second No. 2 seed to ever lose a first-round game, losing 64–61 to No. 15 seed Santa Clara, led by future NBA star Steve Nash in 1993.[112] Thirty years later in 2023, the Wildcats losing 59−55 to No. 15 seed Princeton.

Sixteen to Thirty-two team tournament
Year Round Opponent Result Location
1951 First round Kansas State L 59–61 Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, MO)
1976 First Round
Regional semifinals
Regional finals
Georgetown
UNLV
UCLA
W 83-76
W 114-109
L 66-82
Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, AZ)
Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA)
Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA)
1977 First round Southern Illinois L 77–81 Omaha Civic Auditorium (Omaha, NE)
Sixty-four teams
Year Seed Round Opponent Result Location
1985 No. 10 (W) First Round No. 7 (W) Alabama L 64–66 The Pit (arena) (Albuquerque, NM)
1986 No. 9 (W) First Round No. 8 (W) Auburn L 63–73 Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA)
1987 No. 10 (W) First Round No. 7 (W) UTEP L 57–70 McKale Center (Tucson, AZ)
1988 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
No. 16 (W) Cornell
No. 8 (W) Seton Hall
No. 5 (W) Iowa
No. 2 (W) North Carolina
No. 1 Oklahoma
W 90–50
W 84–55
W 99–79
W 71–58
L 78–86
Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA)
Kingdome (Seattle, WA)
Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO)
1989 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 16 (W) Robert Morris
No. 9 (W)Clemson
No. 4 (W) UNLV
W 94–60
W 94–68
L 67–68
Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID)
McNichols Sports Arena (Denver, CO)
1990 No. 2 (W) First Round
Second Round
No. 15 (W) South Florida
No. 7 (W) Alabama
W 79–67
L 55–77
Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA)
1991 No. 2 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 15 (W)St. Francis (PA)
No. 10 (W)BYU
No. 3 (W) Seton Hall
W 93–80
W 76–61
L 69–84
Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)
Kingdome (Seattle, WA)
1992 No. 3 (SE) First Round No. 14 East Tennessee State L 80–87 Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, GA)
1993 No. 2 (W) First Round l No. 15 (W) Santa Clara L 61–64 Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)
1994 No. 2 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
No. 15 (W) Loyola (MD)
No. 7 (W) Virginia
No. 3 (W) Louisville
No. 1 (W) Missouri
No. 1 Arkansas
W 81–55
W 71–58
W 82–70
W 92–72
L 82–91
Sleep Train Arena (Sacramento, CA)
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, CA)
Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, NC)
1995 No. 5 (MW) First Round No. 12 (MW) Miami L 82–91 UD Arena (Dayton, OH)
1996 No. 3 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 14 (W) Valparaiso
No. 6 (W) Iowa
No. 2 (W) Kansas
W 90–51
W 87–73
L 80–83
Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, AZ)
McNichols Sports Arena (Denver, CO)
1997 No. 4 (SE) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
No. 13 (SE) South Alabama
No. 12 (SE) Charleston
No. 1 (SE) Kansas
No. 10 (SE) Providence
No. 1 North Carolina
No. 1 Kentucky
W 65–57
W 73–69
W 85–82 2OT
W 96–92 2OT
W 65–58
W 84–79 OT
Memphis Pyramid (Memphis, TN)
BJCC Arena (Birmingham, AL)
RCA Dome (Indianapolis, IN)
1998 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 16 (W) Nicholls State
No. 9 (W) Illinois
No. 9 Maryland
No. 3 (W) Utah
W 99–60
W 82–49
W 84–79
L 51–76
Sleep Train Arena (Sacramento, CA)
Honda Center (Anaheim, CA)
Sixty-five teams
Year Seed Round Opponent Result Location
1999 No. 4 (MW) First Round No. 13 (MW) Oklahoma L 60–61 Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI)
2000 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
No. 16 (W) Jackson State
No. 8 (W) Wisconsin
W 71–47
L 59–66
Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)
2001 No. 2 (MW) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship
No. 15 (MW) Eastern Illinois
No. 10 (MW) Butler
No. 3 (MW) Ole Miss
No. 1 (MW) Illinois
No. 1 Michigan State
No. 1 Duke
W 101–76
W 73–52
W 66–56
W 87–81
W 80–61
L 72–82
Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO)
Alamodome (San Antonio, TX)
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis, MN)
2002 No. 3 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 14 (W) UC Santa Barbara
No. 11 (W) Wyoming
No. 2 Oklahoma
W 86–81
W 80–68
L 67–88
WisePies Arena (Albuquerque, NM)
SAP Center (San Jose, CA)
2003 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 16 (W) Vermont
No. 9 Gonzaga
No. 5 Notre Dame
No. 2 Kansas
W 80–51
W 96–95 2OT
W 88–71
L 75–78
Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)
Honda Center (Anaheim, CA)
2004 No. 8 (ATL) First Round No. 9 (ATL) Seton Hall L 76–80 PNC Arena (Raleigh, NC)
2005 No. 3 (CHI) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 14 (CHI) Utah State
No. 11 (CHI) UAB
No. 2 (CHI) Oklahoma State
No. 1 (CHI) Illinois
W 66–53
W 85–63
W 79–78
L 89–90 OT
Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID)
Allstate Arena (Rosemont, IL)
2006 No. 8 (MN) First Round
Second Round
No. 9 Wisconsin
No. 1 (MN) Villanova
W 94–75
L 78–82
Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)
2007 No. 8 (MW) First Round No. 9 (MW) Purdue L 63–72 Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)
2008 No. 10 (W) First Round No. 7 (W) West Virginia L 65–75 Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.)
2009 No. 12 (MW) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 5 Utah
No. 13 (MW) Cleveland State
No. 1 (MW) Louisville
W 84–71
W 81–57
L 64–103
American Airlines Arena (Miami, FL)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)
First four era
Year Seed Round Opponent Result Location
2011* No. 5 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 12 (W) Memphis
No. 4 (W) Texas
No. 1 (W) Duke
No. 3 (W) UConn
W 77–75
W 70–69
W 93–77
L 63–65
BOK Center (Tulsa, OK)
Honda Center (Anaheim, CA)
2013* No. 6 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 11 (W) Belmont
No. 14 (W) Harvard
No. 2 (W) Ohio State
W 81–64
W 74–51
L 70–73
Vivint Smart Home Arena (Salt Lake City, UT)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
2014* No. 1 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 16 (W) Weber State
No. 8 (W) Gonzaga
No. 4 (W) San Diego State
No. 2 (W) Wisconsin
W 68–59
W 84–61
W 70–64
L 63–64 OT
Viejas Arena (San Diego, CA)
Honda Center (Anaheim, CA)
2015* No. 2 (W) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
No. 15 (W) Texas Southern
No. 10 (W) Ohio State
No. 6 (W) Xavier
No. 1 (W) Wisconsin
W 72–53
W 73–59
W 68–60
L 78–85
Moda Center (Portland, OR)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
2016 No. 6 (S) First Round No. 11 (S) Wichita State L 55–65 Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, RI)
2017 No. 1 (W) First Round
Second round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 16 (W) North Dakota
No. 7 (W) Saint Mary's
No. 11 (W) Xavier
W 100–82
W 69–60
L 71–73
Vivint Smart Home Arena (Salt Lake City, UT)
SAP Center (San Jose, CA)
2018 No. 4 (S) First Round No. 13 (S) Buffalo L 68–89 Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID)
2020†† No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 No. 1 (S) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
No. 16 Wright State
No. 9 (S) TCU
No. 5 (S) Houston
W 87–70
W 85–80
L 60–72
Viejas Arena (San Diego, CA)
AT&T Center (San Antonio, TX)
2023 No. 2 (S) First Round
Second Round
No. 15 (S) Princeton L 55–59 Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA)
2024 No. 2 (W) First Round No. 15 (W) Long Beach State
No. 7 (W) Dayton
No. 6 (W) Clemson
W 85–65
W 78–68
L 72–77
Delta Center (Salt Lake City, UT)
Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)

*Following the introduction of the First Four round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015, then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds.

†† – As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NCAA tournament was cancelled.

Record by round
Round Record Most recent appearances
First Four N/A* N/A*
Round of 64 21–15 2024
Round of 32 19–3 2024
Sweet 16 8–9 2024
Elite 8 4–5 2015
Final Four 2–2 2001
National Championship 1–1 2001

*Since its inception in 2011, Arizona has not participated in the First Four

NIT results

[edit]

The Arizona Wildcats have appeared in the four National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Arizona's combined record is 0–4.

Year Round Opponent Result/Score
1946 First round Kentucky L 53–77
1950 First round La Salle L 66–72
1951 First round Dayton L 68–74
2012 First round Bucknell L 54–65

Championships

[edit]

Though the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament is given to the conference tournament winner, the Pac–12 declares the team with the best record in the regular season the "official" conference champion.
National championships

National
Championships
Type Year
1 NCAA National
Championship
1997
1 National Championship


Regular season championships

Regular Season Championships Type Year
18* Pac-12 Regular Season
Conference Championship
1986, 1988, 1989, 1990,
1991, 1993, 1994, 1998,
2000, 2003, 2005, 2011,
2014, 2015, 2017*, 2018*,
2022, 2024
12 BIAA Regular Season
Conference Championship
1932, 1933, 1936, 1940,
1943, 1946, 1947, 1948,
1949, 1950, 1951, 1953
1 WAC Regular Season
Conference Championship
1976
30 Total Regular Season Championships
*Vacated by NCAA


Conference tournament championships

Conference
Championships
Type Year
9* Pac-12 Tournament Championship 1988, 1989, 1990,
2000, 2015, 2017*, 2018*,
2021, 2022
9 Total Conference Tournament Championships
*Vacated by NCAA


Invitational tournament championships

Invitational Tournament
Championships
Type Year
29 Fiesta Bowl Classic 1974, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987,
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992,
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997,
1998, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2008, 2010, 2011, 2012
3 NIT Season Tip-Off 1990†, 1995†, 1999†, 2013†
3 Maui Invitational Tournament 2000†, 2014†, 2022†
1 Wooden Legacy 2019†
1 2K Sports Classic 2001†
1 Roman Main Event 2021†
38 Invitational Tournament Championships
†Denotes early-season invitational tournament

Conference Tournament Championship Game appearances

U of A has won the Pac-10/12 Tournament a record nine times (two appearances in 2017 and 2018 were later vacated by the NCAA, 7 total), including three straight times from 1988 to 1990.
Source: 2023–24 Arizona Wildcats Media Guide[13]

Year Champion Score Runner-up Arena City Tournament MVP
1988 Arizona 93–67 Oregon State McKale Center Tucson, Arizona Sean Elliott, Arizona
1989 Arizona 73–51 Stanford Great Western Forum Inglewood, California Sean Elliott, Arizona
1990 Arizona 94–78 UCLA University Activity Center Tempe, Arizona Jud Buechler & Matt Muehlebach, Arizona
2002 Arizona 81–71 USC Staples Center Los Angeles, California Luke Walton, Arizona
2005 Washington 81–72 Arizona Salim Stoudamire, Arizona
2011 Washington 77–75OT Arizona Isaiah Thomas, Washington
2012 Colorado 53–51 Arizona Carlon Brown, Colorado
2014 UCLA 75–71 Arizona MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, Nevada Kyle Anderson, UCLA
2015 Arizona 80–52 Oregon Brandon Ashley, Arizona
2017 Arizona* 83–80 Oregon T-Mobile Arena Allonzo Trier, Arizona
2018 Arizona* 75–61 USC Deandre Ayton, Arizona
2022 Arizona 84–76 UCLA Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
2023 Arizona 61–59 UCLA Ąžuolas Tubelis, Arizona

† – All NCAA tournament wins in 1999, 2008, 2017, and 2018 were vacated by the NCAA in its March 2015 report of Infractions on its athletics department by the NCAA making their official record of 53–36 (.596) due to 2017–18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal. The players involved in the scandal played in every game in the 2016–17 & 23 games in the 2017–18 season, resulting in a 9–8 record.[113][114][115]

All-time statistical leaders

[edit]

School records

[edit]

Individual career

[edit]
Statistic Player Total
Points Sean Elliott 2,555
Scoring Average Coniel Norman 23.9 PPG
Field Goals Sean Elliott 892
Field Goal Attempts Sean Elliott 1,750
Field Goal Percentage Joseph Blair .613
3-Point Field Goals Salim Stoudamire‡ 342
3-Point Field Goal Attempts Jason Gardner 875
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Steve Kerr .573
Free Throws Sean Elliott 623
Free Throw Attempts Sean Elliott 786
Free Throw Percentage Dylan Rigdon .872
Rebounds Al Fleming 1,190
Rebound Average Joe Skaisgir 11.2 RPG
Assists Russell Brown 810
Steals Jason Terry 245
Blocked Shots Anthony Cook 278
Games Played Dušan Ristić 141
Games Started Jason Gardner 135
Minutes Played Jason Gardner 4,825
Average Minutes Per Game Jason Gardner 35.5 MPG
Most Wins in a Career Dušan Ristić 115 Wins

Note ‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Team season records

[edit]
Statistic Player Total (Season)
Points Khalid Reeves 848 (1993–94')
Scoring Average Khalid Reeves 24.2 PPG (1993–94')
Field Goals Khalid Reeves
Deandre Ayton
276 (1993–94')
(2017–18')
Field Goal Attempts: Khalid Reeves 572 (1993–94')
Field Goal Percentage Al Fleming .667 (1973–74')
3-Point Field Goals Salim Stoudamire ‡ 120 (2004-05')
3-Point Field Goal Attempts Jason Gardner 276 (2001-02')
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Steve Kerr ‡ .573 (1987–88')
Free Throws Derrick Williams 247 (2010-11')
Free Throw Attempts Derrick Williams ‡ 331 (2010-11')
Free Throw Percentage Salim Stoudamire .910 (2004–05)
Rebounds Deandre Ayton 405 (2017–18')
Rebound Average Bill Reeves 13.2 RPG (1955–56')
Assists Russell Brown 247 (1978–79')
Steals Mike Bibby 87 (1997–98')
Blocked Shots Loren Woods 102 (1999-00')
Games Played 28 Players 38 Games
Games Started 12 Players 38 Games
Minutes Played Chase Budinger 1,317 (2008-09')
Average Minutes Per Game Steve Kerr 38.4 MPG (1985–86')

Note ‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Freshman single season leaders

[edit]
Statistic Player Total
Points Deandre Ayton† 704
Scoring Average Coniel Norman 24.0 PPG
Field Goals Deandre Ayton† 276
Field Goal Attempts Coniel Norman 476
Field Goal Percentage (min. 100 FG) Deandre Ayton .612
3-Point Field Goals Salim Stoudamire 73
3-Point Field Goal Attempts Jason Gardner 193
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Khalid Reeves .463
Free Throws Made Jerry Bayless 187
Free Throw Attempts Derrick Williams 232
Free Throw Percentage Salim Stoudamire† .904
Rebounds Deandre Ayton† 405
Rebound Average Deandre Ayton† 11.6 RPG
Assists Russell Brown 197
Steals Mike Bibby 76
Blocked Shots Deandre Ayton 66
Games Played 4 Players 38
Games Started Aaron Gordon 38
Played Jason Gardner 1,244
Average Minutes Per Game Jason Gardner 36.6 MPG
Double-Doubles (Pts/Rebs.) Deandre Ayton† 24
30-Point Games Coniel Norman 6
20-Point Games Deandre Ayton† 17
Double-Digit Scoring Games Deandre Ayton† 33

Note † indicates player was also the Yearly Pac-12 Leader

Freshman single game leaders

[edit]
Statistic Player Total Opponent(date)
Points Jerryd Bayless 39 ASU (2/10/08)
Made Field Goals Coniel Norman 17 Wyoming (2/1/73)
Field Goal Attempts Coniel Norman 27 BYU (2/24/73)
Field Goal Percentage
(Min. 12 attempts)
Deandre Ayton .917 at WSU (1/31/17)
Made Three-Point Field Goals 4 Players 6 -
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts Mike Bibby 11 UNC (3/29/97)
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage
(Min. 6 attempts)
Bennedict Mathurin .857 at Oregon State (1/14/21)
Made Free Throws Jerryd Bayless 18 at Houston (1/12/08)
Free Throw Attempts Derrick Williams 21 Wisconsin (11/23/09)
Free Throw Percentage
(Min. 10 attempts)
8 Players tied at 100% -
Rebounds Bob Elliott 25 ASU (2/2/74)
Assists Russell Brown 15 Utah (1/21/78)
Steals Mike Bibby 8 Texas (12/9/96)
Blocks Grant Jerrett
Deandre Ayton
6 at Oregon State (1/12/13)
at Stanford (1/20/18)
Minutes Played Allonzo Trier 53 at USC (1/9/16)
Most Points
In NCAA Debut
Eric Money 37 Cal State Bakersfield (11/29/72)

Note ‡ indicates player was is also single game record holder

Home court winning streaks

[edit]
Rank Wins Years Coach
1 81^ 1945–51 Fred Enke
2 71 1987–92 Lute Olson
3 49 2013–16 Sean Miller
4 38 1975–78 Fred Snowden
5 37 1997–99 Lute Olson

^Played at Bear Down Gym

Rankings

[edit]

Arizona teams have spent a total of 39 weeks ranked number 1, most recently in 2023.[116] Their current streak of weeks ranked in the AP Poll is at 58 weeks, which is the 4th longest active streak.[117]

The Associated Press began its basketball poll on January 20, 1949. The following is a summary of those annual polls. Starting in the 1961–62 season, AP provided a preseason (PS) poll. AP did a post-tournament poll in 1953, 1954, 1974 and 1975. The following table summarizes Arizona history in the AP Poll:[118] The Wildcats longest streak of weeks ranked inside the AP Top 25 poll is 141 weeks, starting with the 1988 pre-season poll and ended with the March 13, 1995 poll. The 141 weeks is 12th most all-time.[119] Arizona was ranked in 324 out of 326 polls from 1988 until 2005, which is more than any school during the same time frame.[120]

Year Appearances Pct High Low Average Final Ranking
2025 1 100% 10 10 10 TBD
2024 21 100% 1 12 5 11
2023 19 100% 4 17 8 8
2022 17 89% 2 17 6 2
2020 13 68% 12 25 19 NR
2018 17 89% 2 23 13 12
2017 19 100% 4 20 11 4
2016 19 100% 7 23 14 17
2015 19 100% 2 10 5 5
2014 20 100% 1 6 3 4
2013 20 100% 3 21 10 21
2012 3 16% 15 23 18 NR
2011 7 37% 10 20 16 17
2008 7 35% 17 22 19 NR
2007 15 79% 7 24 14 NR
2006 8 42% 9 24 17 24
2005 19 100% 8 21 13 9
2004 19 100% 3 22 11 22
2003 19 100% 1 4 2 2
2002 17 94% 4 20 12 7
2001 19 100% 1 21 9 5
2000 19 100% 2 10 5 4
1999 18 100% 6 18 10 12
1998 18 100% 1 8 4 4
1997 18 100% 6 19 12 15
1996 17 94% 3 19 11 11
1995 18 100% 5 15 10 15
1994 18 100% 6 19 12 9
1993 18 100% 3 22 10 5
1992 18 100% 2 11 6 10
1991 17 100% 2 9 5 8
1990 17 100% 2 24 18 14
1989 18 100% 1 12 6 1
1988 17 100% 1 17 3 2
1987 2 11% 19 20 20 NR
1985 1 6% 19 19 19 NR
1977 15 88% 8 20 14 NR
1976 5 29% 10 18 13 15
1975 15 79% 10 19 15 NR
1974 8 44% 12 20 15 NR
1951 8 67% 11 16 14 12
1950 5 50% 15 19 17 15
  • Ranked in 40 out of 75 seasons (53%)

Record vs. Big-12 opponents

[edit]

The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. eight other Big 12 opponents, trailing only Kansas, Kansas State, TCU and Texas Tech.[13]

Opponent Wins Losses Pct. Streak
Arizona St. 161 87 (.649) Arizona 3
Baylor 5 5 (.500) Baylor 2
BYU 20 19 (.513) BYU 2
Colorado 26 16 (.500) Arizona 4
Cincinnati 4 0 (1.000) Arizona 4
Houston 6 6 (.500) Houston 1
Iowa State 4 3 (.571) Arizona 3
Kansas 4 8 (.333) Kansas 1
Kansas State 6 8 (.429) Arizona 3
Oklahoma State 3 0 (1.000) Arizona 3
TCU 1 2 (.333) Arizona 1
Texas Tech 24 28 (.462) Arizona 7
UCF 0 0 (–)
Utah 40 32 (.556) Arizona 3
West Virginia 3 2 (.600) West Virginia 1
  • Total (307–216, .587)
  • Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.

Past Record vs. Pac-12 opponents

[edit]

The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. ten other Pac-12 opponents, trailing only UCLA.[13]

Opponent Wins Losses Pct. Streak
Arizona St. 161 87 (.649) Arizona 3
Cal 75 30 (.714) Arizona 15
Colorado 26 16 (.619) Arizona 4
Oregon 55 38 (.591) Oregon 1
Oregon St. 72 23 (.758) Oregon State 1
Stanford 73 33 (.689) Arizona 1
UCLA 50 63 (.442) Arizona 3
USC 76 47 (.618) Arizona 1
Utah 40 32 (.556) Arizona 3
Washington 61 31 (.663) Arizona 8
Washington State 70 20 (.778) Washington State 2
  • Total (759–420, .644)
  • Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups & Pac-12 Tournament.

Conference records

[edit]
Years Conferences Win–loss Pct.
1904–1931 None
1931–1962 Border Conference 231–144 (.616)
1962–1978 WAC 98–98 (.500)
1978–2011 Pacific-10 Conference 400–194 (.673)
2011–2024 Pac-12 Conference 143–69† (.675)
2024–present Big 12 Conference 0–0 (–)
Total All Conferences 872–505 (.633)

Note:† 30 Pac-12 wins vacated due to NCAA infractions. Pac-12 record is 173–69 (.715).

Game day traditions

[edit]

Arizona's home games include many traditions involving The Pride of Arizona pep band and the Zona Zoo.

  • Before every game, the band splits into four sections in the four sides of McKale Center. They play Bear Down Arizona in sequence before the band runs back to the student section in the north stands and plays all of Bear Down. The band also yells "Hi fans!" to the fans, who respond by yelling "Hi band!" and "Hi Tommy!" to head coach Tommy Lloyd, who responds by waving to the band. The band also yells "Hi Adia!" to Arizona women's basketball coach Adia Barnes.
  • While the opposing team's players are being introduced, the student section turns their backs to the court. As each player's name is announced, they will yell "Sucks!" In the interest of sportsmanship, though, the Athletic Department is attempting to phase this tradition out.
  • At the start of each half, the entire crowd will stand until the other team scores a point. The fans will also clap rhythmically with the band as it plays a four-note refrain repeatedly until the ball is tipped or inbounded.
  • When an opposing player fouls an Arizona player, the band and students chant, while pointing at the opposing player, "You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! On you, that's who!" If the foul occurs during a shot and the player makes the shot, the chant is instead "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! Don't touch me!"
  • If an opposing player accrues four fouls during the game, they will chant "Four!" four times while waving four fingers. If a player fouls out, the band plays the beat from "Another One Bites the Dust", concluding with the band and students yelling "Hey! We're gonna get you too!"
  • When opposing players are attempting foul shots, besides attempting to distract the player, the band and students have several chants, but the only constant one is yelled if the player misses their first shot of a two-shot foul, in which case they yell "Nice shot, buddy!"
  • If Arizona is beating an opponent by a comfortable margin late in the game, the band and students will chant "Go start the bus!" repeatedly. If an opponent makes a big play, they will chant "It just doesn't matter!"
  • Beginning in the 1980s, the "Ooh Aah Man," Joe Cavaleri, made regular appearances at McKale to pump up the crowd. He would start by spelling out "A-R-I-Z-O-N-A!" with his body as the crowd chanted along. He would then direct the crowd in chanting "U of A!", first by each side of the arena, then by the north and south sides and east and west sides simultaneously then by the whole arena. His routine usually involved pulling off his shirt and pants to reveal another Arizona shirt and shorts underneath. Cavaleri was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010 and only made a few appearances during the 2010–2011 season; he officially retired from his "superfan" duties in 2013.[121][122][123][124]
  • At the end of every home game (and every Arizona athletics event the band is present at) the band plays Arizona's alma mater, "All Hail, Arizona!" Students and fans link arms, sway as they sing and jump up and down while singing the last part of the song.
  • For a time during the Sean Miller era, the team hosted an annual "White Out" game. All fans were encouraged to wear white T-shirts. The most recent white out game was on December 7, 2013, versus UNLV. This was the fourth consecutive season to include a white out game.[125] The tradition has not continued under Tommy Lloyd (the Arizona women's basketball program has continued to have white out games at McKale Center under coach Adia Barnes).

Facilities

[edit]

Beardown Gym

[edit]

Prior to playing its games at the McKale Center, Arizona played games at Bear Down Gym from 1927 until 1973. Arizona would win its inaugural game against Arizona State, then known as Tempe State Teachers College by a score of 29–18.

McKale Center

[edit]

Arizona is currently plays its home games at McKale Center, a 14,688 seat multi-purpose arena located at Tucson, Arizona, that opened in 1973. The McKale Center is the fifth different home site in program history.

At McKale Center, Arizona enjoys one of the nation's best home court advantages. The Wildcats have compiled a 651–121 (an .847 winning percentage) record since moving to the McKale Center permanently. Through the 2023–24 season, McKale Center has hosted 10,154,639 fans for Arizona home games and the Wildcats have averaged 13,035 fans (better than 95% capacity) per game during that time. The 2014–2015 season marked the highest average attendance in McKale Center history with an average 14,591 (100% capacity) Wildcats fans at each home game.

Radio network affiliates

[edit]

The current flagship radio station for men's basketball is Tucson sports radio station KCUB, branded as “Wildcats Radio 1290”. From 1983 until 2004, the flagship station was news/talk radio station KNST. The primary play-by-play voice of Wildcat football, baseball and men's basketball, since 1987, is Brian Jeffries (after starting out as the color commentator for former CBS Sports announcer Ray Scott, who called Wildcats games from 1984 through the spring of 1987).

The Phoenix radio affiliate for Arizona Wildcats football and men's basketball is KGME, branded as "Fox Sports 910."

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2022-23 DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORDS" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Colors | University of Arizona Brand Resources". Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Colemen, Van (2007-05-22). "Nation's No. 3 Junior Commits to Point Guard U". CSTV. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  4. ^ Witz, Billy (11 March 2010). "Arizona's N.C.A.A. Streak Quietly Ends". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  5. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (11 March 2010). "Arizona's NCAA tourney streak ends with little fanfare". rivals.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  6. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (12 March 2010). "PAC-10 Tournament: UCLA 75, ARIZONA 69 Improbable bid to extend stellar NCAA run ends". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  7. ^ Everson, Dave (26 January 2009). "An Appreciation of Arizona's NCAA Streak". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  8. ^ Lundblad, Jeremy (18 March 2009). "2009 NCAA tournament: By the numbers". ESPN. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  9. ^ a b c "Arizona Team Page". Pac-10. 2007-10-26. Archived from the original on October 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  10. ^ "2023-24 MEDIA GUIDE" (PDF).
  11. ^ "College Poll Archive".
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barker, Scott (2003-11-01). "From Pop to Lute: 100 years of Wildcat Hoops". Arizona Athletics. Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "2023-24 Media Guide" (PDF).
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