Arizona Wildcats men's basketball


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 Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I and are currently coached by Sean Miller.
Arizona has a long and rich basketball history. The program came to national prominence under the tutelage of former head coach Lute Olson, who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to UA as "Point Guard U" 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, two years shy of North Carolina's record with 27. Despite having their 1999 and 2008 appearances later vacated by the NCAA, the media still cites Arizona's streak, and simply notes the changes. The Wildcats have reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on four occasions. They have also made two appearances in the National Championship. In Pac-10 play, former head coach Lute Olson currently holds the record for most wins as a Pac-10 coach with 327. In addition, the team has won 16 Pac-10/12 regular season championship titles and seven Pac-10/12 tournament championship titles. Arizona also holds the distinction of recording five out of the seven 17–1 Pac-10 seasons. No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10/12.
Arizona ranks 15th all time heading into the 2019–20 season with 1,813 wins and ranks 8th by winning percentage at. Arizona has spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll, which is tied for eighth-most all-time; 25 weeks at No. 2, tied for 13th all-time; 150 weeks in the Top 5, seventh all-time; 299 weeks in the Top 10, sixth all-time; and 550 weeks in the top 25, tied for 8th all-time.

History

Early years (1904–1925)

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.
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. McKale took things to a new level, posting a 9–0 record his first season as a basketball coach. Moreover, McKale elevated the program to intercollegiate play. While basketball was his least favorite of the many sports he coached while at UA, he chalked up three undefeated seasons and a career-winning average of.803, which has never been bested by a UA coach who has held the post for at least three years. The McKale Memorial Center, the main arena for Arizona basketball, is named in his honor.

Fred Enke era

From 1925 to 1961, the program was under the stewardship of Fred Enke, UA's longest tenured coach. Coach Fred A. Enke was responsible for the early successes of Wildcat basketball. Enke amassed 509 wins in his tenure on the UA 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 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 finished the season ranked in the top 15.
Under Enke, UA 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. No Border Conference team won as many league games or overall contests during its membership. In 1962, Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.

Fred Snowden era

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. 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. 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 UA to look for a replacement.
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 1972–82, 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 UA 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 1954–58. 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.

Lute Olson era

Early years

Newly hired UA Athletic director Cedric Dempsey fired Lindsey after only one season and hired University of Iowa coach Lute Olson as his successor. UA 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..."
Under Olson, Arizona quickly rose to national prominence. Arizona won its first Pac-10 title in 1986, only three years after his arrival. 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. Under players Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton and Sean Elliott, Arizona spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and made their first Final Four. 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.
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 against overall #1 Kansas 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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This feat has never been accomplished by another team.
The year following the Championship season, 1998, Arizona returned all 5 starters 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 consecutives trip to the NCAA tournament was in jeopardy until senior point guard Jason Terry elevated his game and continued the school's amazing streak.

1999 NCAA sanctions under Olson

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. 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 UA Sports Hall of Fame, including a provision that his jersey would not be retired. Terry's jersey was later retired in 2015.

Later years

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, lost her battle with 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 Olsen'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 Olsen 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 Olsen 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, lets give a hand to Coach Olsen and his team." The comment drew rousing applause from the audience in attendance and made Coach Olsen proud, even in defeat, to be honored as an equal by Coach Krzyzewski who many claim is the best coach in college history.
In his later years at UA, Olson fielded competitive teams with extremely talented point guards. Continuing the reputation and nickname "Point Guard U," 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.
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. His departure was criticized by some members of the media. They also questioned how he and the UA athletic department handled his return and the verbal succession agreement with coach O'Neill. However, on October 23, 2008, he unexpectedly announced his retirement from the program. A few days later, Olson's personal physician held a press conference and explained that the retirement was strongly advised due to health concerns.
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. 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. The Cats made it to the Sweet 16 with wins over 5-seed Utah and 13-seed Cleveland State, before falling to overall 1-seed, Louisville. 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.

Further NCAA sanctions under Olson

Following Olsen'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. 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. The NCAA reduced the number of scholarships and visits with recruits Arizona was allowed to make. 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."

Sean Miller era

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 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.
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. 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. 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." 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. Within three months of joining the program, Miller compiled a strong five-player recruiting class that ranked 13th nationally in 2009. After going 16–15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years during Miller's initial 2009–10 campaign.
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. It would be the Wildcats' first outright Pac-10 regular season title, 4th 30+ win season and Elite Eight appearance since the 2004–2005 season. In addition, Miller led the Wildcats to their first unbeaten home record 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. Arizona's run at the Final Four would fall 2 points short, losing to 3-seed 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. 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, 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 in Sean Miller's fifth year as the head coach. Arizona reached the second unbeaten home record at, Coach Miller again named the second Pac-10/12 coach of the year, 5th 30+ wins season, 2nd Elite Eight appearance in 2014. But in the 2014 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats would fall to Wisconsin in overtime, they finish 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. 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. Arizona reached the third unbeaten home record at. The Wildcats completes their sixth ever 30+ win and won their first Pac-12 Tournament title 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.
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 UA, 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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.
Sean Miller is currently in his tenth season as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. After a victory against UTEP, Miller recorded his 250th win for Arizona, in only 324 games, which is the 5th fastest of any coach at any Division 1 program all-time. On January 5, 2019 Arizona won its 600th game in the McKale center with an 84–81 overtime victory over Utah. 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. Recruiting for the 2018–2019 season suffered some setbacks due to the stigma attached to the FBI investigation of former assistant Coach Book Richardson.

Coaches

The Wildcats have had 17 coaches in their 115-year history. Sean Miller is the current coach. To date, one Wildcats’ coach has won the National Coach-of-the-Year award: Lute Olson twice, in 1988 and 1990. Additionally, 2 Wildcats coaches have been named Pac-12 Conference Coach-of-the-Year: Lute Olson in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2003 and Sean Miller in 2011, 2014, and 2017.

Season by season results

Under Sean Miller

Rivalries

Arizona State

Since becoming a University on December 5, 1958. Arizona leads ASU 73–58. Since both schools joined the Pac-10 conference in the 1978–79 season Arizona leads ASU 59–28. Since Lute Olson took over as head coach for the 1983–84 season Arizona leads ASU 58–17. Since Sean Miller took over for the 2009–2010 season Arizona leads ASU 15–7.
The most recent matchup came in Tempe, AZ on January 4, 2020, where Arizona State beat Arizona 65–66. Arizona lead the all-time series with 153–86.

UCLA

Since then, the two schools competed for the Pac-10 Championship every year, with the two teams winning 22 out of the 30 conference titles, and 8 of 17 conference tournament titles. Arizona clinched their first conference title in 1986, when they won on the road at UCLA in Olsen's third season. The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry is still 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. 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 24 out of the 34 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.
The most recent matchup came during the 2020 season, where UCLA beat Arizona 68–64. Arizona Wildcats trailed the all-time series lead by UCLA with 60–43.

Traditional rivalries

Arizona State 153–86 Dec 13, 1913 Jan 25, 2020 89–30 63–55 1–1 Arizona–Arizona State
UCLA43–60 Feb 19, 1923 Feb 29, 2020 24–18 14–35 5–7 Arizona–UCLA
Total196–146 1913Present113–47 77–90 6–8 N/A

Other rivals

Arizona also has intense rivalries with the in-state Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona. As well as out-of-state rivalries, including Kansas, Duke, San Diego State and Gonzaga.
BYU20–19 Dec 1, 1951 Dec 11, 2010 15–4 4–14 1–1
Colorado20–14 Dec 2, 1960 Jan 16, 2020 11–3 3–10 6–1
Duke5–4 Dec 16, 1961 Nov 29, 2013 2–0 0–1 3–3
Gonzaga6–4 Nov. 29, 2000 Dec 14, 2019 2–1 1–0 3–3
Grand Canyon 5–0 January 6, 1978 December 14, 2016 5–0 0–0 0–0
Illinois9–6 Dec 27, 1966 Nov 10, 2019 4–0 0–3 5–3
Kansas4–8 Dec 31, 1979 Nov 27, 2010 1–2 1–2 2–4
Michigan8–2 Dec 30, 1957 Dec 13, 2014 2–1 1–1 5–0
Michigan State5–2 Jan 2, 1947 Nov. 11, 2016 2–0 1–1 2–1
New Mexico85–42 Feb 1, 1917 Dec 16, 2017 53–9 31–32 1–1
North Carolina3–4 Dec 28, 1948 Jan 27, 2007 0–1 0–1 3–2
Northern Arizona 99–27 February 10, 1919 Nov 6, 2019 69–6 30–21 0–0
San Diego State24–7 Dec 27, 1945 Nov 26, 2014 14–2 7–5 3–0
Texas Tech24–28 Jan 15, 1934 Dec 3, 2013 17–9 5–18 2–1
UNLV9–12 Dec 28, 1972 Dec 2, 2017 6–2 2–8 1–2
Utah34–29 Dec 21, 1953 Jan 16, 2020 21–8 11–20 3–1
UTEP62–30 Feb 2, 1920 Nov 14, 2018 38–8 23–22 1–0
Wisconsin2–5 Dec 3, 1962 March 28, 2015 0–0 1–0 1–5
Total422–243 1919Present261–56 119–159 42–28

Wildcats of note

Wildcats in NBA

NBA players

NBA G League players

Brandon RandolphWisconsin Herd2017–19

Source: Arizona 2018-19 Media Guide
Current non-NBA professional players
12 different NBA championships have been won by 10 Wildcats players. Since the NBA draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, 41 Arizona players have been selected. Former Wildcats have had successful NBA careers, totaling over $1.4 billion in total contracts through the 2019–2020 NBA season
Morris Udall......1948Denver Nuggets
Lincoln Richmond......1948Fort Wayne Pistons
Leon Blevins7791950Indianapolis Olympians
Leo Johnson5441951Ft. Wayne Pistons
Roger Johnson......1952Milwaukee Hawks
Ernie McCray17951960Cincinnati Royals
Warren Rustand4311965San Francisco Warriors
Bill Davis121601968Phoenix Suns
Michael Foster......1970Indiana Pacers
Tom Lee91471971Philadelphia 76ers
Eddie Myers101601971Baltimore Bullets
Bill Warner111701971Buffalo Braves
Bruce Anderson71011972Detroit Pistons
Eric Money2331974Detroit Pistons
Coniel Norman3371974Philadelphia 76ers
Al Fleming2301976Phoenix Suns
James Rappis5771976Milwaukee Bucks
Bob Elliott2421977Philadelphia 76ers
Herman Harris2431977Philadelphia 76ers
Jerome Gladney81641977San Antonio Spurs
Phil Taylor101981978Denver Nuggets
Larry Demic191979New York Knicks
Joe Nehls71521980Houston Rockets
Ron Davis4791981Washington Bullets
Robbie Dosty61481981Golden State Warriors
Frank Smith81771983Portland Trail Blazers
Leon Wood1101984Philadelphia 76ers
Pete Williams4891985Denver Nuggets
Eddie Smith71581985Denver Nuggets
Tom Tolbert2341988Charlotte Hornets
Steve Kerr2501988Phoenix Suns
Sean Elliott131989San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Cook1241989Phoenix Suns
Jud Buechler2381990Seattle SuperSonics
Brian Williams1101991Orlando Magic
Sean Rooks2301992Dallas Mavericks
Chris Mills1221993Cleveland Cavaliers
Ed Stokes2351993Miami Heat
Khalid Reeves1121994Miami Heat
Damon Stoudamire171995Toronto Raptors
Joseph Blair2351996Seattle SuperSonics
Ben Davis2431996Phoenix Suns
Reggie Geary2561996Cleveland Cavaliers
Mike Bibby121998Vancouver Grizzlies
Michael Dickerson1141998Houston Rockets
Miles Simon2421998Orlando Magic
Jason Terry1101999Atlanta Hawks
A. J. Bramlett2391999Cleveland Cavaliers
Richard Jefferson1132001Houston Rockets
Gilbert Arenas2312001Golden State Warriors
Michael Wright2392001New York Knicks
Loren Woods2462001Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Walton2322003Los Angeles Lakers
Andre Iguodala192004Philadelphia 76ers
Channing Frye182005New York Knicks
Salim Stoudamire2312005Atlanta Hawks
Hassan Adams2542006New Jersey Nets
Marcus Williams2332007San Antonio Spurs
Jerryd Bayless1112008Indiana Pacers
Jordan Hill182009New York Knicks
Chase Budinger2442009Detroit Pistons
Derrick Williams122011Minnesota Timberwolves
Solomon Hill1232013Indiana Pacers
Grant Jerrett2402013Portland Trail Blazers
Aaron Gordon142014Orlando Magic
Nick Johnson2422014Houston Rockets
Stanley Johnson182015Detroit Pistons
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson1232015Portland Trail Blazers
Lauri Markkanen172017Minnesota Timberwolves
Kadeem Allen2532017Boston Celtics
Deandre Ayton112018Phoenix Suns

Source: Arizona 2017–18 Media Guide

Current coaches in NBA

A Total of 23 NBA championships have been won by 10 former Wildcats, consisting of 12 different finals years. 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 13 of the last 21 finals.
Player Finals YearTeam
Steve Kerr
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003
Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs
Andre Iguodala
2015, 2016 2017, 2018, 2019
Golden State Warriors
Luke Walton
2004, 2008, 2009, 2010
Los Angeles Lakers
Richard Jefferson
2002, 2003, 2016, 2017
New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers
Jud Buechler
1996, 1997, 1998
Chicago Bulls
Channing Frye
2016, 2017
Cleveland Cavaliers
Jason Terry
2006, 2011
Dallas Mavericks
Bison Dele
1997
Chicago Bulls
Sean Elliott
1999
San Antonio Spurs
Derrick Williams
2017
Cleveland Cavaliers
Mike Bibby
2011
Miami Heat
Ben Davis
1999
New York Knicks
Al Fleming
1978
Seattle SuperSonics

Coach Finals YearTeam
Steve Kerr
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Golden State Warriors
Bruce Fraser
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Golden State Warriors
Luke Walton
2015, 2016
Golden State Warriors
Bret Brielmaier
2016
Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Arizona Wildcats college coaches

The following Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players have represented their country in basketball in the Summer Olympics:

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, lower than first-team All-America honors, or later than second-round draft positions are not included.
Deandre Ayton2017–18First Wildcat selected 1st Overall, NBA All-Rookie First Team
Gilbert Arenas1999–013-time NBA All-Star, NBA Most Improved Player Award, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant
Mike Bibby1996–98NBA All-Rookie First Team, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant
Jud Buechler1986–903-time NBA champion, 11 NBA seasons
Bison Dele 1989–90NBA champion, 7 NBA seasons
Sean Elliott1985–892-time NBA All-Star, NBA champion, 12 NBA seasons
Channing Frye2001–05NBA champion, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 1-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant, 15 NBA seasons
Andre Iguodala2002–043x NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA All-Rookie First Team, NBA Rookie Challenge MVP, United States – 2012 Summer Olympics – Gold Medal, 15 NBA seasons
Richard Jefferson1998–01NBA champion, NBA All-Rookie Second Team, United States – 2004 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medal, 17 NBA Seasons
Steve Kerr1983–885x NBA champion as Player, 3x NBA champion as Coach, 4-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant & 1-time winner, 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, 2015 NBA All-Star Game Head Coach, Current Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, all-time leader in 3 Point FG %
Kenny Lofton1985–896-time MLB All Star, 4-time Gold Glove Award, 17 MLB seasons
Eric Money1972–74456. Slam the 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time
Damon Stoudamire1991–95NBA Rookie of the Year Award, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 13 NBA seasons
Jason Terry1995–99NBA 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, 5th most made 3pt Field Goals all time, 10th in Games played
Mo Udall1941–42, 46–48Former member U.S. Congress
Leon Wood1979–80United States – 1984 Summer Olympics – Gold medal, 7 NBA seasons

Source: Arizona 2018-19 Media Guide
National honors and awards
John R. Wooden Award
National Player of the Year
Wayman Tisdale Award
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
Frank Hessler Award
Julius Erving Award
Karl Malone Award
Conference honors and awards
Pac-12 Player of the Year
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
Conference tournament most valuable player
Pac-12 Tournament MVP's
Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year
All-Americans
Arizona has had 30 All-Americans, 8 of which have been Consensus First-Team.
Fourteen Arizona players have received AP All-America honorable mention:
McDonald's All-Americans
The following 27 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.
The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named first, second or third team All-Pac-12:
First team All-Pac-12
Note
‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Player of the Year
  1. indicates player was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
† indicates player was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
Second team All-Pac-12
Second team was only awarded from the '77–79' & starting again in the 2007 season.
Third team All-Pac-12
Pac-12 3rd team was only given during the 2007–2008 season.
Pac-12 All Freshman Team
Note
Pac-12 All Newcomer
Note
Pac-12 All-Defensive Team
Note
Pac-12 All-Academic Team
Notes
Wildcats in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Players
Coaches
Coaching honors and awards
;National Coach of the Year
;WAC Coach of the Year
;John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award
;Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award
;Pac-12 Coach of the Year
Retired numbers
To have his number retired, a player must win one of the following six widely recognized player of the year awards:
Players:

Regular season conference championships

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.

Pac-10/12 Tournament results

UA has won the Pac-10/12 Tournament a record seven times, including three straight times from 1988–90. The Wildcats have played in the tournament final a record 11 times. UA also has a record 8 tournament MVP's. Salim Stoudamire is 1 of only 2 players to win the MVP from a losing squad.
YearChampionScoreRunner-UpArenaCityTournament MVP
1988Arizona93–67Oregon StateMcKale CenterTucson, ArizonaSean Elliott, Arizona
1989Arizona73–51StanfordGreat Western ForumInglewood, CaliforniaSean Elliott, Arizona
1990Arizona94–78UCLAUniversity Activity CenterTempe, ArizonaJud Buechler & Matt Muehlebach, Arizona
2002Arizona81–71USCStaples CenterLos Angeles, CaliforniaLuke Walton, Arizona
2005Washington81–72ArizonaStaples CenterLos Angeles, CaliforniaSalim Stoudamire, Arizona
2011Washington77–75OTArizonaStaples CenterLos Angeles, CaliforniaIsaiah Thomas, Washington
2012Colorado53–51ArizonaStaples CenterLos Angeles, CaliforniaCarlon Brown, Colorado
2014UCLA75–71ArizonaMGM Grand Garden ArenaParadise, NevadaKyle Anderson, UCLA
2015Arizona80–52OregonMGM Grand Garden ArenaParadise, NevadaBrandon Ashley, Arizona
2017Arizona83–80OregonT-Mobile ArenaParadise, NevadaAllonzo Trier, Arizona
2018Arizona75–61USCT-Mobile ArenaParadise, NevadaDeandre Ayton, Arizona

Source: 2007–08 Pac-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide pages 50–60

NCAA Tournament results

The University of Arizona has made 35 NCAA Tournament appearances, beginning with the first in 1951 and were the National Champions in 1997. Including a run of 25 consecutive years from 1985–2009, which is second only to the North Carolina Tar Heel's 27-year streak from 1975–2001. Their combined record is 56–33, including one national championship and 4 Final Fours. Arizona is also one of only seven #2 seeds to ever lose a first-round game, losing 64–61 to #15 seed Santa Clara, led by future NBA star Steve Nash in 1993. In addition, the 1997 Arizona team is the only team to date to beat three #1 seeds to win the national championship. They have currently made the tournament 6 straight seasons.

National championship results

Final Fours results

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

NCAA Tournament seeding history

1985101st Round
198691st Round
1987101st Round
19881Final Four
19891Sweet Sixteen
199022nd Round
19912Sweet Sixteen
199231st Round
199321st Round
19942Final Four
199551st Round
19963Sweet Sixteen
19974Champions
19981Elite Eight
199941st Round
200012nd Round
20012Runner-Up
20023Sweet Sixteen
20031Elite Eight
200491st Round
20053Elite Eight
200682nd Round
200781st Round
2008101st Round
200912Sweet Sixteen
20115Elite Eight
20136Sweet Sixteen
20141Elite Eight
20152Elite Eight
201661st Round
20172Sweet Sixteen
201841st Round

NIT results

The Arizona Wildcats have appeared in the four National Invitation Tournaments. Arizona's combined record is 0–4.
1946First RoundKentuckyL 53–77
1950First RoundLa SalleL 66–72
1951First RoundDaytonL 68–74
2012First RoundBucknellL 54–65

Arizona Basketball cumulative all-time statistics

Arizona can also lay claim to several individual achievements for both players and coaches:
Arizona also holds several other NCAA records and various additional accomplishments:
NameYearsPoints
Sean Elliott1985-892,555
Bob Elliott1973-772,131
Jason Gardner1999-20031,984
Salim Stoudamire2001-051,960
Khalid Reeves1990-941,925

NameYearsRebounds
Al Fleming1973-761,190
Bob Elliott1974-771,083
Channing Frye2001-05975
Kaleb Tarczewski2013-16879
Anthony Cook1986-89861

NameYearsAssists
Russell Brown1978-81810
Mustafa Shakur2004-07670
Damon Stoudamire1992-95663
Jason Gardner2000-03622
Luke Walton2000-03582

NameYearsSteals
Jason Terry1996-99245
Hassan Adams2003-06238
Jason Gardner2000-03225
Reggie Geary1993-96208
Kenny Lofton1986-89200

NameYearsBlocks
Anthony Cook1986-89278
Channing Frye2001-05258
Loren Woods2000-01186
Ed Stokes1990-93167
Sean Rooks1989-92142

NameYearsGames
Dusan Ristic2015-18141
Kyle Fogg2009-12139
Solomon Hill2010-13139
Jason Gardner2000-03136
Jordin Mayes2011-14136

NameYearsWins
Dusan Ristic2015-18115
Parker Jackson-Cartwright2015-18110
Kaleb Tarczewski2013-16110
Matt Muehlebach1988-91110
Jason Gardner2000-03107

School records

Individual career

Note
‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Team season records

Note
‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Freshman Single Season Leaders

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

Freshman Single Game Leaders

Note
‡ indicates player was is also single game record holder

Home Court Winning Streaks

^Played at Bear Down Gym

Record vs. Pac-12 opponents

The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series vs. ten other Pac-12 opponents, trailing only UCLA.
Arizona St.15386Arizona State 1
Cal6929Arizona 8
Colorado2014Arizona 1
Oregon5134Oregon 5
Oregon St.6622Arizona 1
Stanford6829Arizona 20
UCLA4360UCLA 3
USC6945USC 1
Utah3530Arizona 1
Washington5431Arizona 1
Washington State6617Arizona 2

Arizona joined the former Pac-8 conference in 1978 to create the Pac-10 conference with rival Arizona State. Utah and Colorado joined the Pac-10 in 2011 to create the present Pac-12. Arizona has a winning home record over every conference opponent since joining the conference. Arizona has an overall winning record over every conference opponent other than UCLA. Since Lute Olson became head coach in 1983, Arizona has a winning record over all 11 conference opponents. Sean Miller has a winning record against every Pac-12 team.
Arizona State59–28 33–10 25–17 1–1 58–17 15–6
Cal66–19 34–6 28–13 4–0 60–15 16–4
Colorado 15–6 8–0 2–5 5–1 15–6 15–6
Oregon51–34 30–10 19–21 2–3 48–27 10–11
Oregon State64–22 34–6 24–16 6–0 64–12 15–5
Stanford64–22 33–7 27–14 4–1 56–20 19–0
UCLA43–48 24–16 13–27 5–5 41–38 12–13
USC57–29 34–6 18–22 5–1 54–22 14–7
Utah 14–2 8–0 5–2 1–0 14–2 14–2
Washington53–31 31–9 21–19 1–3 49–25 12–8
Washington State65–16 32–8 32–8 1–0 62–9 15–3
Total551–257 301–78 214–164 35–15 521–194 157–65

Rankings

Arizona teams have spent a total of 37 weeks ranked number 1, most recently in 2015.
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 poll. AP did a post-tournament poll in 1953, 1954, 1974 and 1975. The following table summarizes Arizona history in the AP Poll:
202013122519TBD
2018172231312
201719420114
2016197231417
20151921055
2014201634
2013203211021
20123152318NR
2011710201617
20087172219NR
20071572414NR
200689241724
200519821139
2004193221122
2003191422
200217420127
20011912195
20001921054
1999186181012
1998181844
1997186191215
1996173191111
1995185151015
199418619129
199318322105
199218211610
1991172958
1990172241814
19891811261
19881711732
19872192020NR
19851191919NR
19771582014NR
1976510181315
197515101915NR
19748122015NR
1951811161412
1950515191715

Arizona vs. the AP Top 25

The Wildcats all-time record versus ranked teams is 148–185.
No. 14–43/26/05IllinoisL89–90
No. 24–1112/29/07MemphisL63–76
No. 310–611/20/18GonzagaL74–91
No. 47–1612/14/08GonzagaW69–64
No. 58–123/11/17OregonW83–80
No. 68–1412/14/19GonzagaL80–84
No. 77–712/5/17Texas A&MW67–64
No. 811–1311/21/18AuburnL57–73
No. 910–71/9/20OregonL73–74
No. 104–91/27/05WashingtonW91–82
No. 112–42/14/09UCLAW84–72
No. 122–611/12/16Michigan StateW65–63
No. 137–72/4/17OregonL58–85
No. 142–92/22/20OregonL72–73
No. 156–411/26/14San Diego StateW61–59
No. 167–73/8/07OregonL50–69
No. 176–712/25/12San Diego StateW68–67
No. 187–1512/7/19BaylorL58–63
No. 197–43/1/03StanfordW72–69
No. 205–31/18/20ColoradoW75–54
No. 214–23/15/13UCLAL64–66
No. 224–13/18/17Saint Mary'sW69–60
No. 235–55 2/14/16USCW86–78
No. 242–21/4/07WashingtonW96–87
No. 257–52/15/18Arizona StateW77–70

Conferences

Game day traditions

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

Beardown Gym

McKale Center

Arizona plays its home games at McKale Center, located on the campus in Tucson, Arizona. Since moving into the McKale Center in 1973 the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team has experienced a high winning percentage with an outstanding home court advantage.

Radio network affiliates