A Deep Dive into Arizona Wildcats NCAA Basketball History
The Arizona Wildcats boast a storied basketball program with a rich history in the NCAA Tournament. From unforgettable championship runs to heartbreaking defeats, the Wildcats have consistently been a force to be reckoned with on the national stage. This article delves into the program's NCAA Tournament history, highlighting key moments, players, and seasons that have defined Arizona basketball.
Early Tournament Appearances and Expansion of the NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament began in 1939, and the number of teams invited to participate has expanded a number of times over the years. Between 1939 and 1950, the tournament had only eight teams, and then between 1951 and 1974, the tournament varied between 16 teams and 25 teams. The National Invitation Tournament, meanwhile, began in 1938 with only 6 teams. In 1941 the tournament was expanded to include 8 teams, in 1949 the tournament was again expanded to 12 teams, then 14 teams in 1965, 16 teams in 1968, 24 teams in 1979, 32 teams in 1980, and 40 teams from 2002 through 2006.
The 1997 National Championship Run: A Legendary Upset
Arizona's 1997 run is the stuff of legends in Wildcat country. The path was extremely imposing for Arizona, even in the first three rounds. The No. 4-seeded Wildcats faced No. 13 South Alabama and No. 12 College of Charleston before No. 1 seed Kansas stood in Arizona's way. The first of three upsets over No. 1 seeds came when Arizona sent the Jayhawks packing with a nail-biting 85-82 win.
Nobody could stop the 'Cats after that. Arizona ended No. 10 Providence's Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in overtime with a 95-92 win, and it was strictly big dogs from there. Arizona took down the mighty East Region No. 1 seed North Carolina that was 28-6 to that point with a shocking 66-58 win. The championship 'Cats capped it all off against West Region No. 1 seed Kentucky, who stood at 35-4. Arizona took the game to overtime and took the only natty in program history with the 84-79 win.
The 2001 National Championship Appearance: A Near Miss
Much like four years prior, Arizona saw three No. 1 seeds land in its path in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Unlike four years prior, the 'Cats couldn't run the table. Arizona earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and got to work immediately. No. 15 Eastern Illinois lost by 25 points in a 101-76 beatdown, and a similar fate befell No. 10 Butler, who lost by 21 points in a 73-52 decision. In the Sweet Sixteen, Arizona sent No. 3 Mississippi State packing with a 10-point win.
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After this, though, is when the gauntlet started. In the Elite Eight, Arizona drew No. 1 seed Illinois and won by 6 points. In the Final Four, the 'Cats drew South Region No. 1 seed Michigan State in convincing fashion and set up an explosive National Championship matchup against East Region No. 1 seed Duke. However, they fell short against the Blue Devils.
Tournament Games Breakdown
- NIT First Round Lost First Round vs.
- NIT First Round Lost First Round vs.
- NIT First Round Lost First Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Elite 8 Won First Round vs. Georgetown, 83-76 Won Semifinals vs. UNLV, 114-109Lost Final vs.
- first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA First RoundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA final FourWon First Round vs. (16) Cornell, 90-50Won Second Round vs. (8) Seton Hall, 84-55 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (5) Iowa, 99-79 Won Elite Eight vs. (2) North Carolina, 70-52 Lost Final Four vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (16) Robert Morris, 94-60Won Second Round vs. (7) Clemson, 94-68 Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA 2nd RoundWon First Round vs. (15) South Florida, 83-70Lost Second Round vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (15) Saint Francis (PA), 93-80Won Second Round vs. (10) BYU, 76-61 Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Final Four Won First Round vs. (15) Loyola (MD), 81-55Won Second Round vs. (7) Virginia, 71-58 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (6) Louisville, 82-70 Won Elite Eight vs. (1) Missouri, 74-61 Lost Final Four vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA 2nd RoundWon First Round vs. (14) Valparaiso, 90-51Won Second Round vs. (6) Iowa, 87-73 Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA National championsWon First Round vs. (13) South Alabama, 65-57Won Second Round vs. (12) Charleston, 73-69 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (1) Kansas, 85-82 2OT Won Elite Eight vs. (10) Providence, 96-922OT Won Final Four vs. Won National Championship vs.
- NCAA Elite EightWon First Round vs. (16) Nicholls, 99-50Won Second Round vs. (8) Illinois State, 82-49 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (4) Maryland, 87-79 Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NCAA 1st RoundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA second roundWon First Round vs. (16) Missouri, 84-70Lost Second Round vs.
- NCAA FinalistWon First Round vs. (15) Eastern Illinois, 101-76Won Second Round vs. (10) Butler, 73-52 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (3) Ole Miss, 66-56 Won Elite Eight vs. (1) Illinois, 87-81 Won Final Four vs. (1) North Carolina, 80-61 Lost National Championship vs.
- NCAA Sweet SixteenWon First Round vs. (14) UC Santa Barbara, 86-81Won Second Round vs. (10) Wyoming, 80-68 Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA Elite EightWon First Round vs. (16) Vermont, 80-51Won Second Round vs. (9) Gonzaga, 96-95 2OT Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (5) Notre Dame, 88-71 Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Elite EightWon First Round vs. (14) Utah State, 66-53Won Second Round vs. (11) UAB, 85-63 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (2) Oklahoma State, 79-78 Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NCAA 2nd RoundWon First Round vs. (9) Wisconsin, 94-75Lost Second Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (5) Utes, 84-71Won Second Round vs. (13) Cleveland State, 81-57 Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA Elite 8Won First Round vs. (12) Memphis, 77-75Won Second Round vs. (4) Texas, 86-83 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (1) Duke, 93-77Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NIT First Round Lost First Round vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (11) Villanova, 81-64Won Second Round vs. (14) Harvard, 74-51 Lost Second Round vs.
- NCAA Elite EightWon First Round vs. (16) Weber State, 68-59Won Second Round vs. (8) Gonzaga, 84-61 Won Sweet Sixteen vs. (4) San Diego State, 70-64 Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NCAA Elite EightWon First Round vs. (15) Texas Southern, 93-72Won Second Round vs. (10) Ohio State, 73-58 Won Sweet 16 vs. (6) Xavier, 68-60 Lost Elite Eight vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (15) North Dakota, 100-82Won Second Round vs. (7) Saint Mary's, 69-60Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (16) Wright State, 87-70 Won Second Round vs. (9) TCU, 85-80 OT Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA first roundLost First Round vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (15) Long Beach State, 85-65Won Second Rounds vs. (7) Dayton, 78-68Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
- NCAA Sweet 16Won First Round vs. (13) Akron, 93-65Won Second Rounds vs. (5) Oregon, 87-83Lost Sweet Sixteen vs.
Comparing Past and Present Success: The 2013-14 and Recent Seasons
By narrowly avoiding a monumental collapse at BYU on Monday night, Arizona matched the best start to a season in school history. The Wildcats’ 21-0 record is the same it had to start the 2013-14 campaign.
We unfortunately know what happened next the last time the UA began this good, and how that season ended. No need to pick at those still-healing scabs (until later in this article).
But how does this start, orchestrated by Tommy Lloyd in his fifth season in charge, compare to the previous one that happened during Sean Miller’s fifth year with the program? On paper, what Arizona has done this season has been far more impressive.
The Opponents
In 2013-14 the Wildcats’ nonconference slate consisted of one ranked opponent, Duke, which ended up getting upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Mercer, along with wins over NCAA tourney teams Cal Poly, Michigan, New Mexico State, and San Diego State. Arizona ended up beating SDSU again in the Sweet 16, while Michigan reached the Elite Eight.
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This season the UA became the first school in AP poll history to beat five ranked teams in its first nine games, starting with a win over defending national champion Florida in Las Vegas while also winning at UConn, which hasn’t lost to anyone else to this point.
The Pac-12 was ranked by KenPom.com as the 4th-best conference in 2013-14, with the UA one of six teams to make the NCAA tourney. Arizona had gone 4-0 against those teams during its 21-0 start.
The latest projection from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Big 12 getting seven schools in, with the Wildcats owning wins over BYU and UCF as well as bubble team TCU. There are still six games remaining on the conference slate against projected NCAA tourney teams.
The Numbers
From a statistical standpoint, Arizona is a far more better offensive team now than it was 12 years ago, and also plays much faster. Miller was known for a slower tempo, the adjusted pace in 2013-14 (62.8) more than eight possessions fewer than what Lloyd’s group gets per 40 minutes, and that produced 74.3 points per game during the 21-0 start.
The UA is averaging 89.6 points per game this season, which would be second only to the 1997-98 team (90.3). Arizona is shooting 51.6 percent in 2025-26, on pace for a Top 5 finish in school history, while in 2013-14 the Wildcats were shooting 48.1 during the perfect start.
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Defensively, both teams have been stellar during their perfect runs. Miller’s squad was allowing 56.7 points on 37.2 percent shooting over the first 21 games and finished the season No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Lloyd’s group is third in adjusted defensive, allowing 68.3 points per game on 39.3 percent shooting.
Ironically, neither UA team relied heavily on 3-pointers to start 21-0. The 2013-14 team made 5.3 per game and for the season only took 26.4 percent of their shots from outside, while this season it’s 6.1 3s per game and 27.4 percent of the shots.
The Rosters
Arizona’s 2013-14 roster featured five players who would end up making the NBA, most notably 2014 lottery pick Aaron Gordon and super sub TJ McConnell. Guard Nick Johnson was the leading scorer and would play 28 games for the Houston Rockets after getting drafted in the second round, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Gabe York were the main contributors off the bench.
Yet it was forward Brandon Ashley who ended up being that team’s most important player. His foot injury suffered early in the 22nd game knocked him out for the season, and Arizona ended up losing five of its final 17 games including to Cal on Feb. 1, 2014.
When Ashley went down the UA went from a 7-man rotation to only six regulars, though freshman guard Elliott Pitts ended up averaging 10 minutes over the final 16 games after logging just 41 minutes in the first 22 contests.
This season, Arizona’s 8-man rotation has proven to be incredibly effective. Lloyd’s decision to move 2024-25 starters Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso to the bench has enabled him to always be able to mix experience with youth, as this team includes four freshmen among the top eight.
All eight are averaging at least 15.8 minutes per game, 13.8 in Big 12 play, and only Brayden Burries (31.1) and Jayden Bradley (30.4) are logging more than 75 percent of court time in conference action.
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