Arizona Wildcats Men's Basketball
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The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. It competes in the
Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
of
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
and is currently coached by
Tommy Lloyd Tommy Lloyd (born December 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arizona Wildcats men's team of the Pac-12 Conference. Playing career Lloyd was born in Kelso, Washington and attended Kelso High School, ...
. The program came to national prominence under the tenure (1983–2007) of former head coach
Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...
, who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to U of A as "Point Guard U" because the school has produced successful guards like Steve Kerr,
Damon Stoudamire Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) The , point guard was selected ...
,
Khalid Reeves Khalid Reeves (born July 15, 1972) is a former American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (12th pick) of the 1994 NBA draft. R ...
,
Mike Bibby Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
,
Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
,
Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...
,
Jason Gardner Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
,
Jerryd Bayless Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...
, and
T. J. McConnell Timothy John McConnell Jr. (born March 25, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duquesne Dukes and the Arizona Wildcats. H ...
, among others. From 1985 to 2009, the Arizona basketball team reached the NCAA Division I tournament for 25 consecutive years, two years shy of
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'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 (
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,
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,
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, and
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
). They have also made two appearances in the National Championship (won over
Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...
in 1997, lost to
Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...
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. In addition, the team has won 17 Pac-10/12 regular season championship titles and 8 Pac-10/12 tournament championship titles. Arizona also holds the distinction of recording five out of the seven 17–1 Pac-10 seasons (one-loss seasons). In 2022 Arizona became the first & only team to win 18 conference games in a season. No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10/12. Arizona ranks eleventh all-time heading into the 2022–23 season with 1,884 wins and ranks tied for seventh by winning percentage at (). Arizona has spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll, which is ninth-most all-time; 29 weeks at No. 2, tied for eighth all-time; 160 weeks in the Top 5, seventh all-time; 317 weeks in the Top 10, sixth all-time; and 574 weeks in the top 25, seventh all-time.


Team 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 An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
and coach
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
. 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 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. The
McKale Memorial Center McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena in the southwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As the home of the university's Wildcats basketball team of the Pac-12 Conference, it is primar ...
, 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 Fred August Enke (July 12, 1897 – November 2, 1985) was an American football and basketball player, coach of football, basketball, baseball, and golf, and college athletics administrator. The Rochester, Minnesota native coached basketball for ...
, U of A'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 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. Under Enke, U of A competed in the now-defunct
Border Conference The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. ...
. 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. In 1962, Arizona joined the
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.


Bruce Larson era

Bruce Larson, a player and assistant under Enke before coaching at Eastern Arizona and
Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...
, coached the Wildcats from 1961 to 1971, leading the school to a 136–148 record. Under his tenure, major planning began for a larger and more modern basketball arena (which would become McKale Center) to replace the outdated
Bear Down Gym Bear Down Gym, originally known as Men's Gymnasium, is a 300-seat multi-purpose arena in Tucson, Arizona. It opened in 1926. It was home to the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team. It was replaced when the McKale Center opened in 19 ...
nasium. Larson would later serve as an analyst on Wildcat football and basketball telecasts during the Lute Olson (and
Dick Tomey Richard Hastings Tomey (June 20, 1938 – May 10, 2019) was an American football coach and player. Tomey served as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (1977–1986), University of Arizona (1987–2000), and San Jose State ...
) era.


Fred Snowden era

In 1972,
Fred Snowden Frederick Snowden (c. 1936 – January 17, 1994) was an American businessman and men's basketball coach at the University of Arizona. Nicknamed "The Fox" for his cool demeanor, he was the first African-American head coach at a major universit ...
was hired as the head basketball coach, making Arizona the second Division I school and the first major program to hire an
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
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 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
and 1977, getting as far as the Elite Eight in 1976 before losing to
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
82–66, a game after defeating
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
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 Gilbert Colin Myles (born 18 October 1945) is a former New Zealand politician who entered Parliament for the National Party in 1990, then split from the party in 1991 and sat as an independent, before representing the Liberal Party, the Allianc ...
verses
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, 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. 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 Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on ...
, 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 U of A Athletic director
Cedric Dempsey Cedric Warren Dempsey (born April 14, 1932) is a sports administrator who became the third executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1994 to 2003. Before leaving the post in 2002, Dempsey restructured the organ ...
fired Lindsey after only one season and hired
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
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..." 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 The ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout is an annual women's college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features host University of Alaska Anchorage and three visiting NCAA Div. I teams. The four-team tournament is resuming i ...
championship, the Valley Bank Fiesta Bowl Classic championship and the Pac-10 championship. Under players Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, and
Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career as ...
, Arizona spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and made their first (and Olson's second) 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 University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
, 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 South Alabama is the various parts of southern Alabama. Although it is not a strictly defined geographic region, it generally includes all Alabama counties south of the Black Belt. In that view, ''South Alabama'' consists of just the two counties ...
and #12
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, respectively winning 65–57 and 73–69. The Southeast Regional semifinal pitted 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 Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
96–92 in the Elite Eight to clinch a berth in the Final Four. Arizona then beat #1 seed
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
66–58 in the Final Four, which turned out to be
Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...
'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. The year following the Championship season, 1998, Arizona returned all 5 starters (
Mike Bibby Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
,
Michael Dickerson Michael DeAngelo Dickerson (born June 25, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who was a member of the Houston Rockets and Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The shooting guard was ...
,
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
, Bennett Davison, and A. J. Bramlett) 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 the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
. 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 Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
(the 6th man the previous two seasons) elevated his game (receiving National Player of the Year honors) 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 U of A 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, 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 Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
, center
Loren Woods Loren is a given name, nickname and surname which may refer to: Given name Men * Loren Acton (born 1936), American physicist and astronaut * Loren C. Ball (born 1948), amateur astronomer who has discovered more than 100 asteroids * Loren M. Berry ...
and forward
Michael Wright Michael Wright may refer to: Sportspeople *Michael Wright (Australian footballer) (born 1959), former VFL footballer for South Melbourne *Michael Wright (basketball) (1980–2015), murdered American–Turkish basketball player * Michael Wright (cyc ...
— 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 A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
, Mississippi,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, and
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, only to be stopped by
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
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 Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five nati ...
, 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. 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," recent standouts include
Jason Gardner Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
,
Salim Stoudamire Charles Salim Stoudamire (born October 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Stoudamire was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (31st overall pick) of the 2005 NBA draft. Early life and college Stoudamire ...
,
Mustafa Shakur Mustafadeen "Mustafa" Abdush-Shakur (born August 18, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona and has previously played professionally in Europe, Lebanon, the NBA D-Le ...
,
Jerryd Bayless Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...
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 Channing Thomas Frye (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward- center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 200 ...
. 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 The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
. 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 U of A 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 (by way of an announcement from Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood). 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 Russell Edwin Pennell (born November 28, 1960) is an American basketball coach, who was last the head coach for the University of Central Arkansas. Pennell was born in Pittsburg, Kansas and graduated from Pittsburg High School. He played colle ...
as the interim head coach for the 2008–2009 season 23 days before the start of the season. The appointment came after
Mike Dunlap Michael Gregory Dunlap (born May 27, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach who serves as assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Dunlap is the former head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. ...
, 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 (regional semi-finals) with wins over 5-seed
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and 13-seed Cleveland State, before falling to overall 1-seed,
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. 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. (On April 9, 2009, Pennell was hired as head coach of the men's basketball team at Division II
Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on ...
, a member of the
Pacific West Conference The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii. Th ...
.)


Further NCAA sanctions under Olson

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. 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 Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...
,
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
's
Jamie Dixon James Patrick Dixon II (born November 10, 1965) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs men's team, where he played college ball. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Pittsbu ...
and then-
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
coach
John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the University of Kentucky men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2012. He has been named Naismith College C ...
(before he accepted the vacant position at
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
) to take the job. Arizona even brought
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
's
Tim Floyd Tim Floyd (born February 25, 1954) is a former American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He was formerly the head coach of several teams in the NCAA and the NBA. Floyd is also kn ...
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 Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Xavier Musketeers men's basketball, Xavier Musketeers. He previously was in that position from 2004 to 2009, after whi ...
from
Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...
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 Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
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 (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 Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...
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 Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
(coached by former Wildcat (and member of the 1997 national title team)
Josh Pastner Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team, ...
) 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 Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. In the Sweet-16 match-up, Arizona found itself pitted against top-seeded
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
, 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 (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 Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
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 (the first coming in weeks 7–10 of the 2012–2013 season), 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 Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
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 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 (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. Arizona Wildcats men's basketball#cite ref-25 Straight 22-0 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. 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 and NCAA investigations

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 Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
75–67. On March 10, Arizona defeated
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
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. 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. 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. 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. 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 The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
. 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 Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He attend ...
& defeated Wake Forest 73–66. 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. They would defeat Stanford in Maples Pavilion for the conferences longest active streak 20th time, 69–60. 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. The season would end due to the
COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
which shut down sports globally & end the 2019–20 season. 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. 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. 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 Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, as well as cancel their appearance in the 2020 NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn against top 15 ranked
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
,
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
& 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. 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. 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. Following 88–74 victory over Colorado, the Wildcats' announced a Self-Imposed one-year postseason ban, which included the 2021 Pac-12 tournament. 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. 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. 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. 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. On April 7, 2021, Arizona fired Sean Miller after 12 years. Miller finished his coaching career with an overall record of 302–109, five regular–season Pac-12 championships, three conference tournament titles & seven NCAA appearances. His 302 wins are 3rd most in school history.


Tommy Lloyd era

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 Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) The , point guard was selected ...
(head coach at the University of the Pacific),
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
(assistant for the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
), and
Josh Pastner Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team, ...
(head coach at
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
), as well as
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
'
Eric Musselman Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas. He is the former head coach of the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors of the ...
, were under speculation to take the job. On April 14, 2021, it was announced that Tommy Lloyd, the longtime top assistant coach at Gonzaga under
Mark Few Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...
, 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. A formal press conference was held at McKale Center on April 15 to introduce Lloyd as the head coach. Coach Lloyd got his first victory as a head coach versus the Wildcats' in-state rival
Northern Arizona Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Gila counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the sout ...
81–52. His 29-point victory versus NAU was the second largest margin in a coach's debut in school history & largest since 1915. He would win his first Pac-12 game on December 12, 2021 against Oregon State, 90–65. Coach Lloyd & Arizona would go on to lose their first game of his career & season in
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...
, 73–77 against no. 19
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. 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. The Wildcats would be led by sophomore guards
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...
, Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry, as well as junior center
Christian Koloko Christian Junior Koloko (born 20 June 2000) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Arizona Wild ...
and sophomore forward
Ąžuolas Tubelis Ąžuolas Tubelis (born 22 March 2002) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played colle ...
. 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 California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
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 Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
84–80, No. 4 seed
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
82–72 & 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. Following the end of the Pac-12 season Lloyd was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year. 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 The 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the ...
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. The Wildcats' season would end with a Sweet 16 loss to
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
72-60. Lloyd was named as a finalists for the
Naismith Award Naismith Award is a basketball award named after James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Naismith Awards include: * Naismith College Player of the Year (men's and women's; NCAA Division I basketball) * Naismith College Coach of t ...
. Following the end of the season Coach Lloyd won the AP Coach of the Year,
NABC Coach of the Year The NABC Coach of the Year Award has been presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since . A longtime sponsor of the award was Kodak; it is currently sponsored by the UPS Store The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) is a s ...
& USBWA Coach of the Year.


Season by season results

Under Tommy Lloyd


Rivalries


Arizona State

Since Arizona State became a University on December 5, 1958, Arizona leads ASU 77–58. Since both schools joined the
Pac-10 conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
in the 1978–79 season Arizona leads ASU 63–28. Since Lute Olson took over as head coach for the 1983–84 season Arizona leads ASU 61–17. Sean Miller took over for the 2009–2010 season Arizona & finished with a 17–7 record against ASU. The most recent matchup came in Tucson, AZ on February 7, 2022, where Arizona beat Arizona State 91–76. Arizona lead the all-time series with 157–86.


UCLA

Since then, the two schools competed for the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) 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 Olson'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 Michael John Montgomery (born February 27, 1947) is a retired American basketball coach. He is best known for his 18-year tenure at Stanford (1986–2004), where he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 199 ...
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 2022 PAC-12 Tournament, where Arizona beat UCLA 84–76. Arizona Wildcats trailed the all-time series lead by UCLA with 62–46.


Traditional rivalries


Other rivals

Arizona has in-state rivalries with NAU & Grand Canyon. They also has historic rivalries with Kansas, Duke, San Diego State and Gonzaga.


Notable players and coaches

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

Coaches * Lute Olson (2002)


Wildcats in the Olympics

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


Current players in the NBA/NBA G-League

Source: Arizona 2022-23 Media Guide


Current players in international leagues

*
Brandon Ashley Brandon Damon Allen Ashley (born July 15, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Altiri Chiba of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona. High school career Ashley attended Bishop O ...
Altiri Chiba (Japan) *
Parker Jackson-Cartwright Parker Jackson-Cartwright (born July 12, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. High school care ...
ASVEL ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon, ...
(France) * Daniel DillonWaverley Falcons (Australia) * Kyle Fogg
Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang ( simplified Chinese: 辽宁本钢), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning ...
(China) *
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson (born January 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He spent seven seasons in the NBA, and played college basketball for the ...
Jeonju KCC Egis The Jeonju KCC Egis is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. Current roster Enlisted players Honours Domestic Korean Basketball League *KBL Championship :: Winners (5): 1997–98, 1998– ...
(Korea) *
Grant Jerrett Grant Alexander Jerrett (born July 8, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Utsunomiya Brex of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona. Early life Jerrett was born to Lamont and Barba ...
– Free Agent * Nick Johnson
Beijing Ducks The Beijing Shougang Ducks (''simplified Chinese'': 北京首钢鸭俱乐部篮球队), also known as Beijing Shougang or Beijing Ducks, are a professional basketball team based in Beijing, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chin ...
(China) * Ira Lee –
ALM Évreux Basket ALM Évreux Basket is a French professional basketball club based in Evreux, France. The team plays in the LNB Pro B, the French second division. Season by season Notable players * Isaia Cordinier * Joseph Gomis * Filipe da Silva * Ruphin K ...
(France) * Ryan Luther
UCAM Murcia CB UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia Club de Baloncesto, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as UCAM Murcia, is a professional basketball team based in Murcia, Spain. It plays their home games at Palacio de Deportes de ...
(Spain) *
Nico Mannion Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He attend ...
Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...
(Italy) *
Kyrylo Natyazhko Kyryl Natyazhko (born 30 November 1990) is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for BC Dnipro, Dnipro OF THE Ukrainian Basketball Super League, USL. He also represents the Ukraine national basketball team, Ukrainian national team, where he ...
BC Dnipro Basketball Club Dnipro ( uk, баскетбольний клуб "Дніпро"), commonly known as simply Dnipro, is a Ukrainian professional basketball club that is based in Dnipro. The home court of the club is Palace of Sports Shynnik. The wome ...
(Ukraine) *
Keanu Pinder Keanu Pinder (born 28 May 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL). Early life Pinder was born in Derby, Western Australia to an Indigenous Australian mother from th ...
Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...
(Australia) *
Dušan Ristić Dušan Ristić ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Ристић; born November 27, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Lenovo Tenerife of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. Early career Dušan grew up with ...
Baloncesto Fuenlabrada Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, S.A.D., known as just Fuenlabrada and also Carplus Fuenlabrada because of sponsorship reasons,, is a professional basketball team based in Fuenlabrada, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and plays their home games at F ...
(Spain) * Dylan Smith – Ostioneros de Guaymas (Mexico) *
Allonzo Trier Allonzo Brian Trier (born January 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2016–17, he earned sec ...
– Free Agent *
Kaleb Tarczewski Kaleb Tarczewski (born February 26, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Arizona. He is a 2.13 m (7'0") tal ...
Gunma Crane Thunders The Gunma Crane Thunders are a professional basketball team that compete in the first division of the Japanese B.League. They are based in Ōta, Gunma. It is said that the shape of Gunma Prefecture resembles the shape of a dancing crane. The te ...
(Japan) * Brandon Williams – Free Agent * Derrick WilliamsPanathinaikos B.C. (Greece)


NBA/NBA G League coaches and executives

* Steve Kerr, head coach,
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
*
Joseph Blair Joseph Blair (born June 12, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player, and current assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was formerly the Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach. ...
, assistant coach,
Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
* Bret Brielmaier, assistant coach,
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
* Quinton Crawford, assistant coach,
Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
* Bruce Fraser, assistant coach, Golden State Warriors *
Jesse Mermuys Jesse Mermuys (born ) is an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. He was a former assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. Coaching career Denver Nuggets Mermuys spent four seasons with the Nuggets as ...
, assistant coach, Orlando Magic *
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
, head coach,
South Bay Lakers The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first National Basketball Associa ...
*Ray Smith, basketball operations intern,
Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
*
Damon Stoudamire Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) The , point guard was selected ...
, assistant coach,
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
*
Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
, assistant coach, Utah Jazz *
Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a fo ...
, assistant coach,
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...


NCAA

*
Josh Pastner Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team, ...
, Head Coach,
Georgia Tech Yellowjackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck ...


NBA draft history

13 different NBA championships have been won by 13 Wildcats players. Since the NBA draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, 46 Arizona players have been selected. Former Wildcats have had successful NBA careers, totaling over $1.6 billion in total contracts through the 2022–2023 NBA season Source: Arizona 2022–23 Media Guide )


Wildcats with NBA championships

A total of 31 NBA championships have been won by 13 former Wildcats, consisting of 14 different finals years ( 1996,
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, 1998, 1999,
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
and
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
). 6 of the last 8 championship teams have had a former Wildcat as a player and/or coaching staff member on the team. Former Wildcats have played in 20 of the last 27 finals and have coached in 7 of the last 8 finals. 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. Source: Arizona 2022-23 Media Guide National honors and awards (players)
John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...
* 1989 – Sean Elliott
National Player of the Year National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
* 1989 – Sean Elliott * 1997 – Mike Bibby * 1999 – Jason Terry
Wayman Tisdale Award The USBWA National Freshman of the Year, with the men's and women's versions respectively named the Wayman Tisdale Award and Tamika Catchings Award, is an annual basketball award given to college basketball's most outstanding freshman male player ...
* 2000 –
Jason Gardner Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
Frank Hessler Award * 2000 –
Loren Woods Loren is a given name, nickname and surname which may refer to: Given name Men * Loren Acton (born 1936), American physicist and astronaut * Loren C. Ball (born 1948), amateur astronomer who has discovered more than 100 asteroids * Loren M. Berry ...
Julius Erving Award * 2015 – Stanley Johnson Karl Malone Award * 2018 —
Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
Conference honors and awards (players) Pac-12 Player of the Year * 1988 – Sean Elliott * 1989 – Sean Elliott * 1993 – Chris Mills * 1995 – Damon Stoudamire * 1998 – Mike Bibby * 1999 – Jason Terry * 2011 – Derrick Williams * 2014 – Nick Johnson * 2018 –
Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
* 2022 –
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...
Pac-12 Freshman of the Year * 1986 – Sean Elliott * 1997 – Mike Bibby * 1999 –
Michael Wright Michael Wright may refer to: Sportspeople *Michael Wright (Australian footballer) (born 1959), former VFL footballer for South Melbourne *Michael Wright (basketball) (1980–2015), murdered American–Turkish basketball player * Michael Wright (cyc ...
* 2002 –
Salim Stoudamire Charles Salim Stoudamire (born October 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Stoudamire was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (31st overall pick) of the 2005 NBA draft. Early life and college Stoudamire ...
* 2007 –
Chase Budinger Chase Andrew Budinger (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional volleyball player and former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in 2009 NBA draft after playing three years of c ...
* 2010 – Derrick Williams * 2014 –
Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...
* 2015 – Stanley Johnson * 2018 – Deandre Ayton * 2020 –
Zeke Nnaji Ezekiel Tobechukwu "Zeke" Nnaji (born January 9, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted 22nd overall in the 2020 NBA draft. He played college basket ...
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year * 2022 –
Christian Koloko Christian Junior Koloko (born 20 June 2000) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Arizona Wild ...
Pac-12 Most Improved Player of The Year * 2022 – Christian Koloko Pac-12 6th Man of the Year * 2021 – Jordan Brown * 2022 – Pelle Larsson Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year * 2020: Stone Gettings Pac-12 Tournament MVP's * 1988: Sean Elliott * 1989: Sean Elliott * 1990:
Jud Buechler Jud may refer to: People People with the surname * Leo Jud (1482–1542), Swiss reformer * Jakob Jud (1882–1952), Swiss linguist People with the nickname or given name * Jud Birchall (1855–1887), American baseball player *Jud Birza (born 1989 ...
/ Matt Muehlebach * 2002:
Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a fo ...
* 2005: Salim Stoudamire * 2015:
Brandon Ashley Brandon Damon Allen Ashley (born July 15, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Altiri Chiba of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona. High school career Ashley attended Bishop O ...
* 2017:
Allonzo Trier Allonzo Brian Trier (born January 17, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2016–17, he earned sec ...
* 2018: Deandre Ayton * 2022:
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...


All-Americans

Consensus first team Arizona has had 30 All-American
All-Americans The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
selections. They have had 7 players selected as Consensus First Team All-Americans 8 times. Also have had 5 Consensus All-Americans. * 1951 – Roger Johnson (3rd, Helms Foundation) * 1976 – Bob Elliott (3rd, Basketball Weekly; Helms Foundation/Citizen’s Savings) * 1977 – Bob Elliott (2) (1st-Team, Helms Foundation/Citizen's Savings) * 1988 – Sean Elliott (Consensus 1st-Team) * 1988 – Steve Kerr (2nd, Associated Press; 3rd, NABC) * 1989 – Sean Elliott (2) (Consensus 1st-Team) * 1993 – Chris Mills (2nd, Basketball Weekly; 3rd, Basketball Times, NABC, AP, UPI) * 1994 – Khalid Reeves (Consensus 2nd-Team) * 1995 – Damon Stoudamire (Consensus 1st-Team) * 1998 – Mike Bibby (Consensus 1st-Team) * 1998 – Miles Simon (Consensus 1st-Team) * 1998 – Michael Dickerson (3rd, AP) * 1999 – Jason Terry (Consensus 1st-Team) * 2000 – Jason Gardner (3rd, Basketball Times) * 2001 – Michael Wright (3rd, AP, ESPN.com) * 2001 – Gilbert Arenas (3rd, ESPN.com; HM AP) * 2002 – Jason Gardner (2nd, cnnsi.com, Basketball America; 3rd, AP, NABC) * 2002 – Luke Walton (1st, John Wooden, collegehoopsinsider.com; 2nd, SN, BN; 3rd, BT) * 2003 – Jason Gardner (Consensus 2nd-Team) * 2005 – Channing Frye (2nd, Basketball Times) * 2005 – Salim Stoudamire (Consensus 2nd-Team) * 2008 – Jerryd Bayless (2nd, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com) * 2009 – Jordan Hill (3rd, Sporting News; HM AP) * 2011 – Derrick Williams (Consensus 2nd-Team) * 2014 – Nick Johnson (Consensus 1st-Team) * 2014 – Aaron Gordon (3rd, Sporting News) * 2015 – Stanley Johnson (3rd, NABC) * 2017 – Lauri Markkanen (3rd, NABC, AP, Sporting News, USA Today) * 2018 – Deandre Ayton (Consensus 1st-Team) * 2022 – Bennedict Mathurin (Consensus 2nd-Team) Fourteen Arizona players have received AP All-America honorable mention: * 1991 – Chris Mills (AP Honorable Mention) * 1991 – Brian Williams (AP Honorable Mention) * 1992 – Chris Mills (2) (AP Honorable Mention) * 1992 –
Sean Rooks Sean Lester Rooks (September 9, 1969 – June 7, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1992 to 2004, and was an Assistant for Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers ...
(AP Honorable Mention) * 1994 – Damon Stoudamire (AP Honorable Mention, Basketball Weekly, USBWA) * 1997 – Michael Dickerson (AP Honorable Mention) * 2000 – Loren Woods (AP Honorable Mention) * 2000 – Michael Wright (AP Honorable Mention) * 2001 – Jason Gardner (AP Honorable Mention) * 2001 – Loren Woods (2) (AP Honorable Mention) * 2003 – Luke Walton (AP Honorable Mention) * 2004 – Andre Iguodala (AP Honorable Mention) * 2009 – Chase Budinger (AP Honorable Mention) * 2018 – Allonzo Trier (AP 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. 1970–1999 * 1984 – Craig McMillan * 1985 – Sean Elliott * 1987 – Brian Williams * 1988 – Chris Mills† * 1990 – Khalid Reeves * 1991 – Ben Davis† * 1996 – Mike Bibby * 1996 – Loren Woods† * 1998 – Richard Jefferson * 1999 – Jason Gardner 2000–2019 * 2002 – Hassan Adams * 2003 – Mustafa Shakur * 2004 – Jawann McClellan * 2006 – Chase Budinger * 2007 – Jerryd Bayless * 2012 – Brandon Ashley &
Grant Jerrett Grant Alexander Jerrett (born July 8, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Utsunomiya Brex of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona. Early life Jerrett was born to Lamont and Barba ...
* 2013 –
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson (born January 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He spent seven seasons in the NBA, and played college basketball for the ...
& Aaron Gordon * 2014 – Stanley Johnson * 2015 –
Chase Jeter Chase Michael Jeter (born September 19, 1997) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and the Arizona Wildcats. High school career Jeter played basketball for Bishop Gorman High School in Summerlin ...
† & Allonzo Trier * 2016 –
Kobi Simmons Kobi Jordan Simmons (born July 4, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. High school career Simmons attended St. Francis in Mil ...
* 2017 – Deandre Ayton * 2018 – Jordan Brown† * 2019 – Josh Green &
Nico Mannion Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He attend ...
2020–present


All-Pac-12 honors

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 * 1979 –
Larry Demic Lawrence Curtis Demic (born June 27, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three seasons with the Knicks from 1979 through 1982. Demic played c ...
* 1980 – Joe Dehls (2) * 1981 – Ron Davis * 1984 – Pete Williams * 1985 – Pete Williams * 1985 – Eddie Smith * 1986 – Steve Kerr * 1987 – Sean Elliott * 1988 – Sean Elliott (2)‡ * 1988 – Steve Kerr (2) * 1988 – Anthony Cook * 1989 – Sean Elliott (3)‡ * 1989 – Anthony Cook (2) * 1990 – Jud Buechler * 1991 – Brian Williams * 1992 – Chris Mills * 1992 – Sean Rooks * 1992 – Damon Stoudamire * 1993 – Chris Mills (2)‡ * 1994 – Khalid Reeves * 1994 – Damon Stoudamire (2) * 1995 –
Ray Owes Raymond Owes (born December 11, 1972 in San Bernardino, California) is an American former professional basketball player. He was listed at 204 cm 102 kg. He played small forward and for the University of Arizona (1991–95), and was nam ...
* 1995 – Damon Stoudamire (3)‡ * 1996 – Ben Davis * 1996 - Reggie Geary * 1997 – Michael Dickerson * 1998 – Mike Bibby‡ * 1998 – Michael Dickerson (2) * 1998 – Miles Simon * 1999 – A.J. Bramlett * 1999 – Jason Terry‡ * 2000 – Jason Gardner * 2000 – Michael Wright * 2000 – Loren Woods * 2001 – Gilbert Arenas * 2001 – Michael Wright (2) * 2002 – Jason Gardner (2) * 2002 – Luke Walton * 2003 – Jason Gardner (3) * 2003 – Luke Walton (2) * 2004 – Channing Frye * 2004 – Andre Iguodala * 2005 – Channing Frye (2) * 2005 – Salim Stoudamire * 2006 –
Hassan Adams Hassan Olawale Adams (born June 20, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Arizona. High school career Adams attended Westchester High School in Westchester, Los Angeles, where he averaged ...
* 2007 – Marcus Williams * 2009 – Jordan Hill * 2010 – Derrick Williams† * 2011 – Derrick Williams (2)‡ * 2012 – Kyle Fogg * 2012 – Solomon Hill * 2013 – Solomon Hill (2) * 2014 – Aaron Gordon * 2014 – Nick Johnson‡ * 2015 – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson * 2015 – Stanley Johnson * 2015 – T. J. McConnell * 2016 – Ryan Anderson * 2017 – Lauri Markkanen * 2018 – Deandre Ayton‡† * 2018 – Allonzo Trier * 2020 – Zeke Nnaji† * 2021 – James Akinjo * 2022 –
Christian Koloko Christian Junior Koloko (born 20 June 2000) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Arizona Wild ...
∞ * 2022 –
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...
‡ * 2022 –
Ąžuolas Tubelis Ąžuolas Tubelis (born 22 March 2002) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played colle ...
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 Second team All-Pac-12 Second team was only awarded from the '77–79' & starting again in the 2007 season. * 1979 – Joe Dehls * 2008 – Jerryd Bayless * 2009 – Nic Wise * 2014 –
T. J. McConnell Timothy John McConnell Jr. (born March 25, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duquesne Dukes and the Arizona Wildcats. H ...
* 2016 –
Kaleb Tarczewski Kaleb Tarczewski (born February 26, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Arizona. He is a 2.13 m (7'0") tal ...
* 2016 –
Gabe York Gabe York (born August 2, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, earning second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a ...
* 2017 – Allonzo Trier * 2017 –
Kadeem Allen Kadeem Frank Allen (born January 15, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was selected with the 53rd pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, and has played i ...
* 2018 – Dusan Ristic * 2020 –
Nico Mannion Niccolò "Nico" Mannion (born March 14, 2001) is an Italian-American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. He attend ...
Third team All-Pac-12 Pac-12 3rd team was only given during the 2007–2008 season. * 2008 – Chase Budinger Pac-12 All Freshman Team * 1982 – Brock Brunkhorst * 1984 – Michael Tait * 1986 – Sean Elliott ‡ * 1989 – Sean Rooks * 1989 – Matt Othick * 1990 –
Ed Stokes Edward Kobie Stokes (born September 3, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player, who played at the center position. Stokes attended the University of Arizona. During his collegiate career, he scored 984 points, grabbed 644 reb ...
* 1991 – Khalid Reeves * 1992 – Damon Stoudamire * 1997 – Mike Bibby ‡ * 1999 – Richard Jefferson * 1999 – Michael Wright ‡ * 2000 – Gilbert Arenas * 2000 – Jason Gardner * 2002 – Channing Frye * 2002 – Salim Stoudamire ‡ * 2003 – Hassan Adams * 2003 – Andre Iguodala * 2004 –
Mustafa Shakur Mustafadeen "Mustafa" Abdush-Shakur (born August 18, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona and has previously played professionally in Europe, Lebanon, the NBA D-Le ...
* 2006 – Marcus Williams * 2007 – Chase Budinger ‡ * 2008 – Jerryd Bayless * 2010 – Derrick Williams ‡ * 2012 – Nick Johnson * 2014 – Aaron Gordon ‡ * 2014 – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson * 2015 – Stanley Johnson ‡ * 2016 – Allonzo Trier * 2017 – Lauri Markkanen * 2017 – Rawle Alkins * 2018 – Deandre Ayton ‡ * 2020 – Nico Mannion * 2020 – Zeke Nnaji ‡ Note *‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Pac-12 All Newcomer * 1995 – Ben Davis Jr. * 1997 – Bennett Davison Jr. * 2000 – Loren Woods‡ Note *‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year Pac-12 All-Defensive Team * 2009 – Jordan Hill * 2012 – Kyle Fogg * 2014 – Nick Johnson * 2014 – T. J. McConnell * 2015 – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson * 2015 – T. J. McConnell * 2016 – Kaleb Tarczewski * 2017 –
Kadeem Allen Kadeem Frank Allen (born January 15, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He was selected with the 53rd pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, and has played i ...
* 2018 – Deandre Ayton * 2022 – Dalen Terry * 2022 – Christian Koloko‡ Note *‡ indicates player was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Pac-12 All-Academic Team * 1986 – Steve Kerr * 1988 – Steve Kerr (2) * 1989 – Matt Muehlebach * 1990 – Matt Muehlebach (2) * 1991 – Matt Muehlebach (3) * 1994 – Kevin Flanagan * 2001 – Eugene Edgerson * 2004 – Jason Ranne‡ * 2004 – Andre Iguodala^ * 2004 – Brett Brielmaier‡ * 2019 – Chase Jeter‡ * 2020 – Stone Gettings‡ * 2022 - Jordan Mains Notes *‡ indicates player was Pac-12 First Team Selection *^ indicates player was Pac-12 Second Team All-Pac 12 Tournament Team *1988 - Sean Rooks *1988 - Steve Kerr *1988 - Anthony Cook *1989 - Sean Rooks (2) *1989 - Jud Buechler *1989 - Anthony Cook *1990 - Jud Buechler (2) *1990 - Matt Muehlebach *2002 - Luke Walton *2004 - Hassan Adams *2005 - Salim Stoudamire *2005 - Channing Frye *2011 - Derrick Williams *2012 - Kyle Fogg *2012 - Solomon Hill *2012 - Jesse Perry *2014 - Aaron Gordon *2014 - Nick Johnson *2015 - Brandon Ashley *2015 - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson *2015 - Stanley Johnson *2015 - T. J. McConnell *2017 - Allonzo Trier *2017 - Lauri Markkanen *2018 - Deandre Ayton *2018 - Dusan Ristic *2022 - Bennedict Mathurin *2022 - Christian Koloko Pac-12 Players of the Week 54 Pac-12 Players of the Week Totaling 107 Selections * Chris Mills (7) * Sean Elliott (6) * Salim Stoudamire (5) * Jason Terry (4) * Hassan Adams (3) * Michael Dickerson (3) * Jason Gardner (3) * Steve Kerr (3) * Bennedict Mathurin (3) * Khalid Reeves (3) * Miles Simon (3) * Derrick Williams (3) * Loren Woods (3) * Gilbert Arenas (2) * Deandre Ayton (2) * Chase Budinger (2) * Jud Buechler (2) * Anthony Cook (2) * Kyle Fogg (2) * Jordan Hill (2) * Solomon Hill (2) * Stanley Johnson (2) * Lauri Markkanen (2) * Ivan Radenovic (2) * Damon Stoudamire (2) * Allonzo Trier (2) * Luke Walton (2) * Pete Williams (2) * Nic Wise (2) * Michael Wright (2) * Ryan Anderson * Jemarl Baker Jr. * Oumar Ballo * Jerryd Bayless * Mike Bibby * Joseph Blair * Ben Davis * Robbie Dosty * Channing Frye * Rondae Hollis-Jefferson * Lamont Jones * Nick Johnson * Jamelle Horne * Christian Koloko * Mark Lyons * Craig McMillan * Matt Muehlebach * Joe Nehls * Dusan Ristic * Eddie Smith * Ed Stokes * Ąžuolas Tubelis * Brian Williams * Gabe York Notes * ''Number of selections in parentheses'' Pac-12 Freshman of the Week 4 Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Totaling 8 Selections * Zeke Nnaji (4) * Ąžuolas Tubelis (2) * Nico Mannion * Bennedict Mathurin Notes * ''Pac–12 began selecting Freshman of the Week starting in the 2019–20 season'' Wildcats in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Players * Sean Elliot (2018) Coaches * Lute Olson (2002, 2006) Coaching honors and awards (coaches) ;National Coach of the Year *
Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...
– 1988, 1990 ; AP Coach of the Year *
Tommy Lloyd Tommy Lloyd (born December 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arizona Wildcats men's team of the Pac-12 Conference. Playing career Lloyd was born in Kelso, Washington and attended Kelso High School, ...
– 2022 (AP) ;
NABC Coach of the Year The NABC Coach of the Year Award has been presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since . A longtime sponsor of the award was Kodak; it is currently sponsored by the UPS Store The UPS Store (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) is a s ...
* Tommy Lloyd – 2022 (NABC) ; USBWA Coach of the Year * Tommy Lloyd – 2022 (USBWA) ;WAC Coach of the Year *
Fred Snowden Frederick Snowden (c. 1936 – January 17, 1994) was an American businessman and men's basketball coach at the University of Arizona. Nicknamed "The Fox" for his cool demeanor, he was the first African-American head coach at a major universit ...
– 1972 ; John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award * Lute Olson – 2002 ;
Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award The Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award honored the active men's NCAA Division I basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, comp ...
* Lute Olson – 2001 ; Pac-12 Coach of the Year * Lute Olson – 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003 *
Sean Miller Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Xavier Musketeers men's basketball, Xavier Musketeers. He previously was in that position from 2004 to 2009, after whi ...
– 2011, 2014, 2017 * Tommy Lloyd – 2022 Arizona's Ring of Honor A total of 31 Wildcats have earned 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: 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.) Ten or more years of experience in the NBA or selection as an All-Star or an All-Pro; 6.) Olympic medalist Players: * Ernie McCray, F (1957–60) * Al Fleming, F (1972–76) * Bob Elliott, C (1974–77) * Steve Kerr, G (1984–88) *
Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career as ...
, G/F (1986–89) *
Jud Buechler Jud may refer to: People People with the surname * Leo Jud (1482–1542), Swiss reformer * Jakob Jud (1882–1952), Swiss linguist People with the nickname or given name * Jud Birchall (1855–1887), American baseball player *Jud Birza (born 1989 ...
, F (1987–90) *
Sean Rooks Sean Lester Rooks (September 9, 1969 – June 7, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1992 to 2004, and was an Assistant for Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers ...
, C (1989–92) * Chris Mills, G/F (1991–93) *
Khalid Reeves Khalid Reeves (born July 15, 1972) is a former American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (12th pick) of the 1994 NBA draft. R ...
, G (1991–94) *
Damon Stoudamire Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) The , point guard was selected ...
, G (1992–95) *
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
, G (1995–98) *
Jason Terry Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
, G (1996–99) *
Mike Bibby Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
, G (1996–98) *
Michael Wright Michael Wright may refer to: Sportspeople *Michael Wright (Australian footballer) (born 1959), former VFL footballer for South Melbourne *Michael Wright (basketball) (1980–2015), murdered American–Turkish basketball player * Michael Wright (cyc ...
, F (1999–01) *
Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on ESPN. He played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats. Jefferson was drafted in the first round of the 20 ...
, F (1999–01) *
Jason Gardner Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
, G (1999–03) *
Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a fo ...
, F (2000–03) *
Salim Stoudamire Charles Salim Stoudamire (born October 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Stoudamire was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (31st overall pick) of the 2005 NBA draft. Early life and college Stoudamire ...
, G (2002–05) *
Gilbert Arenas Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (; born January 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Arenas attended Grant High School in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, and accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona lat ...
, G (2000–01) *
Channing Frye Channing Thomas Frye (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward- center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 200 ...
, C (2002–05) *
Chase Budinger Chase Andrew Budinger (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional volleyball player and former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in 2009 NBA draft after playing three years of c ...
, F (2007–09) * Derrick Williams, F (2010–11) * Andre Iguodala, F (2003–04) *
Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...
, F (2014) * Nick Johnson, G (2012–14) * Stanley Johnson, G (2015) *
Jerryd Bayless Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...
, G (2008) *
Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
, F (2018) *
Zeke Nnaji Ezekiel Tobechukwu "Zeke" Nnaji (born January 9, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted 22nd overall in the 2020 NBA draft. He played college basket ...
, F (2020) * Josh Green, G (2020) *
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...
, G (2020–22)


Retired numbers


Postseason results


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

U of A has won the Pac-10/12 Tournament a record eight times, including three straight times from 1988 to 1990. Source: 2022-23 Arizona Wildcats Media Guide


NCAA tournament results

The University of Arizona has made 36 NCAA tournament appearances (two other appearances in 1999 and 2008 were later vacated by the NCAA, 35 total), beginning with the first in 1951 and were the National Champions in 1997. Including a run of 25 consecutive years from 1985 to 2009, which is second only to the North Carolina Tar Heel's 27-year streak from 1975 to 2001. Their combined record is 58–35 (), including one national championship (1997) and 4 Final Fours (
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
,
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
,
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
,
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
). 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.


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


NCAA Tournament round history


NIT results

The Arizona Wildcats have appeared in the four
National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
s (NIT). Arizona's combined record is 0–4.


Arizona basketball cumulative all-time statistics

Arizona can also lay claim to several individual achievements for both players and coaches: * 9 players winning NBA Championships a total of 18 times * 3 players named NBA All-Star a total of 6 times * 2 Olympic Gold Medal & 2 Bronze Medal winners * 4 players named National Player-of-the-Year * 1 head coach named National Coach-of-the Year a total of 2 times * 3 head coaches named Pac-12 Coach-of-the-Year a total of 11 times * 9 players named Conference Player-of-the-Year a total of 10 times * 10 players named Conference Freshman-of-the-Year * 2 players named Conference 6th-Man-of-the-Year * 1 player named Conference Defensive-Player-of-the-Year * 1 player named Conference Most-Improved-Player-of-the-Year * 9 players named Conference tournament MVP a total of 10 times * 1 players named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player a total of 1 time * 4 players named NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player a total of 4 times * 29 players named McDonald's All-American * 2 players named McDonald's All-American MVP Arizona also holds several other NCAA records and various additional accomplishments: * Arizona has 1 NCAA championship (1997), 3 Maui Invitational Championships (2000, 2014, 2022), 29 Fiesta Bowl Classic championships (1974–75, 1985–98, 2001–08, 2010–12), 17 Pac-10/12 regular-season championships, and a league best 8 Pac-10/12 tournament championships.


All-time statistical leaders


School records


Individual career

* Points:
Sean Elliott Sean Michael Elliott (born February 2, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at small forward in both the college and professional ranks. He attended the University of Arizona, where he had a standout career as ...
, 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 Joseph Blair (born June 12, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player, and current assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was formerly the Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach. ...
, .613 * 3-Point Field Goals:
Salim Stoudamire Charles Salim Stoudamire (born October 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Stoudamire was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (31st overall pick) of the 2005 NBA draft. Early life and college Stoudamire ...
‡, 342 * 3-Point Field Goal Attempts:
Jason Gardner Jason Corey Gardner (born November 14, 1980) is an American retired professional basketball player and currently a player relations director at the University of Arizona. Gardner is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, playing his high school bal ...
, 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 Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
, 245 * Blocked Shots: Anthony Cook, 278 * Games Played: Dusan Ristic, 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 Dušan Ristić ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Ристић; born November 27, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Lenovo Tenerife of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. Early career Dušan grew up with ...
115 Wins Note ‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder


Team season records

* Points:
Khalid Reeves Khalid Reeves (born July 15, 1972) is a former American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (12th pick) of the 1994 NBA draft. R ...
, 848 (1993-94') * Scoring Average: Khalid Reeves, 24.2 ppg (1993-94') * Field Goals: Khalid Reeves &
Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
, 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 Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...
, 87 (1997-98') * Blocked Shots:
Loren Woods Loren is a given name, nickname and surname which may refer to: Given name Men * Loren Acton (born 1936), American physicist and astronaut * Loren C. Ball (born 1948), amateur astronomer who has discovered more than 100 asteroids * Loren M. Berry ...
, 102 (1999-00') * Games Played: 28 Players, 38 Games * Games Started: 12 Players, 38 Games * Minutes Played:
Chase Budinger Chase Andrew Budinger (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional volleyball player and former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in 2009 NBA draft after playing three years of c ...
, 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

* Points:
Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
†, 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: Jordin Mayes/Aaron Gordon/ Rondae Hollis Jefferson/ Stanley Johnson, 38 * Games Started: Aaron Gordon, 38 * Minutes 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

* Points In A Game: Jerryd Bayless vs. ASU (2/10/08), 39 * Made Field Goals In A Game: Coniel Norman vs. Wyoming (2/1/73), 17 * Field Goal Attempts In A Game: Coniel Norman vs. BYU (2/24/73), 27 * Field Goal Percentage In A Game (Min. 12 attempts): Deandre Ayton at WSU (1/31/17), .917 * Made Three-Point Field Goals In A Game: 4 Players Tied at 6 * Three-Point Field Goal Attempts In A Game: Mike Bibby vs. UNC (3/29/97), 11 * Three-Point Field Goal Percentage In A Game (Min. 6 attempts):
Bennedict Mathurin Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named a ...
at .857 * Made Free Throws In A Game: Jerryd Bayless at Houston (1/12/08), 18 * Free Throw Attempts In A Game: Derrick Williams vs. Wisconsin (11/23/09), 21 * Free Throw Percentage In A Game (Min. 10 attempts): 8 Players tied at 100% * Rebounds In A Game: Bob Elliott vs. ASU (2/2/74), 25 * Assists In A Game: Russell Brown at Utah (1/21/78), 15 * Steals In A Game: Mike Bibby vs. Texas (12/9/96), 8 * Blocks In A Game: In A Game: Grant Jerrett & Deandre Ayton, 6 * Minutes Played In A Game: Allonzo Trier at USC (1/9/16), 53 * Most Points In NCAA Debut: Eric Money vs. Cal State Bakersfield (11/29/72), 37 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 regardless of conference affiliation vs. ten other Pac-12 opponents, trailing only UCLA. * Total (726–410, ) *Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups & Pac-12 Tournament.


Pac-12 series records

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 had winning records over all 9 conference opponents(Colorado & Utah didn't join until 2011). Sean Miller had winning records against 9 of the 11 opponents. ''† 2020 Matchup versus Stanford was played in Santa Cruz, CA due to Covid-19 Pandemic.''


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 (PS) poll. AP did a post-tournament poll in 1953, 1954, 1974 and 1975. The following table summarizes Arizona history in the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
: * Ranked in 40 out of 75 seasons ()


Arizona vs. the AP Top 25

The Wildcats all-time record versus ranked teams is 158–189 (). The Wildcats all-time record versus ranked teams at McKale Center is 61–38 ().


Victories over AP Number 1 team


Conferences


Game day traditions

Arizona's home games include many traditions involving
The Pride of Arizona The Pride of Arizona (PoA) is the marching band and pep band at the University of Arizona. The band was founded in 1902 as the UA ROTC Band and contained 12 members. The band is well-known for their performance at Super Bowl I and the Inaugural ...
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 "Bear Down" is the official motto of the University of Arizona (U of A), located in Tucson, Arizona. It is the inspiration for "Bear Down, Arizona!," the unofficial fight song of the school's Arizona Wildcats. The official fight song is "Fight! ...
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 Tommy Lloyd (born December 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arizona Wildcats men's team of the Pac-12 Conference. Playing career Lloyd was born in Kelso, Washington and attended Kelso High School, ...
, who responds by waving to the band. The band also yells "Hi Adia!" to Arizona women's basketball coach
Adia Barnes Adia Oshun Barnes (born February 3, 1977) is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently the head coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats women's basketball. She played at the collegiate level for the University of Arizon ...
. * 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. * During the first four minutes of each half, or until the first media timeout, the band and students have several chants. ** Every time an opposing player dribbles, the yell is "Boing!" ** Every time they pass, the yell is "Pass!" ** Every time they try to shoot, the yell is "Brick!" * 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 Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
in 2010 and only made a few appearances during the 2010–2011 season; he officially retired from his "superfan" duties in 2013. * 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. 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 Adia Oshun Barnes (born February 3, 1977) is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently the head coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats women's basketball. She played at the collegiate level for the University of Arizon ...
).


Facilities


Beardown Gym

Prior to playing its games at the McKale Center, Arizona played games at
Bear Down Gym Bear Down Gym, originally known as Men's Gymnasium, is a 300-seat multi-purpose arena in Tucson, Arizona. It opened in 1926. It was home to the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team. It was replaced when the McKale Center opened in 19 ...
from 1927 until 1973. Arizona would win its inaugural game against
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, then known as Tempe State Teachers College by a score of 29-18.


McKale Center

Arizona plays its home games at
McKale Center McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena in the Southwestern United States, southwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As the home of the university's Arizona Wildcats men's basketball, Wi ...
, 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

The current flagship radio station for men’s basketball is Tucson
sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
station KCUB, branded as “Wildcats Radio 1290”. From 1983 until 2004, the flagship station was news/talk radio station
KNST KNST (790 AM) is a commercial radio station in Tucson, Arizona, airing a news/talk radio format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and serves Greater Tucson, including the suburbs of Marana, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Sierra Vista, a ...
. 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 CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
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 KGME (910 AM) is a commercial radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. KGME carries a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are in Phoenix near Sky Harbor International Airport. KGME is powered at 5,000 watts, u ...
, branded as "
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
910."


See also

*
List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...
*
NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by school This is a list of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four appearances by school. Several teams have vacated Final Four appearances and are marked with an * with explanations listed below. The listed Final Four totals for those tea ...
*
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament consecutive appearances This is a list of the most consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination to ...
* Arizona Wildcats women's basketball


References


External links

* {{Pac-12 Conference men's basketball navbox