Arizona Wildcats Basketball: 25 and Counting!

With so much on the line last week, Arizona had one of the worst showings of the season against in-state rival Arizona State University. 

The Wildcats lost to ASU in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament.  There probably weren't five AZ fans anywhere who really believed the Wildcats would make the Big Dance.

There was much talk before Selection Sunday and there has been quite a bit of talk since the committee announced their pairings about whether or not AZ should have made the tournament.  I believe they are in because they have earned the right to be in.  Why do I think that?

Lute Olson was never afraid to play anyone and he would go anywhere to play them.  When he drew up the schedule for the 2008-09 season, he did not flinch.  He scheduled Gonzaga and Kansas.

Gonzaga played AZ on a "neutral" court 100 miles north of Tucson.  Kansas played at McKale Center in Tucson.  Both teams lost to the Wildcats. 

Those wins couple with wins over conference champion Washington, UCLA, Stanford, Washington State, and sweeps of both Oregon schools put AZ in a position to be evaluated and found worthy.

What will it take for AZ to get through the first weekend of the tournament.  From where I sit it will take a lot, but it's not impossible.  Arizona players must come out ready to play and into the game.  There cannot be a slow start. 

There must be tight defense because Utah can score from beyond the arc.  Arizona can't just let shots fly on offense.  The Wildcats need to play smart basketball, choose their shots well, and make certain to take advantage of every free throw they get to take.

Speaking of free throws, nobody can settle for jump shots.  Chase Budinger needs to make an effort to drive to the basket.  If he does draw fouls, he's got to concentrate and make his free throws.

Once in a while he has a tendency to step up, not focus and miss shots.  Jordan Hill has been to the free throw line a lot lately, but he's settled for making one of two.  He needs to pay attention to all of his free throws because they may mean the difference between winning and losing.

I feel so strongly about the freebies because during the overtime of the 1997 championship game, all of AZ's points came from the free throw line.  Not one point came from the field. 

I'm pretty confident that the only coach on AZ's bench who has NCAA tournament experience is Reggie Geary, and that came when he was a member of the 1994 AZ Final Four team. 

I hope that the men who are coaching AZ now will work on making each and every player focus on winning just one game at a time.  If that happens, then I believe AZ will play a second game, and may even get to go back for a second weekend.

As an Arizona fan I'm so happy that the streak of NCAA tournament appearances has not ended, and AZ will now have been to 25 straight tournaments!  Lute Olson came to Tucson and he promised to build a program.  He's done that.

Along the way, he has put Arizona on the basketball map, and he's turned out some pretty amazing professional players as well.  Not only that but he coached a team to the Gold Medal. 

Olson is now retired, and his health is not the very best.  I simply did not want Lute to see his streak die, and it is his streak.  Thank you, Lute, and Bear Down, Arizona.