Arizona Wildcats: A Team of Destiny?

It was only a little more than a week ago that we were all calling for Creighton or Saint Mary's to earn a bid in the NCAA tournament.

As we screamed and yelled at the television, we wondered how teams like Wisconsin and Arizona could get in, while other teams like the previously mentioned were snubbed.

One week later, and we can all say we were right about one of those teams. While Patrick Mills is still leading his Saint Mary's squad through the NIT tournament, Wisconsin fans are sulking after their team let them down yet again.

But, wait, there's still that Arizona team.

The very team that went a so-so 9-9 in Pac-10 play, dropped five of its remaining six games heading into this year's tournament, and was collectively one of the greater disappointments in an NCAA basketball season that was, needless to say, quite enlightening.

Despite several experts crowning teams like Pittsburgh and North Carolina before the season even started, we're finally realizing that it might not be as simple as records, stats, and pedigree.

We're starting to see that, 25-year tournament streak aside, Arizona actually deserves to be here. And by God, they have a chance to make some serious noise.

Never before have we seen such a beautiful collection of talent and underrated coaching combined with a paltry record and less than receptive overall fanbase.

This is a team that had three potential NBA stars in Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill, and Nic Wise. The problem is that they already know that, and have known it for some time.

So, after a hot and cold season of winning streaks, followed by losing streaks, here we sit, with a team that is easily as talented as its next opponent, Louisville, but without any certainty at all as to whether or not we'll see that talent come to life.

Instead of debating over records, which conferences are stronger, or who deserved a bid more, let's start focusing on what we can learn from this Arizona squad.

In other words, for all of those fans out there who were hoping for a Cinderella team to eek their way into the Sweet 16, stop complaining. Because whether you like it or not, you got your wish. Here they are, your red, white, and blue (depending on the day) Arizona Wildcats.

But before we can forget about how up-and-down their season was, let alone their controversial entrance into the tourney, we need more reason to believe this isn't just a facade. We need proof that once we put our hopes of another fantastic tournament ending in this crop of player's hands, that our dreams won't be dashed.

We need to know that Arizona is for real.

The Opponents

Arizona hasn't exactly had the toughest road to the Sweet 16, but a closer look shows that it wasn't a cake-walk, either.

Their opening round game with Utah proved to be rather easy, but considering Utah was ranked 25th in the nation, it was still as equally impressive. Utah won't get any credit for going 12-4 in the Mountain West Conference, but key wins over tourney-mates Gonzaga, BYU, and LSU (the latter being a 30-point drubbing) show us that they too belonged in this tournament.

Arizona's second opponent, Cleveland State, was an underdog just like them, hailing from the Verizon Conference, and getting into the "Madness" by winning their conference tournament.

It's probably also worth noting that they beat Syracuse and Butler before the tournament, as well as an amazing upset over Wake Forest.

Needless to say, despite what many believe, these opponents were no slouches. Still, the Wildcats won both games by more than 13 points.

However, as solid as their run might be so far, how does that prepare them for a matchup with Louisville?

Easy, just look at their roster.

Why They Can Win

They've gotten back to the basics.

Arizona used to be all about offense, and when that wasn't working, they were toast.

However, they've held their last three opponents to 71 points or less, including an impressive 57 points to a Cleveland State team that generally does the same thing to its own opponents.

In order for an advance to the Elite Eight to happen, Arizona will have to continue bringing the heat offensively, as well as slowing other teams' offenses down with their perimeter defense, as well as their inside defense.

Guards Budinger and Wise are great athletes and solid defenders, who do an excellent job of holding down their opponent's guards, but can sometimes get too involved with exchanging three-pointers. That has stopped in recent games, but considering how hot Louisville can get, this is something that will need to be controlled.

Jordan Hill can be a beast inside, but it will all depend on how focused he is. He's a double-double machine when he's on, but can also be completely phased out of the offense when the team begins falling behind.

The truth is, this team is hot right now, and for all the right reasons. They have a very well-balanced offense divided up between their "big three" future NBA players, and have grown into a solid defensive team at times.

It's clear that we've seen some great things from Arizona, but it just might take a win over Louisville to prove to the rest of the world that they truly belong. Regardless, while they may have entered the tournament by a stroke of luck, or simply based on their name and history, they sure aren't winning games because of it.

They're winning games because they have the talent, experience, and, suddenly, the poise to get it done. All of what has happened could get one to start thinking, is this team just a fluke, or is a run to the Final Four their destiny?