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Sean Miller is one win away from his first No. 1 ranking as a head coach
The Arizona Wildcats must go through Duke and now UNLV to earn a No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll on Monday morning.
Somebody wake me up … am I dreaming about 1989? Lute Olson vs. Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Tarkanian? Sean Elliott vs. Danny Ferry and Stacey Augmon?
The Arizona Wildcats are in position to earn the top spot in the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll with a victory over the Running Rebels on Saturday. Top-ranked Michigan State’s loss to North Carolina on Wednesday night is making it possible. The Wildcats made it to this point after beating Duke and Krzyzewski last week at Madison Square Garden.
The last time the Arizona Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll was the week of March 10, 2003, leading up to the Pac-12 tournament with a 25-2 record overall. The Wildcats, led by Jason Gardner, Channing Frye and Luke Walton, were ranked No. 1 in 14 different weeks that season. They were never ranked below No. 4 all season.
Olson coached Arizona to its first No. 1 ranking in the week of Dec. 21, 1987. They Wildcats reached No. 1 in the AP poll in five seasons including 1987-88, 1988-89, 1997-98, 2000-01, and 2002-03.
Arizona went 61 weeks without being ranked from 2007-08 to 2010-11, which coincides with Olson’s retirement and Arizona undergoing turbulence with interim staffs and Sean Miller beginning his rebuilding project. Miller is now a win away from his first No. 1 ranking as a head coach. His brother Archie Miller, a former UA assistant, is head coach of No. 25 Dayton. It’s a good time to be a Miller.
Sean Miller was only 19 and attending Pitt when Arizona was ranked No. 1 for the first time in 1987.
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Arizona is the new No. 1 in the Top 25 (and one) college basketball rankings: http://t.co/NAUQjj4MFQ
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) December 5, 2013
so when we beat UNLV this weekend, we wake up Monday as the #1 team in the nation. #BearDown #BeatTheRebels
— Solomon Hill (@kingxsolo) December 5, 2013
Unlv
— Nick Johnson (@Air_Zona13) December 5, 2013
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ARIZONA AT NO. 2 IN AP POLL
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The Washington Post sent Michael Wilbon to Tucson in 1987 to write about Arizona’s first No. 1 team
Some may argue that being No. 2, which the Wildcats are now, is not much different than being No. 1. Yes and no. Yes, teams such as UNLV will elevate their game to knock off the Wildcats if Arizona was No. 1 or No. 2. And no because being No. 1 is for the record books, a recruiting tool, pride and national recognition.
Miller should take Olson’s approach to being No. 1 if the Wildcats beat UNLV or reach that plateau another time this season. Olson was interviewed about the topic by the Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon after Arizona became ranked No. 1 for the first time in 1987.
“Most coaches want to avoid the No. 1 tag like the plague,” Olson told Wilbon. “But we’ll take the No. 1 tag and the pressure that goes along with it.
“There’s no way in the world we aren’t going to enjoy this. I told the kids that when it happens that we lose, it happens. We’re not the least bit worried about getting nailed and bumped down in the polls.”
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WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report, Lindy’s College Sports and TucsonCitizen.com.
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