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It took 49 years after the first NCAA tournament in 1939 for the Arizona Wildcats to achieve their first Final Four berth.
The program that Lute Olson built into a national power, feeding off what Fred Snowden started in the early- to mid-1970’s, is now in a 15-year Final Four drought — two years longer than the 13-year span (1988 to 2001) in which Arizona advanced to four.
Putting the Final Four-less stretch more into perspective: High school freshman recruits Sean Miller and his staff are recruiting now were born in the same time frame — 2000 to 2001 — when Arizona made its last Final Four appearance.
These kids don’t remember or know of Arizona’s Final Four history without YouTube or Wikipedia.
With the Final Four taking place this week — North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova and Oklahoma comprise the field — it brings to mind that Arizona is yet again on the outside looking in.
Sean Miller is the best coach not to make a Final Four.
We’ve all heard it from national media types about the 12-year coach at Xavier and Arizona who has advanced to four Elite Eights. Is it an unfair tag for Miller?
History tells us yes.
Dana Altman will turn 58 in less than three months, 11 years Miller’s senior. He just completed his 27th year as a head coach at Marshall, Kansas State, Creighton and Oregon. His Ducks advanced to the Elite Eight, his deepest trip in the NCAA tournament. Still no Final Fours for Altman despite 12 NCAA tournament appearances and being on the back-nine, so to speak, of his coaching career.
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PROGRAMS WITH FOUR OR MORE FINAL FOURS WITH LAST APPEARANCE
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Arizona’s last Final Four appearance in 2001
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The top-seeded Ducks’ 80-68 loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight on Saturday eliminated the chance for a Pac-12 program other than UCLA, Arizona and Stanford to reach the Final Four since the Pac-8 was formed in 1968-69.
Of the original Pac-8 teams, Oregon State was the previous program other than Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to advance to the Final Four and that was way back in 1963 when it was an independent, a year before the Beavers and Ducks joined the conference. Utah was part of the Western Athletic Conference when it beat Arizona in the 1998 Elite Eight and advanced to the Final Four.
Oregon State ended a 26-year NCAA tournament drought with its appearance this season.
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A Final Four appearance should never be expected despite what Arizona experienced during Olson’s magical years. The regular season, conference tournament, NCAA tournament first and second rounds, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight is a six-step process few are fortunate to master.
Iowa State, Notre Dame and Oregon each came very close this season from Houston, site of the Final Four. They have only one previous Final Four appearance among them — Oregon in the first Final Four of 1939, Iowa State in 1944 and Notre Dame in 1978.
Their diehard fans must wait another year. That futility makes the discussion seem silly about Arizona going through yet another season without a Final Four.
Putting the Final Four-less stretch more into perspective: High school freshman recruits Sean Miller and his staff are recruiting now were born in the same time frame — 2000 to 2001 — when Arizona made its last Final Four appearance. These kids don’t remember or know of Arizona’s Final Four history without YouTube or Wikipedia.
Gonzaga has participated in 19 NCAA tournaments since 1994-95. The Bulldogs’ number of Final Four trips: Zero. Gonzaga and Wisconsin have two of the five longest current streaks of NCAA Tournament appearances at 18. The Badgers — Arizona knows a thing or two about them — went 47 years without making the NCAA tournament from 1947 to 1994.
BYU is in the NIT Final Four. The Cougars have the most NCAA tournament appearances — 29 — without reaching the Final Four although they came close in 1981 with an Elite Eight in Danny Ainge’s senior season. Xavier, Miller’s former program, is next at 26.
Some have long NCAA tournament droughts, let alone a lack of Final Four berths. Rutgers of the Big Ten is 25 years and counting without a March Madness appearance. Fellow Big Ten member Northwestern is the only long-standing institution of a power five conference to have never appeared in an NCAA tournament.
The point: Arizona not making the Final Four in the last 15 years is far more the norm than the Wildcats going four times in 13 years. The Wildcats have come excruciatingly close since their last appearance with five consecutive Elite Eight losses (2003, 2005, 2011, 2014 and 2015).
Oklahoma and Villanova, each now in the their fifth Final Four, are two of only 21 programs — including North Carolina (most with 19) and Syracuse (six) — with more appearances there than Arizona. Oklahoma previously went in 2002, ending its 14-year drought.
Arizona is 0-5 in Elite Eight games dating to 2003
The Wildcats are one of 69 programs with at least one Final Four trip. The number of Division I programs is at 351, which means 92.3 percent of them (324 to be exact) have fewer trips to the Final Four than Arizona.
Just another example that reaching the Final Four is not the norm but the exception for a vast majority of programs.
While the truth hurts for Arizona fans that the Wildcats have gone 15 long years without a Final Four berth, the program remains in one of the most enviable positions in all of college basketball.
Arizona will continue to be among the elite for many years to come, especially if the Wildcats sustain their Pac-12 title runs and NCAA tournament appearances (no end in sight challenging for that distinction with how Miller is recruiting).
A Final Four appearance in the future only strengthens the Wildcats’ position on that perch.
Arizona fans enjoy what you have. Final Four success is fleeting. Appearances there are few and far in-between for a vast majority of programs. History does not suggest otherwise.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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