ON THIS DAY IN ARIZONA NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY:

March 13

1997: Defeated South Alabama, 65-57, First Round (Memphis)

Arizona leading scorer: Michael Dickerson 16 points

Arizona leading rebounder: A.J. Bramlett 16 rebounds

Arizona leader in assists: Miles Simon with four

Arizona NCAA tournament record
Most defensive rebounds: 12, Bramlett (tied with three other players)

Summary: Arizona put together a 22-4 run in the final 7 1/2 minutes to overcome a 10-point deficit and avoid its fourth first-round defeat in a six-year period. The Wildcats’ presses and traps forced the 13th-seeded Jaguars into mistakes that they had avoided during the first 32 1/2 minutes of the game. South Alabama committed five of its 14 turnovers during the Arizona run. “You could see that guys on their team didn’t want to handle the ball like they did in the first half,” said Michael Dickerson, who led Arizona with 16 points. Mike Bibby had 13 points for Arizona and Miles Simon had 11, nine during the deciding run.

1987: Lost to UTEP, 98-91 (OT), First Round (Tucson)

Arizona leading scorer: Sean Elliott 26 points

Arizona leading rebounder: Anthony Cook 11 rebounds

Arizona leader in assists: Craig McMillan with seven

Arizona NCAA tournament records
Most points scored in an overtime: 12 points
Most points allowed in an overtime: 19 points, UTEP
Highest 3-point percentage (minimum 3 attempts): 1.000, Sean Elliott, 3 of 3 (tied with three others)
Most blocked shots: 7, Anthony Cook (tied with one other player)

Summary: Arizona’s scoring spurts of 7-0 and 7-2 in the second half enabled the Pac-10 runner-up Wildcats to open a 78-73 lead with 50 seconds left in regulation. Chris Blocker made a free throw and Hernell Jeep Jackson connected on a three-point shot to make it 78-77 with 25 seconds left. Kenny Lofton then made one of two free throws with six seconds remaining before Blocker’s shot at the buzzer sent the game into overtime. Blocker’s shot originally was ruled to be a 3-pointer, but the officials consulted and ruled that Blocker’s left foot was in front of the 3-point line and changed the shot to a 2-pointer. With three of his teammates having fouled out, Jackson led the Miners to victory, scoring nine of his 23 points in overtime. “It was really a courageous performance by UTEP,” Lute Olson said. “In the overtime, with some key players fouled out, I think it’s all the more credit to the guys that were left that they could do the job that they did.”

1976: Defeated Georgetown, 83-76, First Round (Tempe)

Fred “The Fox” Snowden (right) and Georgetown’s John Thompson had a discussion with a referee after a Hoya was given a technical for spitting on an Arizona player in an NCAA first round game played on March 13, 1976, in Tempe (Arizona photo).

Arizona leading scorer: Jim Rappis 20 points

Arizona leading rebounder: Al Fleming 12 rebounds

Arizona leader in assists: Herman Harris with eight

Summary: The game featured the first NCAA tournament game with two African-American coaches —
Arizona’s Fred “The Fox” Snowden and Georgetown’s John Thompson. Arizona’s interior strength with Bob Elliott, Al Fleming and Phil Taylor was too much for their Georgetown counterparts. They had 31 rebounds compared to the 11 from the Hoyas’ inside players. Elliott, Fleming and Taylor also combined for 41 points while Georgetown’s Bill Lynn, Merlin Wilson and Al Dutch had only eight. The Hoyas were openly frustrated by the dominance. With about 10 minutes left, Georgetown’s Garry Wilson was assessed a technical foul for spitting on an Arizona player. The Wildcats gradually pulled away.