Arizona’s current string of four consecutive defeats in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 does not take away from the 11 victories that enabled the Wildcats to advance to the Elite 8.
Out of those 11 victories, five stick out the most because of the circumstances, the brands they beat and the legendary coaches among them, including Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and Roy Williams of Kansas.
The following are memories of the sweetest of Arizona’s Sweet 16 matchups with the top-seeded Wildcats facing No. 4 Arkansas and John Calipari in the NCAA Tournament West Regional on Thursday night at San Jose.
It will be the fourth time Arizona will play in a Sweet 16 game in Tommy Lloyd’s five years at Arizona.
A win against the Razorbacks could crack this top five out of 22 appearances because of the magnitude of Lloyd’s first trip to the Elite 8.
No. 5: Arizona defeats Iowa 99-79 in 1988
Lute Olson beat his former school behind a memorable performance by frontcourt players Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook and Tom Tolbert. The trio combined for 61 points on 26-of-43 shooting from the field. After struggling to a 38-34 halftime lead following an 11-2 Iowa run, Arizona quickly built a 62-43 lead against Iowa, coached by Tom Davis, with 13:24 remaining thanks to a 9-0 run. Elliott’s slam dunk on a pass from Steve Kerr capped a 6-0 burst that made it 68-46 with 11:54 to play. The Wildcats’ biggest lead was 74-48 on Kerr’s 3-pointer with 9:47 to go. “We came out a little tight,” Elliott told reporters after the game. “But after we settled down and got into the rhythm of the game, we started playing the way we can play.”
No. 4: Arizona defeats Oklahoma State 79-78 in 2005
Salim Stoudamire hit an off-balance jumper from the left side with 2.8 seconds left giving Arizona the thrilling victory. Arizona shot 65.9 percent from the field. Channing Frye (15 points and 10 rebounds) and Hassan Adams (19 points and 10 rebounds) had double-doubles. “I thrive on those situations,” Stoudamire said afterward. “That’s what I live for. That’s why I play basketball. Big-time players step up in big-time situations, and I see myself as one of those players.”
No. 3: Arizona defeats Duke 93-77 in 2011
Derrick Williams had one of the best individual performances in Arizona history with a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds. He made 11 of 17 shots from the field, including 5 of 6 from three-point range. Lamont “Momo” Jones added 16 points and six assists. The Wildcats dominated Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski 55-33 in the second half. “The second half was just complete nastiness, as coach would say,” Kevin Parrom told reporters. “We came out swinging. We didn’t let up. We knew they were just going to focus on Derrick and that’s when other guys came in and stepped up. It shows that it’s not just Derrick Williams who is on this team.”
No. 2: Arizona defeats UNLV 114-109 in overtime in 1976
As good as Williams was against Duke, Herman Harris was better against UNLV and Jerry Tarkanian in this high-scoring classic before the shot clock and three-point line were instituted. Harris came an assist and rebound away from a triple-double. He tallied 31 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Arizona had three players with at least 10 rebounds — Phil Taylor (15), Bob Elliott (12) and Al Fleming (11). “It was a conscious effort to go to Herm because I felt he could win it for us,” Arizona coach Fred Snowden told the Tucson Citizen. “Under pressure, this was probably his best game for us.”
No. 1: Arizona defeats Kansas 85-82 in 1997
This was not only the best Sweet 16 win it was the best win in the program’s history. The Wildcats went on to win the title over Kentucky, but what made this game more significant is the unlikelihood of the outcome. Kansas was No. 1 with a 34-1 record and Arizona, which had nine losses, finished fifth in the Pac-10. Kansas — a 10 1/2-point favorite — also featured future NBA players Jacque Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Scot Pollard. “This was all about believing in ourselves because nobody else did,” Michael Dickerson told me (as a reporter for The Arizona Daily Star) after that game. “Nobody gave us a chance, even people in our own state. But I think that made us that much stronger. We shouldn’t be looking for respect. We should have that already.”
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