Sean Miller rarely deploys anyone for the full 40 minutes. No Wildcat played 40 minutes in a regulation game this season. No Wildcat, not even ironmen like T.J. McConnell and Nick Johnson, played 40 minutes in a non-overtime game in their UA careers.
But the NCAA Tournament sometimes causes a coach to rethink his substitution system. A year ago, freshman Lauri Markkanen played all 40 minutes of a Sweet 16 loss to Xavier. He still didn’t get a shot in the final, regrettable, nine minutes.
In its Pac-10/12 years, Arizona has rarely kept a player on the floor for 40 minutes, even in an NCAA Tournament game.
Here are the Wildcats who did so in the NCAAs:
- Jason Gardner, 5: 2001 vs. Illinois; 2002 vs. Wyoming and UC Santa Barbara; 2003: vs. Kansas. Gardner also played 47 minutes in a double-overtime victory over Gonzaga in 2003.
- Steve Kerr, 2: 1985 vs. Alabama and 1988 vs. Oklahoma.
- Craig McMillan, 2: 1986 vs. Auburn and 1987 vs. UTEP (double overtime).
- Channing Frye, 2: Frye went 43 minutes in the Gonzaga overtime game and 44 minutes in the 2005 Elite Eight overtime game against Illinois.
- Miles Simon, 2: Simon played 43 minutes in a 1997 overtime Elite Eight win over Providence and 40 minutes in the 1997 national championship victory over Kentucky.
- Jerryd Bayless played the full 40 in a 2008 first-round loss to West Virginia, as did Jason Terry in a 1999 first-round loss to Oklahoma.
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Statistical oddity: In the ’08 first-round loss to West Virginia, UA senior Jawann McClellan played all 40 minutes. He did not score, shooting 0 for 4 from the field.
