Top Cats: A look at Arizona basketball teams as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament

The Wildcats are one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and begin their win-or-go-home journey Friday morning against the 16th-seeded Long Island Sharks at Viejas Arena in San Diego. 

Arizona, the Big 12 champions outright, looks to become the first UA team in 25 years to appear in the Final Four. No Arizona team in the past has entered the NCAA Tournament with more wins (32) than the current rendition of Wildcats — and no Arizona team has won a national championship as a No. 1 seed. 

The Wildcats of this season look to buck that trend.

As Arizona prepares for March Madness, here's a look at the previous seven times the Wildcats were No. 1 seeds. 

1988

Coach: Lute Olson

Record: 35-3

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 1 Oklahoma in the Final Four

What happened: The Wildcats’ journey to their first Final Four was led by Tucsonan and All-American Sean Elliott and teammates Tom Tolbert, Craig McMillan, Anthony Cook and Steve Kerr.

In the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona’s average margin of victory was 29.7 points — including a 20-point win over Olson’s former team, Iowa, in the Sweet 16 in Seattle. Arizona won 23 of 24 games between the end of the regular season and the postseason, and beat Dean Smith and North Carolina in the Elite Eight before falling to Oklahoma in the Final Four in Kansas City.

OU’s frontcourt of Stacey King and Harvey Grant combined for 42 points and 16 rebounds, while Kerr shot just 15% from the field.

He said it: “Ever since I was old enough to watch it on television, I’ve dreamed about being in the Final Four. Considering our position at Arizona five years ago, this was something as far off as anything I could think of. It’s the greatest feeling of my life.” — Kerr

1989

Coach: Lute Olson

Record: 29-4

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 4 UNLV in the Sweet 16

What happened: Sean Elliott broke Lew Alcindor’s all-time Pac-10 scoring record in his final season at the UA, and averaged 22.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

After routing Robert Morris and Clemson at the BSU Pavilion in Boise, Idaho, the Wildcats ran into a buzzsaw UNLV team that featured Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, David Butler and Anderson Hunt — all of whom averaged double-figures in scoring and would help the Runnin’ Rebels to the national title a year later. Hunt’s 3-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in Denver ended Arizona’s season and gave the Rebels a 68-67 lead. Elliott, Cook and future big-leaguer Kenny Lofton played their final college games.

He said it: “The second it went off (Hunt’s) hand, to me, it looked like it was dead-center. It was going in. There was no doubt about it.” — Elliott

1998

Coach: Lute Olson

Record: 30-5

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 3 Utah in the Elite Eight

What happened: This time around, the Wildcats were atop the college basketball world. Arizona won the 1997 national championship, then returned its entire rotation — including a backcourt of Mike Bibby, ’97 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Miles Simon and Jason Terry.

The Pac-10 champions took down Nicholls State and Illinois State in the first two rounds at Arco Arena in Sacramento and then beat Maryland in the Sweet 16 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Arizona was dethroned 76-51 by the third-seeded Utah Utes — then a WAC team — in the Elite Eight. Utah went on to lose to Kentucky in the championship game.

He said it: “Those kids in the locker room have a trophy and they have a ring. They will forever be the standard by which future Arizona teams are measured.” — Olson

2000

Coach: Lute Olson

Record: 27-7

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 8 Wisconsin in the Round of 32

What happened: The Pac-10 champions entered the preseason ranked ninth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after adding freshmen stars Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas, along with Wake Forest transfer center Loren Woods, who recorded two triple-doubles with points, rebounds and blocks during his time at the UA.

Arizona had five players average double-figure scoring: Woods (15.6), All-Pac-10 selection Michael Wright (15.5), Arenas (15.4), Gardner (12.6) and Richard Jefferson (11).

Arizona routed Jackson State to open the tournament, but fell to Wisconsin 66-59 in Salt Lake City. Gardner and Arenas shot a combined 10 for 29 from the field in the loss as UA fell behind big and then saw its frantic rally fall short.

He said it: “It was a bad game, but it was a good season. We should be better next year.” — Gardner

2003

Coach: Lute Olson

Record: 28-4

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 2 Kansas in the Elite Eight

What happened: Arizona avoided a second-round upset and held off Gonzaga — with a 28-year-old Tommy Lloyd as an assistant coach on the Bulldogs’ bench — in double overtime at Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Then, after cruising by Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, Arizona squared off against Kansas in the Elite Eight. Keith Langford’s layup gave the Jayhawks a 78-75 lead that held. The Arizona careers of Gardner, Luke Walton and Ricky Anderson officially ended.

He said it: “That senior class has been the best. I mean, there’s no one that has done a better job than those guys have done over the last three years. A year ago, when you look at it, they had nothing but freshmen there, but they got them together and had them learn what Arizona basketball is all about. And their leadership this year was outstanding.” — Olson

2014

Coach: Sean Miller

Record: 33-5

Region: West

Result: Lost to No. 2 Wisconsin in the Elite Eight

What happened: Arizona’s 2014 roster was loaded with talent, including All-American shooting guard Nick Johnson, All-Pac-12 point guard T.J. McConnell, freshman phenom Aaron Gordon and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Beginning its March Madness run in San Diego, Arizona beat Weber State and Gonzaga. In Anaheim, Arizona outlasted San Diego State, setting up a date with the Frank Kaminsky-led Wisconsin Badgers.

“Frank the Tank” posted 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Gordon had eight points and 18 rebounds for the Wildcats. In overtime, Arizona had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Johnson’s shot didn’t leave his hands in time.

He said it: “The thing about the NCAA Tournament is it’s exhilarating when you win and equally devastating when you lose.” — Miller

2022 

Coach: Tommy Lloyd

Record: 33-4

Region: South

Result: Lost to No. 5 Houston in the Sweet 16

What happened: In Arizona's first season under head coach Tommy Lloyd — who succeeded Sean Miller and inherited a core of Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Azuolas Tubelis — the Wildcats won the Pac-12 outright and had the Pac-12 Player of the Year (Mathurin), Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year (Koloko) and Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year (Pelle Larsson). 

Following a hard-fought win over TCU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which was in San Diego, the Wildcats took on their future conference rival in Houston in the Sweet 16 in San Antonio.

Tubelis was 0 for 8 from the field, and point guard Kerr Kriisa was 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Houston knocked down five 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of the second half and took a 59-47 lead and never looked back.  

He said it: "We started the season, and nobody believed in us. We made them believe in us. We knew we could have done better. That's why our team is sad right now. We knew how good of a team we were, but right now we can't do anything. So we've just got to learn from it." — Koloko