Welcome to Collegebasketbaholics Anonymous. We’ve saved a seat for you.

My name is Scott, and I really miss watching the Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA tournament.

I hope you haven’t been boycotting this UA-free tourney. If so you missed one wild weekend of games. Seeing all these great finishes is the good news. The bad news is it just makes me wish all the more that the Wildcats were a part of it.

I miss it. I miss looking ahead to potential matchups. I miss complaining about bad draws. I miss rooting for the top seeds in Arizona’s region to lose. I’m jealous of the beautiful three days this year’s Sweet 16 will enjoy when everybody is talking about their team as they wait for Thursday’s games.

How are you holding up? Were you able to lose yourself in the drama or did you keep having UA flashbacks? Kentucky blasted through the first two rounds like Sean Elliot and the ’88 Cats. Murray State could be in East Tennessee. Does 11-seed Washington remind you at all of last year’s run as a 12-seed?

Here’s an optimist/pessimist litmus test for you: When you see #1 Kansas losing do you think of Arizona beating #1 Kansas in 1997, or do you think of Kansas beating #1 Arizona in 2003?

Sean Miller calmly bides his time.
Photo by Chris Morrison/US Presswire

Or did you dream of Sean Miller’s Wildcats beating Kansas?

I’m glad the tournament is back to you-never-know status. After the death of the underdog two years ago (only one team worse than a 3-seed in the Elite Eight, all four #1s in the Final Four) it’s great to see a 9, 10, 11 and 12 still dancing.

We need the Ali Farokhmaneshes of the world. Life is more interesting when unconventional clock-management strategies work like a charm. I tell you what, there’s no way Mr. Farokhmanesh runs the ball on second-and-12 protecting a seven-point lead against Oregon with four minutes left and a potential Rose Bowl bid on the line.

You never know. It took Washington eight tries to win its first game outside Seattle. They’ve now won nine straight away from home.

You never know. When we last saw Purdue the Boilermakers were scoring 11 points – eleven! – in the first half of a Big Ten tournament game. Immediately the nation left them for dead and picked Siena to win in the first round. And picked Texas A&M to win in the second round. Next up is a showdown with Duke in which Purdue has no chance. Right?

You never know. How is it Michigan State got to enjoy the thrill of building a big second-half lead and hitting the buzzer-beater? That’s not one Arizona fans can relate to.

Special congrats to Sean Miller’s former players at Xavier for making their third-straight Sweet 16. It has to be tough for the UA coach after going through a Bittersweet 15 (loss) season, but it’s a reminder to the Wildcat faithful that we got a guy who can build a consistent winner.

The UA news for the next month will be Miller’s chase of a McDonald’s All-American or two to add to this year’s recruiting class. The thing to keep in mind is Xavier’s success shows it’s not the end of the world if the biggest fish get away. Miller’s first goal should be building another Xavier, and then worry about rebuilding ARIZONA.

Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Sweet 16. That’s where the Musketeers have been and it’s not a bad place to be. It sure beats first round, first round, Sweet 16, nothing.

So do your thing, Coach Miller. We’re addicted to college basketball success and we need help. Get us back to the Madness.

Watch out, Kansas.

It turns out playing all your games at home is a good way to pick up a bunch of wins.

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team extended its winning streak to eight with a pair of midweek thrashings of Wichita State. The true shocker was Wednesday when the Cats blasted the previously-ranked Shockers to the tune of 19-0. Any time you can give a team its worst shutout loss in three decades you’ve had a pretty good day.

I’m not sure which number is more impressive. Three touchdowns’ worth of runs (we need a new kicker) are hard to ignore but midweek shutouts are very rare. Heck, any shutout in college baseball is cause for celebration. Kyle Simon and company did a great job.

In last weekend’s sweep of Northern Colorado the middle game was close (a 7-6 UA victory) but the bookends were Wildcat routs.

My one complaint is concerning Friday starting pitcher Kurt Heyer. I’m certainly not talking about his performance as Heyer only gave up one run and one walk while striking out 10. My issue is with the length of his performance. Why leave him out there for the full nine innings with an 8-run cushion? After watching Preston Guilmet burn out after his incredible sophomore season I’m always going to be nervous when I see a guy throwing 123 pitches.

"Are those diamonds on your elbow?"
Photo from Tucson Citizen archive

And to top it off Heyer threw the 9th in Tuesday’s game. Was the bullpen mound broken? I know Andy Lopez has been doing this a long time but the UA went 18 years in between Pac-10 Pitchers of the Year so if Heyer has that kind of potential we need to treat his right arm like it’s encrusted with jewels.

When it comes to the offense you won’t hear me saying anything negative about anybody. Remember when it was exciting that we had five players hitting above .350? There are now five above .380 with three guys looking down on .430. The Jett is soaring with a .493 average and a Ruthian 1.373 OPS.

Even the bottom part of the order is coming around. Bryce Ortega’s average is still only .262 but thanks to a team-leading 12 walks he’s got his on-base percentage up over .400. He’s also playing good defense (no errors) and he’s tied for the team lead with 10 stolen bases (without being caught). I fully expect Bryce to be back on the north side of .300 soon.

(Oh wait, I do have one last complaint. Can we ship the Ivan Brothers back to Norway? The commercial was almost mildly amusing the first time I saw it while watching March Madness On Demand but do we have to get hit over the head with a horned helmet after every break? I’d even settle for more of those “Most of us are going pro in something other than sports” ads.)

From an RPI standpoint the Arizona baseball team isn’t getting a lot of help as both Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton have losing records, and Wichita State lost two of three to Long Beach. But the Pac-10 is strong once again with UCLA, Stanford, OSU, ASU and WSU all in the RPI top 15, so our guys will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves against tough competition.

That competition is right around the corner as we enter the final weekend before the start of conference play. Sacramento State is on deck and the Hornets sport a 6-8 record after beating Pacific on Tuesday and losing two of three to UC Irvine. Sac State only gave up 14 total runs in those four games so it’ll be interesting to see how their pitchers fare against the red hot BatCats.

To contrast that the New Mexico Lobos will be bringing their big bats to the Old Pueblo on Tuesday and Wednesday. UNM is averaging 12 runs per game over their last seven contests and they already have series wins over Texas and USC.

Even a Viking would be impressed.

We’ve done some mourning. Now it’s time to do some reflection and to truly appreciate what a great accomplishment the past 25 years have been for coach Lute Olson and the Arizona Wildcats basketball program.

Here is the entire NCAA tournament streak in all its glory:

The Cats were eliminated by the Big-12 five different times (twice by Kansas and thrice by Oklahoma) and the teams currently making up the Big East got Arizona another five times (including three of the last four). The SEC got us four times (Alabama twice) and three different Big Ten teams sent the UA packing once each.

Lute Olson was at the helm for the first 23 years of the streak and the stigma that followed him around was losing in the first round. It’s true he started 5-6 in first round games at Arizona and no one will ever forget the three high-profile upsets in the early ‘90s. But Lute learned to dodge the opening-round pitfalls and closed his career going 9-3 in such games, including an 8-1 record when seeded higher than 8.

"I will see YOU in two days."
Photo by WildAboutAZCats.com

It was the back end of the weekend where Lute excelled. Coach Olson was 11-3 (.786) in the second round at Arizona and he won four of his first five regional finals. You could beat him when you had a week to prepare but you were in big trouble when you only had two days.

During Lute’s absolute peak, from 1988-2001, he went 30-13 (.698) in the tournament and claimed all four of his Final Fours and the national championship. That 14-year run saw Coach O’s Wildcats go a remarkable 6-3 against #1 seeds.

The UA’s streak ended up two years shy of North Carolina’s all-time record but it’s in the individual tallies where Lute stands tallest. Behold:

Most NCAA Tournament Appearances by a Coach
28 – Lute Olson, Iowa/Arizona
28 – Bobby Knight, Indiana/Texas Tech
27 – Dean Smith, North Carolina
27 – Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
26 – Eddie Sutton, Creighton/Arkansas/Kentucky/Oklahoma State
26 – Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

While it appears Lute is just keeping that record warm for the two active guys below him, here’s one he might hold onto for a while:

Most Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances by a Coach
23 – Lute Olson, Arizona (1985-2007)
23 – Dean Smith, North Carolina (1975-1997)
15 – Bobby Knight, Indiana (1986-2000)
15 – Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (1996-2010)

There’s your bonus reason for rooting against Duke the next seven years.

As time goes by nostalgia makes past accomplishments seem greater but we don’t have to wait to appreciate just what an incredible quarter-century this has been for Arizona hoops. Even if Sean Miller goes on to hang his own banners at McKale the Lute Olson years will always be “the good old days.” We are all honored to have been a part of it.

Lute and Arizona’s silver streak was pure gold.

We survived. Now it’s time to advance.

How did you spend Selection Sunday? I didn’t end up watching the show, not out of bitterness or depression, but because I simply found something better to do. I calmly watched for the brackets to be released online and went on with my day.

With the Arizona Wildcats’ 25-year NCAA basketball tournament streak officially and finally in the rearview mirror, now is the time to move on. But how?

Casually watching isn’t the same. You’re supposed to be emotionally involved. They don’t call it March Mild-Interest. How do we handle the Madness without Arizona?

I’m here to help.

I call it Watching An NCAA Tournament Without Your Team In It For The First Time Since The World Was Young. (Look for it in the self-help section of your local bookstore. Probably in the the “For Dummies” section.)

Borrow another team.
Did your spouse grow up rooting for Wisconsin? Do you have an uncle who went to Texas A&M? Does your neighbor’s landscaper own a Gonzaga t-shirt? Jump on the bandwagon for a couple weeks. What your team doesn’t know won’t hurt it.

Invest heavily in pools.
Lacking an emotional connection to this tournament? Buy one! If you can get to the championship game with a chance to win the big money I guarantee you’ll watch the game with some passion. And this might just be the year you pull it off.

Look at it this way: For the first time since the advent of the office pool you can fill out a bracket without bias. This year you won’t feel ashamed because you picked your favorite team to lose in the first round. You won’t talk yourself into predicting a Final Four run just because “I believe in my guys.” You don’t care who wins it all. You just want to be the person who picks them.

Genius.

I know cash can’t make up for the pain of the Cats missing the tournament but, as the great philosopher Al Yankovic once said, “If money can’t buy happiness I guess I’ll have to rent it.” Hit the pool!

Complain about tournament expansion.
Even though the UA would have made a field of 96 expanding the tournament is still a horrible idea. Is there anyone who really supports the concept besides the coaches whose job security is tied to tournament appearances and wins? Plus, think of the environment. Bigger brackets mean more printer ink which means more ink cartridges in landfills. Do we really want to kill the earth because Virginia Tech didn’t want to play anybody out of conference?

Laugh at ASU.
I know, I know, this should be an integral part of every day. But it’s especially important in times of crisis. Belittling your rival won’t bring the NCAA tournament streak back but it will teach you to count your sports blessings.

Remember last year when the Sun Devils thought they had knocked us out of the tournament by beating us three times? Not only did the Cats get in but they also outlasted ASU by reaching the Sweet Sixteen. How sweet it was.

This year the Devils did contribute to the streak ending by winning in Tucson, but they can’t completely enjoy it because their own NCAA tournament “streak” ended at one.

Yes, ASU had the better season this year. But if I’ve been waiting two decades for my rival’s hall of fame coach to retire I would hope to do better than NIT/second round loss/NIT.

"What about Delaware State?"
Arizona Republic file photo

The moral? If you schedule Arkansas-Pine Bluff they have a better chance of making the tournament than you do.

It also means another streak continues. The last time ASU participated in March Madness and Arizona did not? 1981. Better luck next decade, Sparky.

Bonus giggling:

Basketball Championships
in the Pac-10 Era

I did want the Cats to play in one of the JV tournaments if they couldn’t make the big dance. But you know what’s worse that missing the NIT? Getting a #1-seed in the NIT but having to open on the road in a 1,700-seat gym thanks to Cirque du Soleil. (No, I don’t feel bad for those guys either.)

I know it’s painful to have an NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship without Arizona. But don’t punish yourself even more by skipping the tournament entirely. It’s still the best sporting event this country has to offer. Fill out a bracket. Watch the games. See who cuts down the nets.

The Wildcats will advance again.

Where’s a Niq Wise senior day rewrite when you need one?

That certainly wasn’t what we had in mind. The Cats scored the first basket on Thursday then never led again. The game looked a lot like last week’s UCLA game for the first 27 minutes but there was no McKale crowd (and Kyle Fogg 3s) to turn things around.

Our young team gave us one last memory of inconsistency. How do you get out-rebounded and fail to get back on D every other possession?

Ben Howland had his guys in the perfect defensive position all afternoon. The Bruins knew exactly where Derrick Williams would try to go with the ball when faced with a double-team. They knew which lanes to step into when an Arizona player got caught in the air or trapped on the baseline. Of course, it would help if the Cats didn’t self-trap themselves but that’s a discussion for one of our many offseason days.

And so the moment we’ve been dreading is here. Selection Sunday will come and go without any selecting of the team from Tucson. Will you be able to watch?

Personally, I don’t know what I’m going to do on Sunday. Part of me wants to watch to get some closure and see what we hope Sean Miller is building toward. But I know it’s going to hurt.

The thing is, it’s completely understandable that we don’t know how to react. The last time an Arizona fan went through missing the tournament we weren’t “Arizona.” We were coming off a season with our third coach in three years. Back then “the streak” was the UA missing the tournament seven straight years. This is brand new for all of us.

But life goes on. And so might the games. The streak is over but the season may not be. Yes, an NIT bid is possible and, yes, I want it. I hope the Cats get invited, I hope they accept, and I hope the team plays well. The more games our freshmen play the better.

How funny would it be if ASU just stole our NIT bid when they also lost in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament? Even though I hope the Wildcats’ season continues sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due. ASU and the NIT belong together.

For one sad year, Arizona hopes to join them.

- – - – -

The BatCats bounced back nicely from their rough week. Arizona punctuated its 2-1 series victory over top-25 Cal State Fullerton with a 10-1 victory last Sunday. Daniel Workman went six innings without giving up an earned run to secure his first win of the year and guarantee he’ll be in the starting rotation again this weekend.

Next was the age-old college baseball tradition of warm weather teams beating up on their chilly visitors from the north. This week’s victim was St. Joseph’s as the Cats swept the two games by a combined score of 29-5.

As a result our guys are sporting some gaudy offensive numbers. Arizona is hitting a cool .334 as a team highlighted by five players above .350. The highlights of the highlights are Steve Selsky at .446 with a .492 on-base percentage, and Jett Bandy with his video game .490 average, .559 OBP and .863 slugging percentage.

On deck are the Northern Colorado Bears who sit at 3-5 on the year. The UA looks to build another three games’ worth of momentum before top-25 Wichita State pays a midweek visit.

Game times for the UNC series are 4 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday. The WSU games are Tuesday and Wednesday, both at 6 p.m.

Perhaps on Sunday you can select some baseball and let the ping of leather meeting aluminum sooth your Wildcat soul.