It's all about the trophies.
Photo by Robert Deutsch/USA Today Staff

It’s been a quiet summer for college sports.

Well, there have been scandals and rumors of scandals but after last year’s tectonic shifts this summer has been downright placid.

Unless someone wants to start whispers of Alabama and Auburn to the Pac-12 we have time out west for more reflection. Arizona‘s place in Pac-10 basketball history has been established. Where do the Wildcats fit in on a national level?

Because of John Wooden the college basketball historical landscape is rather flat. A large portion of the total national championships have been won by a few programs. As a result it’s possible to move up the all-time list relatively quickly.

(College softball is the same way with Arizona’s Mike Candrea and UCLA’s Sharron Backus hoarding all the hardware. As a result Arizona State moved into a very elite group with its second softball championship this year.)

When the Connecticut Huskies cut down the nets this past April they made the leap from the second tier onto the A-list. Here are all schools that have at least three national titles:

UCLA 11
Kentucky 7
Indiana 5
No. Carolina 5
Duke 4
Kansas 3
UConn 3

We aren’t talking about nothing but pre-TV championships either. Of the above seven programs, five are among the six schools that have multiple championships since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. If you were good in the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘90s and 2000s, you’re really good.

(UCLA and Indiana are the two all-time greats who have only won it all once in the last 27 years. Florida is the only school with two titles in the era of 64+ teams that didn’t have a prior championship.)

The Supreme Seven also include five of the six programs that have hit double-digits in Final Four appearances. The Hoosiers only needed eight Final Fours to win its five championships while UConn leads the way in efficiency with three titles in just four trips to the Final Four.

(The sixth school with at least 10 Final Fours only has one championship to show for it. Can you name it? Think football, vacated vests and pants-for-tats.)

Seeing UConn in this exclusive club is bound to cause some head-shaking among Arizona fans. Jamelle Horne’s shot was this close to getting the Cats past the Huskies and giving the UA a chance to move into the tier that Connecticut just left.

In terms of championships the second level is made up of seven schools that have won it all twice. That’s why Arizona’s exits in 2001, ’03 and ’05 were such missed opportunities. If Lute Olson could have a guided a second team through the tournament he would joined some select company.

It’s interesting to note that of the seven programs to win exactly two basketball championships, four did it in back-to-back years. Add the 1998 Triangle-and-Two game to the list of missed opportunities.

(And now Utah is in the Pac-12 to remind Cat fans of it every year. How nice.)

There is certainly more to a successful program than just national championships but NCAA tournament success is the one currency accepted across conference lines. The Wildcats hope Sean Miller quickly gets another crack at moving the UA into tier 2, where he can set his sights on UConn once again.

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Scott Terrell thinks the more you know about the past, the better you can dream about the future. Look both ways on Twitter and Facebook.

It

The Arizona Wildcats were not able to reverse three historic trends Saturday night. The updated numbers read:

0-5 vs. UConn

0-3 in the Elite Eight in Anaheim

0-2 during Scott Terrell‘s adult-fan-life on his birthday

For some reason CBS didn’t have a graphic with that 3rd one.

Being a college basketball fan and having your birthday in late March is a mixed bag. On the one hand it can be an extra boost to the most exciting three weeks of the year, and it’s always nice to have a bonus excuse for taking time off work. But the risk is a bad tournament loss derailing your celebration.

The last time the Cats played on my birthday was – you may remember this game – March 26….2005. We had a family gathering after the game. You would’ve thought I was attending my own funeral.

No, I was not nearly as down at the end of the latest Elite Eight loss. It helps when your team has already outplayed its seed by two wins. It helps when you became the nation’s favorite for a night by flogging Public Enemy #1. It also helps when you don’t blow a 15-point lead in four minutes.

So I was at peace with the defeat at the hands of Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and the Connecticut Huskies. I wasn’t fired up with Derrick Williams taking that 3-pointer on the final possession since it wasn’t a catch-and-shoot situation. I would’ve preferred he go inside and try to win the game Texas-style. But can you really argue with your best player taking the biggest shot?

Then on the rebound Jamelle Horne had a very good look. It was dead on but hit the front of rim short. The ball bounced forward instead of back toward the shooter which means it hit the top or back half of the the rim. So, what is that, an inch-and-a-half from the Final Four?

You don’t want to dwell on what-ifs but the Cats may have been that same slim margin from winning the national championship. With Kansas going down to USC/VCU Winner, UConn is now the favorite to cut down the nets. This tournament has been wiiiiide open making it the perfect opportunity for a year-away 5-seed to steal the title. So it’s a good thing we’re not focusing on what-ifs.

(Big sigh. Moving on.)

The thing that most helps with the recovery time after this loss is the presence of Sean Miller. His career is just barely lifting off the runway and he’s packing a lot of fuel.

Miller has already proven he can build up the skill level and confidence of enough players to run a 10-man rotation for 38 games. From Derrick Williams to Kyryl Natyazhko every player knew his role, bought into his role and was ready to fulfill his role when called upon.

If you want to argue Miller should’ve drawn up a better play at the end of the UConn game I’ll counter with the final possession of the Texas game that turned out pretty well. And the 2nd half of the Duke rebuke was so incredible there wasn’t a need for any last-second plays.

Arizona’s second-year coach has shown he can motivate an underdog to slay a giant and knock on the door of greatness. How is he going to handle it when he’s the No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16? Wildcat Universe can’t wait to find out.

That’s the thing: When Miller makes bold predictions you have no reason to doubt him.

If Williams pulls a Sullinger the Cats are instant title contenders next year. Even if he doesn’t come back the team returns eight of 10 rotation players and adds an elite recruiting class. If that core can stay together so you have a senior-heavy roster supported by super sophomores, 2013 could be extra special.

After the Duke “game” a friend of mine pointed out that Miller is doing a good job of maintaining the UA’s recent pattern of odd-year success. Here’s the timeline:

1997 – Not too shabby
1999 – Didn’t exist (Thanks, Jason Terry)
2001 – Championship game
2003 – Elite Eight
2005 – Elite Eight
2007 – Uh…only 11 losses instead of 14 or 15?
2009 – Sweet 16
2011 – Elite Eight

It turns out the Wildcats have won once on my birthday, the Elite Eight game in 1994. The fact I didn’t know that without looking it up proves an embarrassing truth about my youth, but that tale will have to wait for another day.

With Sean Miller at the helm the future is the focus. I don’t expect Arizona fans will have to wait long for another March present.

- – -

Wrapping up the numerical season…

Cal Ripken missed a game. Joe DiMaggio failed to get a hit. Byron Nelson lost a golf tournament. John Wooden lost a game. And Jordin Mayes missed a 3-pointer after making 10 straight over five games.

More from the land of 3: Derrick Williams made just 1-of-6 from downtown in the final game to drop his season percentage to 56.8%. That means Steve Kerr maintains possession of the school record with his 57.3% in 1988. Williams didn’t even finish as this year’s team leader. Sitting at 57.1% (4-of-7) was none other than Mr. Natyazhko.

So just three years after the first tournament where all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four, we have a bracket with no No. 1’s winning their region. Parity is dead. Long live parity!

By going from the First Four to the Final Four, VCU ensured we’re going to be looking at the Final 96 in the near future. The tournament will most certainly expand again (“Look how great these bubble teams are!”) and I fully expect to be filling out a hideous 128-team bracket someday. They’ll have to add an extra weekend and March Madness will become Tax Season Madness.

I hope you’re happy, Shaka.

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Scott Terrell is not as Smart as VCU’s coach but you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

No back-to-back this time.
Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

I’m a pretty optimistic guy.

I tend to expect positive things to happen. I think the next day will be a good day at work. I believe tomorrow I’ll handle things better with the kids. I keep renewing my Arizona football season tickets.

But even I wasn’t that optimistic.

The goal this year was simply making the NCAA tournament. You know, the kind of season USC had. Now the Arizona Wildcats have a Pac-10 championship, two Pac tourney wins and three March Madness wins! With two of them coming against half of the four statistically best teams in the country!

(Speaking of USC, if the coaching thing doesn’t work out for Kevin O’Neill he might want to try sports handicapping. Although he might have some competition from the Round Mound of Studio Analysts.)

Sean Miller isn’t just playing with house money; he took enough of the house’s money to buy a second house.

If the Texas game was gravy, and the Duke win is icing, what would beating UConn be? A digestif?

The turning point for Arizona on offense was with 18.5 minutes left in the 2nd half. Derrick Williams drove into the lane, three defenders collapsed on him and he kicked it out to Kyle Fogg who drained the 3. Duke got exactly what it wanted – Williams giving up the ball – but Derrick’s teammate showed it wasn’t going to be a one-man show any longer.

After that MoMo Jones forgot he’d only scored two total points in the last three halves and scored eight points in six minutes to help turn a Wildcat deficit into a double-digit lead.

But the daggers came with eight minutes left. First, Williams shook his man at the top of the key and hammered one home. Then, two possessions later, Jamelle Horne grabbed an offensive rebound and absolutely posterized the Duke poster boy. Kyle Singler didn’t score from that point on, Lute Olson got to smile on CBS, and the Blue Devils never got closer than 11.

The end of the game was surprising in its lack of drama. Duke was the anti-Illinois. No backcourt traps, no made 3s, no shrinking lead. Instead of leading a ferocious comeback, Singler was pulled early.

It helps to play in front of a friendly crowd, doesn’t it? Although, something to keep in mind, Arizona didn’t exactly have success playing Regional Finals in Anaheim in both 1998 and 2003.

But neither of those opponents was a true eastern team. You want every advantage you can get when facing the University of Connecticut. No team is hotter than the Huskies and no player is hotter than Kemba Walker.

It may come down to which team can get its star to the free throw line the most. In UConn’s amazing eight-game winning streak Walker has attempted at least nine foul shots seven times, and Derrick Williams is the free throwingest player of them all.

Does Williams have another superstar game in him? Can MoMo remain the scoring sidekick? Can Solomon Hill continue to do work in the paint? Will Fogg, Parrom, Horne and Mayes deliver the timely shots from beyond the arc?

Neither Arizona nor UConn was supposed to be here. But the bracket says one of them has to go to the Final Four.

The Final Four! It’s an incredible opportunity for a college basketball player. Sean Miller will have more chances like this, but these players might not. Jamelle Horne certainly won’t. Derrick Williams probably won’t. The three guys on the roster who are losing their scholarships next year won’t.

It’s greedy to ask an overachieving team to give you more. Very greedy.

But when you’ve already mastered nasty, what’s wrong with a little greed?

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Scott Terrell has a need for greed. Make your demands on Twitter and Facebook.

You had to see it to believe what Derrick Williams did without seeing it.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

One-thousand-one…one-thousand-two…one-thousand-three…one-thousand-four…one-thousand–

That’s how quickly things can change in March.

One call, one hero, one (or two) no-calls, and one ticket to the Sweet 16 for the Arizona Wildcats.

How do you top a thrilling victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

You do it again.

How great is this tournament? The Cats were one play – Derrick Williams’ buzzer-beater-beater – from going home in the opening round. Now they have the geographical advantage against 1-seed Duke.

It was a game for the other guys. Williams missed 10 shots. MoMo Jones missed all of his. Kevin Parrom missed time with an injury. So Jordin Mayes and Brendon Lavender took a bunch of 3-pointers and didn’t miss at all.

This is why you give minutes to 10 guys all year. It’s why you develop Mayes and you don’t give up on Lavender. This is why you let Kyryl Natyazhko learn from his mistakes on the court.

The terminology of the expanded tournament has been confusing. Louisville lost in the First Round last year but made it to the Second Round this year even though the Cardinals still didn’t win any games. I nominate new names like the Sexy 64 and the Thunderous 32.

But there’s no debating the Sweet 16.

It was another going-away present for senior Jamelle Horne in a season that just won’t go away. Horne endured three coaches in four years (and not playing for the guy who recruited him) but he’ll leave with two trips into the tournament’s second weekend.

And he’ll get to play Duke.

I honestly didn’t even consider the possibility of the Cats playing Mike “Shushefskee” and the Blue Devils because I remember getting worked up for nothing in ‘04 and ‘09. There’s a whole lot to get worked up about now.

From the “If it ain’t broke” file, here’s how the end of the Texas game went down:

We pick things up with a minute and a half left in the game. The score is tied at 67.

1:24 – Solomon Hill is called for traveling. This is not the run-before-you-dribble kind. It was more of the jab-step-jab-step-drag-your-pivot-foot variety.

1:07 – J’Covan Brown hits a jumper in the lane. He scored Texas’ final 11 points. The Wildcats are very happy it wasn’t the final 13. 69-67, Longhorns.

0:27.0 – Hill spins into the lane but gets his shot blocked. Natyazhko ends up with the rebound and kicks it out to Williams for an open 3. No good. Kyryl taps the rebound again and Hill pulls it down. Solomon drives toward the hoop and one official calls a Texas foul while the other says Sean Miller called timeout. The timeout stands. Deep breath…exhale.

0:14.5 – The Cats run pick-and-roll with Kyle Fogg and Williams (foreshadowing). Williams dribbles behind his back and attempts to go 1-on-3. His right-handed shot ends up going to the left of the entire backboard. No call. Ballgame…one would think.

(Everything about the ill-fated Texas timeout has already been said but here are the details: It was called by Jordan Hamilton, the Longhorns’ leading scorer and a 78% free throw shooter. I have no idea either.)

Still 0:14.5 – The 5-Second Call. Or, if you’re a Texas fan, The 4-and-a-Half-Second Call. Watching the replay, Tex is right. It wasn’t a full five seconds. Somewhere Pitt fans are joining in the outrage.

And 1. Make that And 16.
Photo Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

0:9.6 – Pick-and-roll with Fogg and Williams again. Texas doubles Fogg (don’t get beat by a 3) but Kyle threads a bounce pass to Williams. Hamilton tries to take a change from the side. Derrick falls forward after the contact, flips the ball over his head and it perfectly hits the square on the backboard and falls through the hoop. Wildcat Universe rejoices.

After a long delay to confirm the time remaining, Derrick Williams steps to the line and shoots, not like a boy who has missed 5-of-10 free throw attempts in the 2nd half, but like a man. Nay, more than a man; a legend.

0:00.0 – No call on the shot, no call on the rebound. MoMo is kissing the camera, Kyryl is flashing his longhorns, and Duke is waiting.

How do you top two thrilling victories in the NCAA tournament?

Go for three.

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Scott Terrell has a world-famous Twitter page! See the photographic evidence on Facebook!

Not another inbounds play!!!
Photo by Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Did you miss the thrilling game between the Arizona Wildcats and Memphis Tigers?

Maybe you were stuck at work. Perhaps you were watching but you had your eyes covered. Maybe you blacked out.

Or maybe you had so much fun you want to experience it all again.

We’re here to help. Here’s what went down, how it went down, and why the UA is moving up to the next round.

We pick things up with five minutes left in the game. The score is tied at 65.

4:47 – Kevin Parrom fouls out trying to overplay a pass about 18 from the hoop. Having three perimeter players in foul trouble is a testament to Memphis’ quickness.

4:29 – Jesse Perry misses a 3-point attempt with 18 seconds left on the play clock. Perry did not score at all and proved that cool hair doesn’t guarantee personal success in the tournament.

4:06 – Memphis’ Will Barton travels by starting to run before dribbling. Not quite as bad as Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas Thursday night, but it was still obvious.

3:50 – After Kyle Fogg rushes a 3 (falling over to try and draw a foul) Jamelle Horne grabs a big offensive rebound and quickly passes to the best 3-point shooter in school history (not Steve Kerr; he was out of bounds), and Derrick Williams drains it. 68-65, Arizona.

3:30 – Williams fouls Will Coleman (No!) who misses the front end of a 1-and-1. Coleman gets his own rebound (No!), kicks it to Barton for an open 3 (No!) but the airball goes out of bounds. A whole lot of tension for nothing.

3:07 – Three Tigers converge on Williams who loses control of the ball and gets called for traveling. A bunch of non-dribbling at the end of this game.

2:51 – Tarik Black completes an and-1 post move to tie the game. On the TV broadcast Kerr implies that it’s the 4th foul on Williams but it’s actually on MoMo Jones. Thanks for the unnecessary stress, Steve. 68-68.

2:37 – Fogg attempts the exact same running-before-dribbing move that Memphis tried 90 seconds ago. It’s still illegal.

2:11 – More travelling. Is this game being sponsored by Expedia?

1:49 – The ball goes into Williams and all five Tigers collapse into the lane. That’s what happens when your team is 4-for-18 on 3s. Derrick is tied up but the possession arrow points to Arizona.

1:36 – Jordin Mayes and Jones don’t seem to realize the shot clock didn’t reset. MoMo shoots a 3 with two seconds left. It hits the front of the rim, bounces off the backboard and goes in. It’s like he forgets he’s a bad shooter at the end of games. 71-68, Cats.

1:27 – Chris Crawford misses an open 3 attempt badly. Horribly. I would make a bitter extra-point joke but this is a happy day.

0:53.1 – Jones drives with nowhere to go and throws a pass headed for the fifth row but Horne leaps as high as James Brooks (sorry) and saves the ball to Mayes who penetrates and gets fouled. Good news…until you remember Mayes is a 44% free throw shooter.

He makes them both. Wow. 73-68, UA.

0:38.8 – Will Barton bounces in a runner and Memphis calls timeout. 73-70.

That peppy “NAPA Know-How! NAPPA Know-How!” commercial tries to calm our nerves. It doesn’t work.

MoMo, the corner is not your friend.
Photo by Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

0:33.0 – Memphis presses and MoMo makes the same cut that didn’t work in the Washington game at McKale. He moves parallel to the baseline away from the passer so when he catches the pass he immediately gets trapped in the corner. Jones loses the ball and has to pull it off the ground like a fumble and is very fortunate to get a timeout called instead of a jump ball. To make matters worse this is Arizona’s final timeout.

The collective blood pressure in Tucson doubles.

0:26.8 – The Cats will run a better inbounds play after the timeout, right? Nope. Jones again catches the ball against the baseline and instantly gets trapped. Without any timeouts he has to lunge his way around it and heave the ball toward midcourt before another trap. No Wildcat is there but it hits Memphis’ D.J. Stephens who is trailing the play, and the ball goes out of bounds.

The Tucson Heart Hospital is put on red alert.

0:23.7 – Now at midcourt, the Cats try to get the ball in for a third time. The pass goes to Williams who immediately gets it to Horne who is cutting to the hoop. Horne is fouled and almost makes the layup. He calmly drains both free throws. A senior! 75-70, Arizona.

0:19.8 – Joe Jackson goes coast to coast in half a heartbeat and gets fouled. He makes both free throws. A freshman! 75-72.

Uh-oh. Another inbounds play.

0:12.8 – Both guards are covered so Solomon Hill throws it toward Horne near the top of the key. Horne doesn’t come back for the ball and it’s intercepted by Will Barton. Barton misses the 3 (the Tigers missed their final five 3-point attempts after starting 6-for-10) but Jackson lays in the putback. Josh Pastner calls his final timeout. 75-74, Wildcats.

0:07.4 – MoMo Jones goes the other direction this time and quickly dribbles up the sideline to avoided the trap. He reverses field and burns a couple more seconds before getting fouled. Jones steps to the line.

Good.

Good. 77-74, Cats.

0:05.0 – In an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Pac-10 tournament championship game Sean Miller has Jones foul as soon as the ball-handler gets across halfcourt.

Jackson makes the first free throw to cut it to two. He then executes a perfect intentionally-missed free throw by arcing the ball so it bounces high off the back of the rim. Nobody blocks out the shooter so Jackson is able to tip it and it goes right to Wesley Witherspoon.

0:02.0 – BLOCKED SHOT.

Was it a foul? You be the judge.

I don’t think either the bump by Horne on the rebound or the contact with the body by Williams was enough to warrant a game-changing whistle. But, admittedly, my computer screen does have a distinct red and blue hue.

0:00.4 – Horne misses two free throws for one last bit of drama but the fullcourt heave does not connect.

0:00.0 – Survive. And. Advance.

In the world of college sports there’s nothing like watching your basketball team win an NCAA tournament game. When you win a bowl game your season is still over. But in the madness of March each win gives you the right to play a bigger game against a better team.

And to do it in dramatic fashion? It leads to two days of fist-pumps and random high-fives.

A couple days ago I thought this team’s season would end if it ran into one of two things. Well, the Cats survived the cold 3-point shooting game. That leaves facing a team that can dominate inside.

A team like Texas.

Arizona is now the underdog. The UA will be in the road jerseys and will be playing in front of a very pro-Longhorn crowd on Sunday. It doesn’t look good.

But the Wildcats have earned the right to do something about it.

Now get to work on those inbounds plays.

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Scott Terrell has mastered typing while fist-pumping. Give a random high-five on Twitter and Facebook.

Now things get a little more intense.
Photo by Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic

Four Pac-10 teams are in the NCAA tournament but one of them has to go to work early. Two other teams are in the NIT and a 7th Pac squad is in one of those tournaments that may or may not truly exist.

TWIT-Pac is hunting brackets.

The 2011 Pac-10 postseason tournament schedule x 3 (all times Arizona/Pacific):

NCAA Tournament

NIT

NIT = National Invitational Tournament

CBI

CBI = College Basketball Invitational

- – -

NCAA Tournament

#11 USC (19-14 / 10-8) vs. #11 VCU (23-11)
Kevin O’Neill did not lose his job, at least not yet. It’s probably good for him that he has a chance to win more games than anyone this week.

If they win they play…
#6 Georgetown. USC will be the first Pac-10 team to use the “The extra game wore us out” excuse if they lose or the “The extra game made us sharper” explanation if they win.

If they win again they play…
#3 Purdue / #14 St. Peter’s winner. When there’s a college booster club known as Peacock Nation there are officially too many nations. That’s why we have the Wildcat Universe.

#7 UCLA (22-10 / 13-5) vs. #10 Michigan State (19-14)
The Bruins are facing the team that was ranked #2 in the preseason polls. Perhaps they meant in the state of Michigan.

If they win they play…
#2 Florida / #15 UC-Santa Barbara winner. It could be a rematch of the 2006 championship game…in basketball or soccer.

#5 ARIZONA (27-7 / 14-4) vs. #12 Memphis (25-9)
If Jason Terry comes out and says he’s rooting for Josh Pastner I’m going to be very upset.

If they win they play…
#4 Texas / #13 Oakland winner. Revenge against Duane Akina!

#7 Washington (23-10 / 11-7) vs. #10 Georgia (21-11)
The Huskies have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in three of their last four tournament appearances, including as an 11 seed last year.

If they win they play…
#2 North Carolina / #15 Long Island winner. I’m guessing it won’t be the school named after an iced tea.

NIT

Mississippi (20-13) at Cal (17-14 / 10-8)
With only one senior on their roster the Bears are hoping the NIT can springboard them into a strong 2012.

If they win they play…
Colorado / Texas Southern winner. First a non-conference football game and now this. The Bears and Buffaloes just can’t wait to play each other.

Long Beach St. (22-12) at WSU (19-12 / 9-9)
The Beach went 14-2 in the Big West but lost in the tournament final to UCSB. Curse those Gauchos!

If they win they play…
Oklahoma State. I still have nightmares about…Orange! Power! Orange! Power!

CBI

Weber St. (18-13) at Oregon (16-17 / 7-11)
Wait, you don’t even need a winning record to make one of these? The Ducks are the only team below .500 in any of this year’s tournaments.

If they win they play…
Duquesne / Montana winner
Oregon State won this tournament in 2009, with a losing record to boot. The pressure’s on, Ducks!

- – -

So here we are – Sean Miller’s first NCAA tournament game as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arizona. You would love for the team to play relaxed, loose and confident but that’s not always how these things go.

During the first half of the Pac-10 season Derrick Williams averaged 11 free throw attempts a game. Over the second half of the conference season (including the tournament) that number dropped to 6. The days of Williams going 15-for-16 from the line are over.

As a result, my feeling is this team will advance until it hits a cold 3-point shooting game and/or it runs into a team that can dominate inside.

Hopefully that team isn’t coached by a former Wildcat walk-on.

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Scott Terrell has on his dancing shoes. Start the madness on Twitter and Facebook.

Josh Pastner played at Arizona before focus was invented.
Photo by Brian Bahr, Getty Images Sport

The 12-month nightmare is over.

I love Selection Sunday. I love each team being revealed like an answer on Family Feud. “Survey says… 5 seed!”

I love the discussions about easy draws and loaded regions. I enjoy the debates about which teams got robbed and which teams did the robbing.

Last year wasn’t much fun without the Arizona Wildcats. The fun is back in a big way.

You never want to lose to a lower seed in the 1st round but after that the pressure is off this year’s UA team. There will be plenty of seasons with high expectations for Sean Miller but his first trip to the NCAA tournament as the Arizona coach should be a celebration.

Considering how quickly Miller got the program from 19-15/21-14/16-15 to 27-7, this might just be the last tournament without heightened expectations.

Arizona’s return to a familiar place brings about the return of another familiar face. Last week’s coaching drama involved Kevin O’Neill and now all the stories will be about Josh Pastner. I’m surprised Russ Pennell’s Grand Canyon U. didn’t somehow end up as the Cats’ potential 3rd round opponent.

The Pastner thing isn’t going to affect the UA’s preparation or play. Miller has no emotional ties to him. Only Jamelle Horne played for him. Memphis could be coached by Elvis for all the Wildcats care.

But Pastner will be plenty distracted. The talk should be about his first Big Dance as head coach, not how he used to shag rebounds for Mike Bibby. It’s a raw deal for a guy navigating the NCAA tournament waters for the first time.

Playing Texas just 230 miles from the Texas border could be the Cats’ raw deal. It’s time to get all of Oakland involved in upsetting the Longhorns – John Madden, Rickey Henderson, M.C. Hammer… What’s that? Oakland University is where?!

The reward for surviving against Memphis (400 miles from Tulsa) and Texas would be a decided travel advantage against Duke. How great would it be to get a shot at the Blue Devils in Southern California?

After a long, painful 52 weeks everything great about March Madness is back.

- – -

What did we learn from the Pac-10 tournament?

- It’s a lot more interesting when Arizona goes all-out to win it.
The Cats weren’t trying to rest for the NCAAs; they were trying to bring home a trophy.

- Deeper is better.
The lesson is to have enough depth that you’re not worried about three games destroying your team for the following week.

- There’s no shame in losing a championship game like that.
Yes, there were two big defensive lapses at the end, and making a couple more free throws would have made a world of difference, but Derrick Williams’ full-court, full-speed three-point play was huge and Kevin Parrom’s game-tying 3-pointer in OT was huge. The Huskies were just huger.

- Huger is a real word.
Who knew?

- Regular season championships are still better than conference tournament titles.
Lorenzo Romar has now cut down the nets at Staples Center three times in the last seven years. That may make him the king of the three-day weekend but he still has mastered the 18-game regular season only once. Considering this conference has been handing out regular season championships since 1916 that’s the one you want.

- – -

The Arizona baseball team put in another five-game work week with familiar results.

The BatCats split two at UNLV and swept three from Northern Colorado. In the five games the UA starting pitchers posted an ERA of 2.18 while the relievers got tagged at a 7.36 clip.

The strange part is all nine of the runs allowed by the bullpen came in one inning.

The Wildcats have lost three games this year. One was after giving up an 8-run inning against Rice and another was due to a 9-run inning vs. UNLV.

The UA will next try its hand at traveling to play a ranked Wichita State club on Tuesday and Wednesday. Big bullpen blowups are not invited.

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Scott Terrell liked 64-team arguments better than 68-team arguments. Join the bracket talk on Twitter and Facebook.

Sometimes you hit the ball.

Sometimes the ball hits you.

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team took its lumps in a three-game sweep at Cal but none was bigger than the one on Kurt Heyer’s head. The freshman pitcher was cruising along Thursday afternoon before a line drive hit by the Bears’ cleanup hitter caromed off Heyer’s skull and sent the Cats into a tailspin.

Now that Kurt is OK I think it’s safe to say…DUCK!

That’s actually oversimplifying things. Heyer’s misfortune explains why the team gave up five runs in the 4th inning of the first game but it doesn’t explain the eight runs given up in game two. And it certainly isn’t an excuse for Arizona’s bats only producing five runs in three games.

This was the lingering question as the home wins piled up. Could the UA offense keep it up on the road against Pac-10 pitching? The early results are in and the reports are not favorable.

The 2010 Wildcats have to hit to win. This team is not going to win a lot of 4-3 games. The Cats need to put seven or eight runs on the board and then hang on. That’s not good news heading into a series against a Washington team that only gave up 11 runs in three games in their league opener against WSU.

(Speaking of the UW/WSU series, the Cougars have a nomination for the “Worst Way To Lose” list. Yikes.)

It’s way too early to throw in the towel on the season but the Cal series reminds Arizona fans that if this freshman-heavy team gets into the postseason in any way, shape or form it’s a successful year. So what will it take to make the NCAA tournament? Here’s a look at the number of Pac-10 teams to get bids in each of the last few years and what it took to end up on the right side of the bubble:

Year	Teams In	Worst Team	Pac Record	Overall
2004	5	ARIZONA	12-12	30-24
2005	5	Stanford	12-12	32-23
2006	4	Stanford	11-13	30-25
2007	4	OSU	10-14	38-17
2008	5	Cal	12-12	33-19
2009	3	OSU	15-12	35-17

If Cats were to finish 13-14 in Pac-10 play and split the six remaining non-conference games (half are on the road) they’d be 34-21 overall. That would put us on par with other middling Pac teams that have made the tournament in recent years. The key would be to pick up some RPI-boosting wins (against ASU, UCLA and/or OSU) to add some meat to the cupcakes.

It’s worth noting that half of these average teams went on to do great things in the postseason. The ’06 Cardinal won its regional, the Cats made the College World Series in 2004 and OSU won the whole thing in ’07. Anything can happen, as long as you get in.

Now the question this: Can this team go 13-14? There are 21 Pac-10 games left and 12 of them are at home. If you win every home series that gives you eight wins meaning you’d have to win three road games. Doable, as long as you don’t get swept again.

Winning the series at Washington this weekend would help a lot. Beating the Huskies once and winning the Monday game with Gonzaga would be decent. Winning a single road game would be a start.

Lose all four games? That’s a headache none of us want to deal with.

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So who are you rooting for in the NCAA basketball tournament championship game?

I know, what a stupid question. What color is the sky? Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb? Is ASU on probation?

You would be hard pressed to find a sporting event where the rooting interests of the general public are so lopsided. On the one side you have a small school from a small conference. Their coach looks younger than his players. They play in the gym from “Hooisers.” Butler is such an underdog their mascot is a real live dog.

And in this corner you have the most universally disliked team in college basketball.

Wouldn’t it be a shame if the New York Yankees and Duke Blue Devils were reigning champions at the same time? The only way to make it worse would be to add victories by the Dallas Cowboys and Soviet Union.

So…go Bulldogs. Slay one last Goliath for all the aspiring Davids out there. Is it likely to happen? No.

I’d say it’s probably as likely as an earthquake in Arizona.

Where were you five years ago?

If you’re not sure let me give you a one-word clue:

Illinois.

Yes, that game, five years ago this past Friday. Even if you weren’t in Illinois you know exactly where you were and how you felt. We didn’t know it at the time but we were witnessing even more than a monumental comeback/collapse.

It was the day the Lute Olson Era died.

You can point to Lute’s failing health and a dip in recruiting as the technical causes for the slide at the end of Coach Olson’s tenure but this game was the axis-shifting moment. If missing the tournament in 2010 was rock bottom, the 2005 Illinois game was the ship hitting the iceberg.

Women and children first!
Photo by Francisco Medina/Tucson Citizen

The 2005 Wildcats were really good. Thirty wins for only the third time under Lute. An 11th Pac-10 championship. An NCAA tournament seed of 4 or better for the 16th time in 18 years. A fourth Sweet 16 in five years and the seventh in 10 years.

All gone, and none of it has been back since.

To commemorate the anniversary I did something for the entire Wildcat Universe. I rewatched the game. That’s right, from start to agonizing finish, I watched so you don’t have to. I hope you never see it again, or at least not until we’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of Sean Miller’s fifth national championship.

(But if you really want to be a punishment glutton, here you go.)

I started with the end of the Oklahoma State game to remind me how close we were to missing the Elite Eight entirely. The chalk said the ‘05 run should have ended right there. The 3-seed battles hard but loses to the 2-seed. No shame there. But Salim Stoudamire had other ideas.

The brooding lefty with the wild hair was incredible in the final five minutes. He scored 10 of the Cats’ final 15 points without a miss. Stoudamire’s game-winner would make the short list of greatest moments in UA sports history if it didn’t take place two days before the absolute worst moment.

Let’s reset the scene. Rosemont, Illinois, just outside Chicago, a mere 153 miles from the University of Illinois campus. The Illini were 35-1 and the arena was packed with loud people wearing orange.

The game went back and forth early. Illinois eventually built a seven-point first-half lead, but the Cats cut it to two before halftime behind the inside/outside play of Channing Frye, Hassan Adams and Ivan Radenovic. Salim Stouramire was struggling, going 0-for-4 from the floor.

Bill Murray got a lot of camera time, rooting for the home team. Now his son is on the Arizona staff and Bill’s on our side. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas were calling the game for CBS and as the second half progressed it was eerie seeing how prophetic they were. “Arizona’s gotta be stronger with the ball,” Nostradabilas said with 13 minutes left. “Those traps are bothering the Wildcats.”

With about eight and a half minutes left Bilas said, “He (Jawann McClellan) got fouled,” to which Enberg replied, “They’re letting them go.”

Channing Frye hit a 3 with six minutes left to push the lead to 12. His final line: 24 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks. It was such a joy to watch Channing develop for four years. It’s great to see him finding pro success with the Suns.

With 4:04 left, McClellan made two free throws to make it 75-60 in favor of the Cats. Right about this time my friend looks at me and says, “We’re going to the Final Four!” Never, ever turn your back on Arizona Athletics.

A turnover in the frontcourt with 12 seconds left on the shot clock lets Illinois cut the lead to seven with 1:25 left. With 48 seconds left 90% shooter Stoudamire passes to Mustafa Shakur near midcourt only to see Shakur get stripped. The subsequent inbounds pass to Frye becomes the freeze-frame image for the referee-blaming segment of UA fans.

At this point the Wildcats are clearly shell-shocked and logic goes out the window. On the final possession of regulation with the score tied Salim dribbles down the clock up top like he always did but then he passes to McClellan for the last shot. I don’t care if you’re 2-for-37. That’s your shot.

The final 11.8 seconds of overtime were equally puzzling. Arizona is only down one and still has a chance to pull out the win. The ball is inbounded to Shakur who passes to Adams on the right wing. Salim stands on the left perimeter and doesn’t move. Channing walks down to the left block and doesn’t move. Hassan doesn’t make his move until there are three seconds left and he has to force up an off-balance shot from the top of the key that bounces off the backboard like it was fired by a catapult.

And then the Wildcat world stopped breathing. As fans it took a long time to get over. As a program we’re still trying to dig our way out.

But for the first time in five years we have hope.

In Derrick Williams we have a big man who has the potential to rival Channing Frye’s production. In MoMo Jones we have a budding leader with a flair for the dramatic. But most importantly we have in Sean Miller a coach who has proven he can build conference champions and win games in March.

Where were we five years ago? In a dark, dark place.

Where will we be in five years?

Don’t turn your back on Arizona Athletics.

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.