Brandon Ashley’s Top 5 Games at Arizona

March 14, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Brandon Ashley (21) hoists the most outstanding player trophy after the championship game of the Pac-12 Conference tournament against the Oregon Ducks at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Wildcats defeated the Ducks 80-52. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

1. March 12-14, 2015

Pac-12 Tournament

I cheated on this one because I included all three games of the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament.

In a conference that has been dominated by Arizona for many of the last 30 years, it’s hard to believe going into this year’s Pac-12 Tournament that Arizona had not won the event in 13 long years.

Luke Walton was on that 2002 team. He is now retired from his playing days and is a coach in the NBA for crying out loud. It was time to win this thing.

During the Olson years, I felt like Lute did. I didn’t really care for the conference tournament. What was the point if the Cats were going to be a high seed in the real tournament anyway?

I changed my tune the more years went by. Every year it got tougher and tougher to take when the Cats didn’t bring the trophy back to the Old Pueblo.

It was little Nate Robinson sticking it to the Cats in 2005, Isaiah Thomas with the dagger in 2011, Colorado stealing the Cats automatic bid to the Dance in 2012, ‘He touched the Ball!’ in 2013 and then losing to a late-blooming UCLA team in 2014.

Something had to give, right?

Thank goodness the Cats had Brandon Ashley back from injury in 2014-15. The Pac-12 tournament in 2015 was the Brandon Ashley Show.

Bash averaged 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, while shooting an astonishing 73 percent from the field and 88 percent from the foul line during the Cats three games at Las Vegas. His stellar performances, including a career high 24 points against UCLA in the semi-finals, won him the MVP trophy of the tournament.

The Cats domination got the Pac-12 Tournament monkey off Sean Miller’s back

Next: Bash wrap-up show