It’s been a fun ride for Arizona Basketball fans during the Miller era.
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Sean Miller‘s short tenure in the Old Pueblo has brought Pac-12 Titles, long NCAA Tournament runs and numerous NBA draft picks. Arizona fans hope this is only the beginning of another dynasty in the desert.
It will be a few weeks before the 2015-16 Wildcats place in program history will be known. Until then, let’s take a look at where Sean Miller’s first six teams in Tucson rank, from lowest to highest.
Next: No. 6 : Nic Wise Returns
6. 2009-10 (16-15, No Postseason)
Sean Miller’s first year in Tucson was a tough one to swallow for Arizona fans. The streak of 25 straight NCAA appearances for the Wildcats ended while Miller tried to get the program back on track after the sudden retirement of Lute Olson.
Coach Miller had to start almost from scratch after Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill declared for the NBA Draft. If it weren’t for Nic Wise coming back for his senior year, the Wildcats could have been on the brink of a historically bad season.
Instead, the gritty young Wildcats finished over .500 during a season that was full of memorable moments.
Nic Wise’s late game heroics gave the Cats crunch time wins over Lipscomb, North Carolina State and USC.
The Cats had another last-second win on the road against Stanford thanks to a MoMo Jones banker at the buzzer.
The lasting impression of Sean Miller’s first season was when the Cats won on the road at Tempe and Kevin Parrom’s catchphrase ‘No Easy Buckets’ was born. ASU’s Ty Abbott got a little upset when Parrom fouled him hard on a breakaway dunk. When Abbott aggressively approached Parrom after the foul, the East Coast kid got up in Abbott’s face and laughed like he had just seen Groundhog Day for the first time.
Next: No. 5 : The NIT Comes To Tucson
5. 2011-12 (23-12, NIT First Round)
With Derrick Williams taking his talents to the NBA, Arizona’s next conference championship was put on hold. The Wildcats rotation took another big hit when MoMo Jones decided to transfer to Iona to be closer to his grandmother.
Tucson thought freshman Josiah Turner would be the next great point guard for point guard U, but instead, he had trouble hitting a jump shot and his off the court troubles eventually got him dismissed from the team.
The Cats NCAA at-large bubble burst on the last day of the regular season at ASU, when Arizona lost by seven in an uninspired Wells Fargo Arena.
Arizona nearly had it’s NCAA ticket punched in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game, but Colorado held on in a ‘grind it out’ game to get the automatic berth into the big dance.
The tournament loss forced fan favorites, Kyle Fogg, and Jesse Perry, to finish their careers at McKale Center when the Cats lost to Bucknell in the first round of the NIT.
Next: No. 4 : Mark Lyons To the Rescue
4. 2012-13 (27-8, NCAA Sweet Sixteen)
Arizona was still a year away from having T.J. McConnell being eligible to play the point guard spot, so Coach Miller brought in Xavier standout Mark Lyons as a quick fix for one year.
Fans complained Lyons was not a true point guard, but the Cats raced out to a 14-0 record and rose to No. 3 in the polls before their first loss of the season at Oregon.
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The Cats biggest win of the season came on a national stage when No. 5 Florida came to Tucson for another McKale classic. The Cats trailed by six with under a minute left. A late rally gave Lyons the opportunity to hit a tough lay up off the top of the glass to give the Cats a 65-64 victory.
A few weeks later the Cats would defeat San Diego State 68-67 in the Diamond Head Classic thanks to a last second block by super sophomore Nick Johnson.
The most memorable moment of the season came at the Pac-12 Tournament after the Cats had lost to rival UCLA. In the second half, Miller received a technical foul for disagreeing with officials on a double dribble call on Lyons.
The two-point loss did not sit well with Coach Miller at the post-game press conference, when he repeatedly said the phrase “He touched the ball,” referring to a UCLA player who touched the ball a split second before Lyons was called for a double dribble.
The loss did not stop the Cats from making a run in the NCAA Tournament. The Cats made it past the first weekend and were matched up with one of Miller’s coaching mentors, Thad Matta. The Cats lost to Ohio State 73-70, in a game that went down to the final seconds.
Next: No. 3: D-Will Dominates Duke
3. 2010-11 (30-8, Pac-10 Champions, Elite Eight)
The most surprising year of the Sean Miller regime, and it was because of the growth of Derrick Williams.
When he was recruited to Arizona for Miller’s first year, Williams was the lowest ranked prospect of the freshman class. By the time he was done, he had ended up being one of the best players of the Miller era.
The regular season is remembered for Williams famous block against Washington, at the first McKale White Out.
In only his second year at Arizona, Miller collected his first conference championship, but the lasting memories of this squad were made in March because of one of the most memorable tournament runs in school history.
The Cats started the tournament with nail-biting wins over Memphis and Texas. When the Cats reached the sweet sixteen in Anaheim, they were matched up against the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils.
Trailing by six at halftime the Cats came out and played one of it’s best halves in program history, winning easily 93-77. Williams led all scorers with 32 points and added 13 rebounds. MoMo Jones contributed with 16 points and six assists.
Not many games compare to the excitement this one brought Wildcats fans. The victory against Duke gave the Cats 30 wins on the season. It was only the fourth time in school history that milestone had been reached.
Next: No. 2 : Pac-12 Tourney Champs
2. 2014-15 (34-4, Pac-12 Champions, Pac-12 Tournament Champions, Elite Eight)
Arizona won the conference for the third time during Miller’s tenure, but 2015 will be most remembered for the year the Cats brought the Pac-12 Tournament trophy back to Tucson.
It had been 13 years since the last time the Cats won the tournament. During the Miller era, the Cats had lost three close games in the championship.
This time, the Cats ran roughshod over its opponent in the title game, winning 80-52 over Oregon.
A healthy Brandon Ashley was the tournament MVP, averaging 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for the three games.
For the second straight year, the Cats made a run to the Elite Eight. The Wisconsin Badgers were waiting for them in a rematch of the 2014 West Regional Final.
Arizona played great, but the Badgers shot the lights out, winning 85-78.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 17 points and eight rebounds in his final game as a Wildcat.
The loss made the Cats Final Four bridesmaids for the third time in five seasons. A tearful T.J. McConnell exited the game in the final seconds to a standing ovation by the Arizona fans who had made the trip to Staples Center.
McConnell left Arizona as one of the most beloved players in program history.
He only lost one game in his college career, while playing in rowdy McKale Center.
It was in 2011 when Arizona beat McConnell’s Duquesne Dukes 67-59.
Next: No. 1 : Dream Season Ends in Anaheim
1. 2013-14 (33-5, Pac-12 Champions, Elite Eight)
Arizona showed it’s grit away from McKale Center early on by beating San Diego State, Michigan, and Duke. The Cats kept it rolling and started the year 21-0 and were ranked number one in the nation for eight straight weeks.
That ended when the Cats lost to Cal in the final seconds. The real damage was done earlier in the game when Brandon Ashley suffered a season-ending foot injury. Despite the Ashley setback, the Cats would win the conference and make another March run.
After marching through the first weekend of the tournament, the Cats were matched up against San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen in Anaheim.
Southern California has been a home away from home for Arizona fans but with San Diego only 100 miles down the road, Aztec Nation brought a caravan of fans to Disneyland, and they were loud.
The Cats survived a scare by the Aztecs thanks to Nick Johnson’s 15 points in the final three minutes of the game.
The Cats moved on to the regional final to play the Wisconsin Badgers.
Sean Miller had to wait again for his Final Four dream as Bo Ryan instead made his first Final Four as a head coach, after the Badgers defeated the Cats in overtime 64-63.
It was an instant classic if you lived in Madison.
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