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Arizona basketball: 30 Greatest Wildcats of all time

By Shereen Rayan

TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Former Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Lute Olson waves to fans as he walks with wife Kelly Pugnea during the first half of the college football game against the Utah Utes at Arizona Stadium on September 22, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TUCSON, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Former Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Lute Olson waves to fans as he walks with wife Kelly Pugnea during the first half of the college football game against the Utah Utes at Arizona Stadium on September 22, 2017 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Arizona basketball program has produced some incredible talent, and this is our list of the 30 greatest ever to call themselves Wildcats.

Arizona basketball is a storied basketball program with one NCAA championship and two Final Four appearances in program history. But even more than the banners hanging from the rafters are the incredible players who have come through Tuscon.

With so many names from which to choose, putting together a list of the Top 30 greatest Arizona basketball players in school history is no easy task.

There are 42 Arizona Wildcats who have been chosen in the NBA Draft in the last 30 years. There are 16 former Wildcats playing in the NBA and NBA G-League. Division I colleges Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, North Carolina, Arizona, and Kansas are the top of the list and have one or more former players on 2018-19 NBA opening-day rosters. There are also plenty of coaches who used to wear Arizona uniforms in college coaching on the NCAA, NBA and G-League level.

Arizona has won 26 Pac-12 regular-season Conference Championships and seven Pac-12 Tournaments. The program has earned 35 NCAA Tournament bids including 18 Sweet 16’s, 11 Elite Eights, four Final Fours, two NCAA Finals (Duke – lost and Kentucky -won) and one Championship in 1997.

There are moments we will never forget like Derrick Williams block to win the game against Washington in the final seconds, Rawle Alkins posterized dunk on USC’s Elijah Stewart, and TJ McConnell kissing the Block A on the Lute and Bobbie Olson court after playing his last game at McKale.

Kenny Lofton was always a fan favorite, so we are mentioning him here, he remains one of the most beloved Wildcats making his mark in Major League Baseball. There are also milestones like Kaleb Tarczewski (110) and Dusan Ristic (111) winning the most games ever as a Wildcat.

We took into consideration each player resume while playing for the University of Arizona as well as awards won in college as well as professionally in the NBA. The list begins with a few honorable mentions.

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