Arizona Basketball: Wildcats historical 1997 NCAA Tournament run
By David Rosen
In honor of the NCAA Tournament championship game, time to take a look back to see why the Arizona Wildcats tournament run in 1997 was the best ever.
22 years later and still the best NCAA tournament run ever. In 1997 the Arizona basketball team won the national championship, but did so in historic fashion. They became the first team ever in the history of the NCAA tournament, since the introduction of the 64 team bracket in 1985, to beat three No.1 seeds. The Wildcats are also the last team, seeded higher then No.3, to beat a No.1 seed. Unreal!
Those three No.1 seeds were Kansas, North Carolina and then Kentucky in the championship game. The Wildcats came into the tournament that year as a No.4 out of the Southeast Regional. That season they had finished fifth in the Pac-10 with a record of 11-7 and 19-9 overall. Interesting fact, the opening game of the season they upset North Carolina (ranked No.7 in the country at the time) 83-72, who would they go onto to beat again in the NCAA Tournament.
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The starting line up for the 1996-96 team was led by freshman sensation Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson, A.J. Bramlett and Bennet Davidson. Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson didn’t have a lot of depth, only having three bench players Jason Terry, Eugene Edgerson and Donnell Harris. Those three played to their strengths though and provided the needed minutes to give the starters a rest. Olson brilliantly substituted players when he felt it was necessary to mix things up and keep his players fresh.
Bibby came up clutch on numerous occasions throughout the tournament, not intimated at all by playing on such a big stage. As a freshman, how he handled himself, especially during the title game that went into OT, is something not often seen. Bibby finished the title game with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Simon, who was the MVP of the tournament, made it look so easy. He had 30 points and shot almost 44% from the field. Simon says championship! The rest of the team played their role to perfection. From Davidson leaping abilities to grab rebounds and put backs, to Edgerson’s tenacious style of defense and Terry knocking down three pointers, everything was going the Wildcats way. Dickerson and Bramlett both struggled in the title game, but each played consistent enough to help the Cats win the title.
To beat a No.1 once in the NCAA Tournament is quite the accomplish, but then to do it two more times is simply unimaginable. In this year’s tournament, Auburn came somewhat close to accomplishing this monumental task. They beat No.1 North Carolina in the Sweet 16, won over No.2 Kentucky, before losing to No.1 Virginia in the national semifinals.
Both luck and skill are required to win six games and the national championship. The Wildcats had both of those during their 1997 tournament run. Their first two opponents, Alabama and College of Charleston they had no problem with. In the third round, they found a way to stun No.1 Kansas by three points and then had an overtime victory over Providence. In the Final Four, they took care of business against North Carolina and then in overtime beat Kentucky to win the 1997 National Championship. What a tournament run!
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March Madness is one the most exciting things as a sports fan to watch. One and done. All it takes is to have a bad game and the season is over. For the 1997 Arizona Wildcat Basketball team they didn’t want their season to end and for their efforts put together the greatest run in NCAA Tournament history! Bear Down, Arizona!