Arizona Basketball's March Madness resume following early Pac-12 Tournament exits

Made Elite Eight despite not appearing in championship game

The path of this iteration of the Wildcats is what the current group can hope to reach — if not exceed. Widely regarded as one of the better teams in program history, Arizona finished the regular season with just two losses. The No. 2-ranked and No. 1-seeded 'Cats and Lute Olson were treated to a rude awakening in their first game of the Pac-10 Tournament when No. 8 seed UCLA thwarted them 96-89 in overtime to move onto the Semifinals.

They were still (deservingly) treated to a No. 1 seed in the West Region, which the '24 'Cats likely won't, but the skill level differences between a No. 15 and No. 16 seed are negligible. Arizona handily dispatched Vermont in the first round with a resounding 80-51 thumping. The Round of 32 saw Arizona taking on No. 9 seed Gonzaga, which seems to be the path to the Sweet Sixteen again 21 years later. This win didn't come as easily, but Arizona still prevailed 96-95 after double overtime.

Arizona bounced back in a big way and beat No. 5 seed and No. 22-ranked Notre Dame by 18 points in an 89-71 win to move on to Elite Eight, where the run finally ended. The 'Cats fell just 3 points short against No. 2 seed, No. 6-ranked, and eventual NCAA Runner-up Kansas.

Made Sweet Sixteen despite not appearing in championship game

Arizona's 2023-24 team seems to fall somewhere in between where the 2002-03 team and the 2012-13 team finished. The latter form of the 'Cats finished the regular season ranked at No. 18 and with a 24-6 overall record. They managed to get through the First Round of the Pac-12 Tournament with a 10-point win over No. 5 seed Colorado before No. 1 seed and No. 21-ranked UCLA won by just 2 measly points to knock the 'Cats out of conference contention.

However, Arizona kicked it into another gear once big boy play came around and laid down a pair of double-digit smackdowns to open up March Madness. No. 6 seed and No. 21 ranked Arizona powered through No. 11 seed Belmont with a convincing 17-point win 81-64 in the Round of 64. In the Round of 32, Arizona laid the hammer on another team in the form of a 74-51 beatdown over Harvard.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Arizona was tasked with No. 2 seed and No. 7-ranked Ohio State. Despite the loss, Arizona played the Buckeyes hard and only fell 3 points short in the 73-70 decision. The 'Cats would have to settle for watching No. 9 seed Wichita State upset Ohio State on their miracle Final Four run.

This was the Russ Pennell year, and the waters were still choppy in Tucson while Olson was on the tail end of a leave of absence. This team didn't look all too great during conference play, starting 8-5 before dropping four straight and finishing at an even 9-9 to tie for fifth place in the conference. The 'Cats drew No. 23-ranked rival Arizona State led by James Harden in the Quarterfinals round and fell 12 points short in a one-and-done showing.

Despite the disheartening loss, Pennell helped to rally the troops for a respectable tournament run from the No. 12 seed. In the opening-round matchup, the Wildcats stunned No. 5 seed and No. 25-ranked Utah with a reassuring 84-71 win. In the second round, the 'Cats were handed a cakewalk against No. 9 seed Cleveland State and they walked through to the Sweet Sixteen with a 71-57 win.

The Cinderella story Wildcats saw the book abruptly closed on them when they ran into a buzz saw in the form of No. 1 seed Louisville. The Cardinals absolutely trashed Arizona 103-64, but making it through the first two rounds with an interim coach is something to note.

Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter, follow us at @ZonaZealotsFS on Instagram, and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!