Arizona had one of its most memorable wins in program history the last time it played Oklahoma State in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. All-American guard Salim Stoudemire made the game-winning shot with 2.3 seconds remaining to give Arizona a 79-78 win in the regional semifinals.
Stoudemire tied for Arizona game-high honors with 19 points with Hassan Adams, on 7-11 from the field and 4-7 on three-point attempts. The win propelled Arizona to the Regional Final where they lost to Illinois. Adams was also exceptional shooting 8-12 from the field and 3-4 on threes.
Arizona was exceptional as a team shooting 31-47 from the field and 7-14 on three-point attempts. Mustafa Shakur who missed his only shot attempt was the only Arizona player to shoot below 50 percent. Forward Ivan Radenovic made all five of his shots and Channing Frye made seven of 12 from the floor.
Frye added 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Arizona won despite taking 19 less shots than Oklahoma State and outrebounding the Cowboys 31-27. Oklahoma State had a chance to win on the final shot, but Arizona held on. The Cowboys made 10-23 three-point attempts and had only eight turnovers to eight for the Wildcats.
Frye scored 15 and Radenovic 13 to join Adams and Stoudemire in double figures. Joey Graham who scored only 15 points combined for Oklahoma State in their first two NCAA Tournament games led the Cowboys with 26 points and eight rebounds versus Arizona. Three other Cowboys scored in double figures.
Ivan McFarlin had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals, John Lucas III scored 13 and JamesOn Curry 11 points, two rebounds, seven assists and two steals for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys shot just 43.9 percent in the loss to Arizona. The 2005 game is the only postseason meeting between Arizona and Oklahoma State,
Arizona led 41-38 at halftime with Oklahoma State having a 40-38 advantage in the second half. Stoudemire scored the last 10 points for Arizona for the Wildcats to earn the fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament Regional Final in eight years. Arizona also defeated Oklahoma State in 1993 and 1994 on neutral courts in the regular season.