| Arizona Wildcats men's basketball | |
| Current: | 2024–25 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team |
| University: | University of Arizona |
| Conference: | Big 12 |
| Location: | Tucson, Arizona |
| Record: | [1] |
| Athletic Director: | Desiree Reed-Francois |
| Coach: | Tommy Lloyd |
| Tenure: | 3rd |
| Arena: | McKale Center |
| Capacity: | 14,688 |
| Nickname: | Wildcats |
| Ncaachampion: | 1997 |
| Ncaarunnerup: | 2001 |
| Ncaafinalfour: | 1988, 1994, 1997, 2001 |
| Ncaaeliteeight: | 1976, 1988, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015 |
| Ncaasweetsixteen: | 1976, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2022, 2024 |
| Ncaaroundof32: | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2022, 2024 |
| Ncaatourneys: | 1951, 1976, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999*, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008*, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Conference Tournament: | 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2023 |
| Conference Season: | 1932, 1936, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1976, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2024 |
| H Pattern B: | _thinsidesonwhite |
| H Body: | 002147 |
| H Shorts: | 002147 |
| H Pattern S: | _blanksides2 |
| A Pattern B: | _thinwhitesides |
| A Body: | 002147 |
| A Shorts: | 002147 |
| A Pattern S: | _thinwhitesides |
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The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. They compete in the Big 12 of NCAA Division I and is coached by Tommy Lloyd. Arizona previously spent the past 50 seasons in the Pac-10/12.
The program came to national prominence during the tenure of former head coach Lute Olson (1983-2007), who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to U of A as "Point Guard U"[2] because the school has produced successful guards like Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Khalid Reeves, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner, Jerryd Bayless, and T. J. McConnell, among others.
From 1985 to 2009, the Arizona basketball team reached the NCAA Division I tournament for 25 consecutive years, tied for 3rd longest in NCAA history.[3] [4] [5] Despite having their 1999 and 2008 appearances later vacated by the NCAA, the media still cites Arizona's streak, and simply notes the changes.[6] [7] The Wildcats have reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament on four occasions (1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001). They have also made two appearances in the National Championship (won over Kentucky Wildcats in 1997, lost to Duke Blue Devils in 2001). In Pac-10 play, former head coach Lute Olson currently holds the record for most wins as a Pac-10 coach with 327.[8] In addition, the team has won 18 Pac-10/12 regular season championship titles and 9 Pac-10/12 tournament championship titles. Arizona also holds the distinction of recording five out of the seven 17–1 Pac-10 seasons (one-loss seasons). In 2022 Arizona became the first team in conference history to win 18 conference games in a season. No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10/12.
Arizona ranks eighteenth all-time heading into the 2024–25 season with 1,889 wins and ranks eight by winning percentage at .[9] Arizona has spent 39 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll, which is ninth-most all-time; 30 weeks at No. 2, ninth most all-time; 174 weeks in the Top 5, seventh all-time; 345 weeks in the Top 10, sixth all-time; and 607 weeks in the top 25, seventh all-time.[10]
The University of Arizona fielded its first men's basketball team in 1904–05. Orin Albert Kates coached the team and drew opponents from local YMCAs. The first game Arizona played ended in a 40–32 victory over the Morenci YMCA.[11]
In 1914, Arizona's first famous coach, James Fred "Pop" McKale was lured away from a teaching and coaching job at Tucson High School to take over as Athletic Director and coach basketball, football, baseball and track. McKale took things to a new level, posting a 9–0 record his first season as a basketball coach. Moreover, McKale elevated the program to intercollegiate play. While basketball was his least favorite of the many sports he coached while at U of A, he chalked up three undefeated seasons and a career-winning average of .803, which has never been bested by a U of A coach who has held the post for at least three years. The McKale Memorial Center, the main arena for Arizona basketball, is named in his honor.
From 1925 to 1961, the program was under the stewardship of Fred Enke, U of A's longest-tenured coach.[12] Coach Fred A. Enke was responsible for the early successes of Wildcat basketball. Enke amassed 509 wins in his tenure on the U of A sidelines and still ranks as the second-winningest coach in school history, winning more than 60 percent of his games. Enke also led the Cats to the first four postseason appearances (3 N.I.T./1 NCAA) in school history and in 1950–51 competed in both the N.I.T. and NCAA postseason tournaments. Finally, he was the first coach to lead Arizona to a national ranking. Two of his teams (1950, 1951) finished the season ranked in the top 15.
Under Enke, U of A competed in the now-defunct Border Conference. Under Enke's direction, Arizona won 12 conference championships, including a span in which the Cats won or shared seven consecutive Border Conference titles (1942–51). No Border Conference team won as many league games (231) or overall contests (398) during its membership. In 1962, Arizona joined the Western Athletic Conference as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.
Bruce Larson, a player and assistant under Enke before coaching at Eastern Arizona and Weber State, coached the Wildcats from 1961 to 1971, leading the school to a 136–148 record. Under his tenure, major planning began[13] for a larger and more modern basketball arena (which would become McKale Center) to replace the outdated Bear Down Gymnasium. Larson would later serve as an analyst on Wildcat football and basketball telecasts during the Lute Olson (and Dick Tomey) era.[14]
In 1972, Fred Snowden was hired as the head basketball coach, making Arizona the second Division I school and the first major program to hire an African American head coach.[15] [16] Known as "The Fox", Snowden brought the excitement back to Wildcat basketball during his 10 years on the Arizona sideline, averaging more than 80 points per game in six of his 10 years and topping the 100-point barrier 27 times. Snowden led Arizona to the NCAA tournament twice, in 1976 and 1977, getting as far as the Elite Eight in 1976 before losing to UCLA 82–66, a game after defeating UNLV in a Sweet Sixteen matchup. During the 1976 tournament, he also logged Arizona's first and only tournament wins until Lute Olson's hiring, beating John Thompson's Georgetown team 83–76. Snowden's 1976 team also won the school's only WAC championship title on a buzzer-beater by Gilbert Myles verses New Mexico, with the help of the spectacular play of Bob Elliott, Jim Rappis, and Al Fleming. In 1978, Coach Snowden helped transition the basketball program over to the newly formed Pac-10. Snowden could not sustain success in the Pac-10, however, finishing no higher than 4th place in the conference. His 9–18 final season led U of A to look for a replacement.
Known for his high-octane offense and remembered as a trailblazer, Fred "The Fox" Snowden brought excitement to Arizona basketball during his 10-year tenure as the program's head coach. Snowden, who led the Wildcats from 1972 to 1982, was the first African-American head basketball coach at an NCAA Division I institution, amassing a 167–108 mark. The 1973 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, his career winning percentage of .607 has been topped by only three U of A coaches since 1924. Nicknamed "The Fox" due to his cool demeanor, Snowden led Arizona to three postseason berths, including the 1975 National Commissioners’ Invitational Tournament and the 1976 and 1977 NCAA Tournaments. His best season came in 1976, when the Wildcats went 24–9, won the Western Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA West Regional Final. The Brewton, Ala., native was the head coach who led Arizona into the Pac-10 in the 1978–79 season, guiding the program for its first four seasons in the Conference. Snowden also oversaw the transition into the McKale Center after its opening in 1973. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Prior to his role at Arizona, Snowden was an assistant coach at Michigan. He also served on the coaching staff of his high school, Northwestern High School in Detroit, Mich., where he coached for five years after attending Wayne State University from 1954 to 1958. Snowden died in 1994 at the age of 57.
Athletic Director Dave Strack brought in Ben Lindsey to replace Fred Snowden in 1983, and on the surface, it seemed like a reasonable move. Lindsey had junior college expertise, having had a successful career at Grand Canyon University, where he won two national titles. What resulted, however, was nothing short of disaster. The 1983 team finished with the worst season in school history at 4–24, with only one Pac-10 win.
Newly hired U of A Athletic director Cedric Dempsey fired Lindsey after only one season and hired University of Iowa coach Lute Olson as his successor. U of A needed a coach with a history of quickly turning around programs, which Olson had done previously at Iowa. "I knew we had a tremendous amount of work to do", Olson recalled in a recent interview with Tucson Lifestyle. "The program was in shambles at that point, after the terrible year before..."
Under Olson, Arizona quickly rose to national prominence. Arizona won its first Pac-10 title in 1986, only three years after his arrival. That season set up an amazing 1987–88 season, which included taking the Great Alaska Shootout championship, the Valley Bank Fiesta Bowl Classic championship and the Pac-10 championship. Under players Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, and Sean Elliott, Arizona spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and made their first (and Olson's second) Final Four. While Arizona lost in the Final Four round, their play put the program on the map and launched Arizona's reign as a perennial Pac-10 and NCAA tournament contender. Sean Elliott was awarded the John R. Wooden Award on the season and would set the PAC-10 scoring record.
In 1997, Arizona defeated the University of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA national championship. Prior to winning the championship in 1997, Arizona stormed back from 10-point deficits in the Southeast Regional First round and Second Round against #13 South Alabama and #12 College of Charleston, respectively winning 65–57 and 73–69. The Southeast Regional semifinal pitted Arizona against overall #1 Kansas (34–1) which had defeated Arizona the year before in the 1996 West Regional semifinal. However, Arizona came out fast and stunned the Jayhawks 85–82, then prevailed in overtime against Providence 96–92 in the Elite Eight to clinch a berth in the Final Four. Arizona then beat #1 seed North Carolina 66–58 in the Final Four, which turned out to be Dean Smith's last game as a coach. Arizona also accomplished the unprecedented feat of beating three number one seeds in the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. This feat has never been accomplished by another team.
The year following the Championship season, 1998, Arizona returned all 5 starters (Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon, Bennett Davison, and A. J. Bramlett[17]) and were poised to make another run after receiving the #1 overall seed in the West, but were upset by Utah in the Elite 8.
In 1999, all 5 starters were lost to graduation or early entry to the NBA draft and Arizona's hopes of continuing its streak of consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament was in jeopardy until senior point guard Jason Terry (the 6th man the previous two seasons) elevated his game (receiving National Player of the Year honors) and continued the school's amazing streak.
In 2000, former Wildcat Jason Terry, stated that he received approximately $4,500 in cash, checks and wire transfers from New York sports agent Larry Fox, after his junior season.[18] The NCAA announced that as a result a one-game 1999 NCAA tournament appearance was formally vacated. In addition, Arizona asked Terry to repay the $45,363 in forfeited NCAA 1999 tournament revenue and banned him from the U of A Sports Hall of Fame, including a provision that his jersey would not be retired.[19] Terry's jersey was later retired in 2015.
2001 was one of the most challenging and rewarding years for the program. Lute Olson's wife Bobbi, well known to players and fans alike as a steadfast presence on the sidelines, died of cancer. The team, which had been a preseason pick by many to win the national title had to play without Olson for three weeks while Olson was on bereavement leave. The Cats vowed to dedicate their season to Bobbi. With guard Jason Gardner, center Loren Woods and forward Michael Wright — each an All-American — leading the way, the Cats trounced their opponents, beating Oregon 104–65, devastating USC 105–61, and charging through the Final Four. They took down Eastern Illinois, Butler, Mississippi, Illinois, and Michigan State, only to be stopped by Duke in the title game. While being considered the favorite to win the title, which would have been Coach Olson's 2nd and tied him with Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his opponent, the Blue Devils claimed a ten-point victory in the game. This is the last game Coach Olson ever coached in the Final Four and is considered by fans of the program to be his most bitter defeat. A championship would have vaulted him into hallowed ground among coaches, being one of few with multiple titles. Instead he remains tied with many coaches who have a single championship ring to their name. Meanwhile, his opponent in that game now is in second place among college coaches with five championship rings, behind only John Wooden's ten. All five of Krzyzewski's titles came in the 64 team field era; Wooden none. Still Coach Olson earned the respect of his contemporary, Coach K said in the post-game interview that "Arizona had a great team and an amazing season and was worthy of winning the championship, let's give a hand to Coach Olson and his team." The comment drew rousing applause from the audience in attendance and made Coach Olson proud, even in defeat, to be honored as an equal by Coach Krzyzewski who many claim is the best coach in college history.
In his later years at U of A, Olson fielded competitive teams with extremely talented point guards. Continuing the reputation and nickname "Point Guard U," recent standouts include Jason Gardner, Salim Stoudamire, Mustafa Shakur, Jerryd Bayless and Nic Wise. Arizona would win Olson's last Pac-10 title during the 2004–2005 season under the spectacular play of seniors Salim Stoudamire and center Channing Frye. That team also made it to the Elite 8 and the verge of the Final Four before blowing a 15-point lead with four minutes to play and losing in overtime, 90–89, to the No. 1 seed and eventual national runner-up, University of Illinois.[20]
Olson took an unexplained leave of absence at the beginning of the 2007–2008 season. Assistant coach Kevin O'Neill took over interim head coaching duties for the Arizona Wildcats. At that time, Olson announced that he intended to be back for the 2008–09 season and finish out his contract, which was scheduled to end in 2011.[21] His departure was criticized by some members of the media. They also questioned how he and the U of A athletic department handled his return and the verbal succession agreement with coach O'Neill.[22] However, on October 23, 2008, he unexpectedly announced his retirement from the program (by way of an announcement from Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood).[23] A few days later, Olson's personal physician held a press conference and explained that the retirement was strongly advised due to health concerns.[24] [25]
After Lute Olson's abrupt retirement, Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood appointed assistant coach Russ Pennell as the interim head coach for the 2008–2009 season 23 days before the start of the season.[26] The appointment came after Mike Dunlap, the associate head coach brought in to replace Kevin O'Neill, turned down the job. Under Pennell, the Cats finished 19–13 in the regular season, including a non-conference win over Kansas and a 7-game win streak with wins over UCLA and Washington. Despite a 19–13 finish to the season, Arizona was controversially selected as one of the last teams into the field of 65 as a 12th seed in the Midwest region, extending its NCAA consecutive tournament appearances to 25 years.[27] The Cats made it to the Sweet 16 (regional semi-finals) with wins over 5-seed Utah and 13-seed Cleveland State, before falling to overall 1-seed, Louisville.[28] Despite Pennell's post-season success, he was not retained, as Arizona announced before his hiring they would hold a national coaching search after the season ended. (On April 9, 2009, Pennell was hired as head coach of the men's basketball team at Division II Grand Canyon University, a member of the Pacific West Conference.)
Following Olson's retirement, reports of NCAA violations arose regarding payment of impermissible benefits to players and recruiting violations. In response, Arizona self-imposed sanctions that included a reduction in the number of recruiting visits by coaches and prospective players, the disbanding of a booster group, and implementation of a series of administrative and rules changes to prevent further violations.[29] The NCAA upheld most of those self-imposed sanctions but determined the school had used two ineligible players in 2007-08 and would have to vacate all wins involving those players and eliminate their statistics.[30] The NCAA reduced the number of scholarships and visits with recruits Arizona was allowed to make.[31] The NCAA found that Olson failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance at the university but decided against sanctioning the coach because he was retired and had health issues. "I think that was my fault," Olson said during a 2008 interview with ESPN.com. "That wasn't anyone else's fault. It was my error and it was a big error. But I guess in 26 years you are allowed to make a mistake once in a while anyway and that's not to say I haven't made a lot of them but in terms of that, that was a big mistake on my part."
After the end of the season, various coaching names were considered to succeed Lute Olson on a permanent basis. Arizona was perceived to have interest in Gonzaga's Mark Few, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon and then-Memphis coach John Calipari (before he accepted the vacant position at Kentucky) to take the job. Arizona even brought USC's Tim Floyd on campus for an interview and while Arizona claims no formal offer was ever presented, Floyd ultimately turned down the job publicly.
Arizona hired Sean Miller from Xavier University to fill the head coaching position. He initially turned the job down before changing his mind and accepting the job on Apr. 6, 2009 despite having never visited the Arizona campus.[32] Miller was formally introduced as the 13th head men's basketball coach at Arizona at a press conference on April 7, 2009, at McKale Center.[33] At the press conference, Miller acknowledged Lute Olson's impact on the Arizona program by addressing Olson personally: "One of the reasons I sit here today is because of the great legacy you built." Miller also promised U of A fans that they would enjoy the style of both offense and defense he would bring to Wildcat basketball. Miller's salary is $1.6 million per year; he will receive an additional $400,000 per season from Nike and media contracts during a five-year deal, as well as a $1 million signing bonus and other amenities such as season tickets to other Wildcat sporting events and the use of a private jet.[34] Within three months of joining the program, Miller compiled a strong five-player recruiting class that ranked 13th nationally in 2009.[35] After going 16–15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years during Miller's initial 2009–10 campaign.
In his second season as the head coach at Arizona, the Cats finished the season with 30–8, 14–4 Pac-12 play, behind the play of sophomore Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams.[36] It would be the Wildcats' first outright Pac-10 regular season title (its 12th overall), 4th 30+ win season (1st overall) and Elite Eight appearance (8th overall) since the 2004–2005 season. In addition, Miller led the Wildcats to their first unbeaten home record (17–0) in 14 years and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. This was the first time an Arizona coach received this honor since Lute Olson in 2003. The 17 wins without a loss at home is tied for the second-most in school history.[37] Miller would add to the season's success by guiding the Cats to their first Elite Eight appearance since the 2004–2005 Season as a 5-seed. In the second round, Arizona secured a 2-point victory over 12th seeded Memphis (coached by former Wildcat (and member of the 1997 national title team) Josh Pastner) with a blocked shot in the final seconds by Derrick Williams. Arizona would follow with another close game—a controversial one-point win against 4-seed Texas.[38] In the Sweet-16 match-up, Arizona found itself pitted against top-seeded Duke, the first time since the 2001 title game that the two schools had met. Duke would extend an early lead, but 25 points from Derrick Williams kept the Cats in the game and down by 6 points at the half.[39] In the second half, Williams' teammates picked up the slack, dominating the Blue Devils by scoring 55 second-half points and routing the defending champs 93–77. Arizona's run at the Final Four would fall 2 points short, losing to 3-seed (and eventual national champion) Connecticut 65–63.
For his third season, Arizona's 2011 recruiting class was ranked 7th, notably signing Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner. Arizona secured three players in the top nine of the ESPNU 100, with all four newly signed players within the top 36. This has cemented Arizona as the No. 1 signing class nationally, surpassing Kentucky who held the No. 1 spot 2010 and 2011.[40] [41] [42] The Wildcats missed the postseason for the second time, reached to the NIT Tournament before falling to Bucknell to finish the season 23–12 overall, 12–6 in Pac-12.
In his fourth season, Miller guided to its second top-5 ranking in the AP poll (the first coming in weeks 7–10 of the 2012–2013 season[43]), Arizona reached the Sweet 16 in 2013 falling to Ohio State, finished the season with 27–8, 12–6 in Pac-12.
In his fifth season with the most talent Coach Miller has had since arriving in Tucson. On December 9, 2013, Arizona became the #1 ranked Team in the Country for the 6th time in school history, after a 9–0 start with wins over traditional national powerhouses Duke and UNLV. The Wildcats followed this up by securing a key come-from-behind victory on the road at Michigan on December 14 and led the Wildcats to their second outright Pac-12 Regular Season Title (its 13th overall, 26th regular season overall) in Sean Miller's fifth year as the head coach. Arizona reached the second unbeaten home record at (18–0), Coach Miller again named the second Pac-10/12 coach of the year, 5th 30+ wins season (2nd overall), 2nd Elite Eight appearance (9th overall) in 2014. But in the 2014 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats would fall to Wisconsin in overtime, they finish the season with 33–5, 15–3 in Pac-12.
In his sixth season as the Arizona Wildcats basketball head coach, after Gonzaga's home loss to BYU on February 28, 2015, Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball (38th home win at 2nd all-time, 82nd home win at 5th all-time). Arizona defeated #13 Utah in Salt Lake City the same day, winning its share of the Pac-12 regular season title. After three losses to Pac-12 archrival Arizona State, Oregon State and UNLV, Arizona won their third Pac-12 regular season championship title (2nd straight year, its 14th overall, 27th overall). Arizona reached the third unbeaten home record at (17–0). The Wildcats completes their sixth ever 30+ win (3rd overall) and won their first Pac-12 Tournament title (5th overall) since 2002. In the 2015 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in Elite Eight, 85–78, and finished the season 34–4, 16–2 in the Pac-12.[44]
In his seventh season, they finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to tie with California for third place. They defeated Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Oregon. In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, as a 6-seed in the South Region. They lost in the first round to Wichita State.
In his eighth season at U of A, AP polls & 81-straight coaches polls. The 97-consecutive weeks in the AP poll is currently the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas at 161 weeks.[1] They have been ranked every week in the 2016–2017 season, bringing those totals to 97 weeks for the AP & 100 weeks for the coaches poll. Arizona won its first 10 conference games, the best start since the '97-'98 season when they started 16–0. They finished the season at seventh ever 30+ wins with 32–5, tied at 16–2 with Oregon in Pac-12 play for first place to win their 3rd Pac-12 regular season championship title for the 15th time (28th overall). The Wildcats entered the Pac-12 Tournament as a 2-seed, the Wildcats defeated 7-seed Colorado in the quarterfinals, 3-seed UCLA in the semifinals and 1-seed Oregon in the championship game, Wildcats won their 2nd Pac-12 Tournament championship title for the 6th time. In the 2017 NCAA Tournament, as a 2-seed in the West regional, Arizona defeated the 15-seed North Dakota 100–82 in the first round, 7-seed Saint Mary's 69–60 in the second round and losing to Xavier 71–73 in the Sweet Sixteen.
As Miller's ninth season as the head coach at Arizona was about to get underway, federal prosecutors announced, on September 26, 2017, bribery, soliciting a bribe and wire fraud charges against assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson as part of a far-reaching, college basketball-wide scandal.[45] Perhaps in part due to the ongoing scandal, the Wildcats ranked No. 2 in the country at one point, lost three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.[46] [47] Arizona would eventually fire Richardson for his role in the scandal and the team would recover to lead the Pac 12 for the majority of the season.[48] On February 24, 2018, Associate head coach Lorenzo Romar was temporarily named head coach after news broke the previous day that Miller had been caught on an FBI wiretap offering to pay players to come to Arizona.[49] [50] On March 1, Miller held a joint press conference with the university denying all allegations and stating he would be retained as men's head basketball coach. That same night, the Wildcats won their 29th regular season conference title, 16th in the Pac-12, and secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament by defeating Stanford 75–67. On March 10, Arizona defeated USC to win a record seventh conference tournament title. As a result, the Wildcats received an automatic bid to their sixth straight NCAA tournament (35th NCAA tournament appearance, 12th all time) as the No. 4 seed in the South regional. The Wildcats, a trendy pick to make the Final Four and win the championship were blown out in the first round by No. 13 seed Buffalo, losing 89–68.[51]
2018–2019 marked the tenth season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Arizona replaced all 5 starting players, 3 via the NBA draft. After a victory against UTEP, Miller recorded his 250th win for Arizona (370th win overall), in only 324 games, which was the 5th fastest of any coach at any Division 1 program all-time.[52] On January 5, 2019, Arizona won its 600th game in the McKale center with an 84–81 overtime victory over Utah.[53] Arizona became the first Pac-12 team to achieve 100 wins against conference opponents since the conference expanded to 12 teams before the 2011 season, after defeating Stanford 75−70 Jan. 9, 2019.[54] The Wildcats would go on to finish the season in Pac-12 play 8–10, 9th place overall & lose their first round Pac-12 Tournament match up against USC, 65−78.[55] They would end the season with an overall record of 17–15 & decline an invitation to the CBI.
2019–2020 marked the eleventh season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Despite again losing all 5 starting players, Arizona would bring in the 6th overall best recruiting class & ranked pre-season 21st by the AP Poll.[56] [57] Arizona would open the season 9–0, capped off by winning the Wooden Legacy tournament located in Anaheim, California led by tournament MVP Nico Mannion & defeated Wake Forest 73–66.[58] Arizona finished non-conference play ranked 16th with an overall record of 10–3. On February 1, 2020, Miller would win his 400th overall game of his career in a 75−70 over USC to move their record to 16–6 & 6–3 in conference play.[59] They would defeat Stanford in Maples Pavilion for the conferences longest active streak 20th time, 69–60.[60] Arizona would finish the regular season with an overall record of 20–11 & 10–8 in conference play, which was good for 5th. The Wildcats would face 12 seed Washington in their first-round match up & win 77–70, to set up a second-round matchup versus 4 seed USC.[61] The season would end due to the COVID-19 Pandemic which shut down sports globally & end the 2019–20 season.[62] Arizona would have an overall record 21–11 & were a projected 7 seed but could have moved higher pending the remainder of the Pac-12 tournament.[63]
In 2020–21, Arizona would begin its twelfth season under Head Coach Sean Miller. The Pac-12 announced before the season started that schools would not allow for fans to be in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[64] Also due to travel restrictions, financial impact & COVID-19 testing, Arizona was forced to cancel non-conference match ups against pre-season top 5 teams, Gonzaga & Illinois,[65] as well as cancel their appearance in the 2020 NIT Season Tip-Off[66] in Brooklyn against top 15 ranked Texas Tech, Cincinnati & St. John's. In total Arizona would have 14 games cancelled, postponed or rescheduled but none of which were due to COVID-19 issues within the Arizona Wildcat program.
This season also marked the introduction of expanded Pac-12 play with each team adding two games, one home & one road, during the months of November & December for a total of 20 with the Wildcats adding games at home against Colorado & on the road against Stanford.[67] Arizona again would replace the entire starting 5 for a third straight season but bring in another top 10 recruiting class, 7th overall led by six international players from Canada, Estonia, France, Lithuania & Turkey, as well as the United States.[68] Arizona would finish non-conference play with an overall record of 6–0 against its opponents. Arizona would lose its opening Pac-12 game against Stanford 75–78 which would snap the Wildcats' 20-game winning streak against the Cardinal.[69]
Following 88–74 victory over Colorado, the Wildcats' announced a Self-Imposed one-year postseason ban, which included the 2021 Pac-12 tournament.[70]
On February 20, Sean Miller would win his 300th game at Arizona in only his 408th, 3rd fastest for any coach at any Pac-12 school by defeating the #17 USC Trojans by a score of 81–72.[71] During the halftime of match up against Washington, Arizona would induct former players Ernie McCray (1958–60) & Al Fleming (1972–76) as the 26th & 27th members of the program's Ring of Honor.[72] Arizona would end the season with an overall record of 17–9 overall and finish 5th in the conference at 11–9 but because of their self-imposed ban would not participate in the conference tournament. Many bracketologists stated that Arizona would have been an NCAA tournament team if not for the self-imposed ban.[73]
In March 2021, a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, originally issued in October 2020 at the conclusion of the NCAA's initial investigation, was released to the media by the university after a lawsuit was filed by ESPN; the school received five Level I violations, considered the NCAA's most serious, one specifically against Miller for failing to monitor his assistant coaches accused of academic misconduct and other rules violations. None of the allegations included anything regarding former player Deandre Ayton.[74]
On April 7, 2021, Arizona fired Sean Miller after 12 years.[75] Miller at the time had finished his coaching career with an overall record of 302–109, five regular–season Pac-12 championships, three conference tournament titles & seven NCAA appearances.[76] His 302 wins were the 3rd most in school history. The NCAA along with the IARP would vacate 32 wins from the 2016–17 season and 18 wins from the 2017–18 season, for a total of 50 wins. It would bring his all-time record to 252–109 and his 252 wins would remain the 3rd most in school history.[77]
After the university decided to part ways with Sean Miller, various coaching names were considered to succeed him on a permanent basis. Three former Wildcats who played under Lute Olson – Damon Stoudamire (head coach at the University of the Pacific), Miles Simon (assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers), and Josh Pastner (head coach at Georgia Tech), as well as Arkansas' Eric Musselman, were under speculation to take the job.[78] On April 14, 2021, it was announced that Tommy Lloyd, the longtime top assistant coach at Gonzaga under Mark Few, would become the 18th head coach of Arizona men's basketball. Both Lloyd and Few have been heavily influenced by the European style of basketball (and a focus on recruiting international players), as well as the uptempo, player-focused offense as implemented at Arizona under Lute Olson.[79] A formal press conference was held at McKale Center on April 15 to introduce Lloyd as the head coach.[80] [81] [82] Coach Lloyd got his first victory as a head coach versus the Wildcats' in-state rival Northern Arizona 81–52. His 29-point victory versus NAU was the second largest margin in a coach's debut in school history & largest since 1915.[83] He would win his first Pac-12 game on December 12, 2021, against Oregon State, 90–65.[84] Coach Lloyd & Arizona would go on to lose their first game of his career & season in Knoxville, 73–77 against no. 19 Tennessee.[85]
The Wildcats would finish the regular season undefeated on their home court at McKale Center for the 2021–22 campaign, one of only five programs in the nation to do so.[86] The Wildcats would be led by sophomore guards Bennedict Mathurin, Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry, as well as junior center Christian Koloko and sophomore forward Ąžuolas Tubelis. Coach Lloyd & the Wildcats would win their 1st regular season conference title under Lloyd & 17th overall as a program with a 91–71 road win over USC. In the season finale Arizona would defeat California 89–61, becoming the first program & coach to win 18 conference games in the Pac-12 in one season. Arizona clinched the top seed in the 2022 Pac-12 tournament; they would go on to defeat No. 9 seed Stanford 84–80,[87] No. 4 seed Colorado 82–72[88] & No. 2 seed (No. 16 in the AP poll) UCLA 84–76 to win their 8th overall conference tournament title & Coach Tommy Lloyd's 1st.[89] Following the end of the Pac-12 season Lloyd was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year.[90] Arizona finished the Pac-12 portion of the season with a 31–3 record, earning a number 2 ranking in both the AP & coaches poll. Following the Pac-12 tournament title win, Arizona was selected as the second overall number 1 seed in the South Regional of the 2022 March Madness Tournament where they would go on to play 16 seed Wright State in their first round matchup. Arizona reached its 20th "Sweet 16" by defeating TCU in overtime 85–80.[91] The Wildcats' season would end with a Sweet 16 loss to Houston 72–60.[92] Lloyd was named as a finalists for the Naismith Award.[93] Following the end of the season Coach Lloyd won the AP Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year & USBWA Coach of the Year.[94] [95]
Arizona would begin the 2022–23 Season by winning the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament by defeating Cincinnati, No. 17 San Diego State, No. 10 Creighton as well as non-conference games against No. 14 Indiana in the Las Vegas Clash & No. 6 Tennessee in McKale. Arizona & Coach Lloyd would end the non-conference part of the schedule with a record of 12–0. Lloyd would become the fastest coach to 50 wins, doing so in 57 games, with a 58–52 win over their rival No. 5 UCLA, it was Arizona's 5th win over a ranked team during the season.[96] Arizona would end the season losing to their rival in Los Angeles, 73–82, giving them an overall record of 25–6 & 14–6 in conference play. They would enter postseason play ranked No. 8 overall & the No. 2 in the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Arizona defeated No. 10 seed Stanford Cardinal 95–84, which was his 59th career win, the most of any head coach to start their coaching career.[97] Arizona defeated Arizona State in the Semifinals, 78–59. Arizona then defeated rivals UCLA 61–59 to win Arizona's ninth conference tournament title overall, and the second title in a row. Arizona earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with a first round match up against Ivy League Champion and No. 15 seed Princeton. Arizona was upset 55–59, ending their season with an overall record of 28–7.
Arizona began the 3rd season under Lloyd ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll. They had several non-conference match ups against ranked opponents defeating No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium 78–73, No. 21 Michigan State 74–68, No. 21 Wisconsin 98–73, suffered defeats against No. 3 Purdue 84–92 and No. 14 Florida Atlantic 95–96. The Wildcats entered Pac-12 play with a 9–2 record and were ranked No. 4 in the country but suffered their first conference loss on the road against unranked Stanford 82–100. Arizona would go on to sweep the season series against rivals Arizona State and UCLA, finish the regular season with a record of 24–7(15–5) to win their 18th Pac-12 regular season title. Caleb Love won the schools 11th overall Pac-12 Player of the Year and was named second and third team all-American. Arizona lost their semifinal matchup in the Pac-12 tournament against eventual winners Oregon 59–67. Arizona earned a second straight No. 2 seed in the West Region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, with a first round matchup against Big West Champion and No. 15 seed Long Beach State. Arizona defeated Long Beach 85–66 in the round of 64, defeated No. 7 Dayton 78–68 to reach their second Sweet Sixteen in three years but lost to No. 6 Clemson 72–77 ending their season with an overall record of 27–9. Coach Lloyd was one win shy of tying Brad Stevens record of 89 wins in a head coaches first three years as head coach. This would also mark Arizona's 50th and final season as members of the Pac-12 Conference, as they will move to the Big 12 Conference to start the 2024-25 season.
Under Tommy Lloyd
See also: Arizona–Arizona State men's basketball rivalry.
Since Arizona State became a University on December 5, 1958, Arizona leads ASU 81–58. Since both schools joined the Pac-10 conference in the 1978–79 season Arizona leads ASU 67–30. Since Lute Olson took over as head coach for the 1983–84 season Arizona leads ASU 65–20. Sean Miller took over for the 2009–2010 season Arizona & finished with a 17–7 record against ASU. Tommy Lloyd is 6–1 all time versus ASU.
The most recent matchup came in Tempe, AZ on February 28, 2024, with Arizona winning 85–67. The largest margin of victory between the two teams occurred on February 17, 2024, with Arizona winning 105-60. Arizona leads the all-time series with 161–87.
See also: Arizona–UCLA men's basketball rivalry.
Since then, the two schools competed for the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Championship every year, with the two teams winning 24 out of the 32 conference titles, and 9 of 18 conference tournament titles. Arizona clinched their first conference title in 1986, when they won on the road at UCLA in Olson's third season.[98] [99] The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry is still seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference.[100] Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference. California Coach Mike Montgomery has stated, "...If those two are not good, the conference is not perceived as being good. People don't give credit to the schools across the board in the league." Since the mid-1980s, Arizona has also had a basketball rivalry with UCLA, as the two schools competed for the Pac-10 Championship every year. Since 1985 the two teams have combined to win 26 out of the 36 conference titles. The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry still is seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference. Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference.[101]
The most recent matchup came March 7, 2024, where Arizona beat UCLA 88–66. Arizona Wildcats trailed the all-time series lead by UCLA with 63–50.
| Arizona State (in-state) | 161–87 | Dec 13, 1913 (Arizona 41–17) | Feb 28, 2024 (Arizona 85–67) | 92–31 | 67–55 | 2–1 | Arizona–Arizona State | |
| UCLA | 50–63 | Feb 19, 1923 (UCLA 43–30) | March 7, 2024 (Arizona 88–65) | 28–18 | 15–38 | 7–7 | Arizona–UCLA | |
| Total | 211–150 | 1913 | Present | 120–49 | 82–93 | 9–8 | N/A |
See main article: Arizona Wildcats men's basketball head coaches, List of Arizona Wildcats in the NBA Draft and Honored Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players.
The Wildcats have had 18 coaches in their 116-year history. To date, one Wildcats’ coach has won the National Coach-of-the-Year award: Lute Olson twice, in 1988 and 1990. Additionally, 3 Wildcats coaches have been named Pac-12 Conference Coach-of-the-Year: Lute Olson in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2003, Sean Miller in 2011, 2014, and 2017, and Tommy Lloyd in 2022.
Coaches
Their has been seven Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that have represented four different countries eight total times in basketball (Budinger was an Olympian in Volleyball) in the Summer Olympics:
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The following Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players and coaches have represented their country in basketball in international competition (excluding Olympics):
|
|
| Aaron Gordon | Denver Nuggets | 2013–14 | 3x NBA Dunk Contest participant (2016, 2017 & 2020), NBA Champion(2023) | |
| T. J. McConnell | Indiana Pacers | 2013–15 | ||
| Lauri Markkanen | Utah Jazz | 2016–17 | NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2018), NBA All-Star (2023), NBA Most Improved Player Award (2023) | |
| Deandre Ayton | Portland Trail Blazers | 2017–18 | First Arizona Wildcat to be selected 1st overall, NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2019) | |
| Brandon Williams | Dallas Mavericks | 2018–19 | ||
| Josh Green | Charlotte Hornets | 2019–20 | Australia – 2020 Summer Olympics – Bronze medal | |
| Zeke Nnaji | Denver Nuggets | 2019–20 | NBA Champion(2023) | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | Indiana Pacers | 2020–22 | Rising Stars Challenge (2023, 2024), NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2023) | |
| Dalen Terry | Chicago Bulls | 2020–22 | ||
| Keshad Johnson | Miami Heat | 2023–24 | Two-way contract with the Sioux Falls Skyforce | |
| Pelle Larsson | Miami Heat | 2021–24 |
| Justin Kier | Austin Spurs | 2021–22 | ||
| Keshad Johnson | Sioux Falls Skyforce | 2023–24 | Two-way contract | |
| Brandon Randolph | College Park Skyhawks | 2017–19 |
14 different NBA championships have been won by 15 Wildcats players. Since the NBA draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, 47 Arizona players have been selected. Former Wildcats have had successful NBA careers, totaling over $1.8 billion in total contracts through the 2024–2025 NBA season Former Wildcat players have been drafted by every current NBA Franchise except the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz.
| Morris Udall | ... | ... | 1948 | Denver Nuggets (NBL) | |
| Lincoln Richmond | ... | ... | 1948 | Fort Wayne Pistons | |
| Leon Blevins | 7 | 79 | 1950 | Indianapolis Olympians | |
| Leo Johnson | 5 | 44 | 1951 | Ft. Wayne Pistons | |
| Roger Johnson | ... | ... | 1952 | Milwaukee Hawks | |
| Ernie McCray | 17 | 95 | 1960 | Cincinnati Royals | |
| Warren Rustand | 4 | 31 | 1965 | San Francisco Warriors | |
| Bill Davis | 12 | 160 | 1968 | Phoenix Suns | |
| Michael Foster | ... | ... | 1970 | Indiana Pacers (ABA) | |
| Tom Lee | 9 | 147 | 1971 | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Eddie Myers | 10 | 160 | 1971 | Baltimore Bullets (ABA) | |
| Bill Warner | 11 | 170 | 1971 | Buffalo Braves (ABA) | |
| Bruce Anderson | 7 | 101 | 1972 | Detroit Pistons | |
| Eric Money | 2 | 33 | 1974 | Detroit Pistons (ABA) | |
| Coniel Norman | 3 | 37 | 1974 | Philadelphia 76ers (ABA) | |
| Al Fleming | 2 | 30 | 1976 | Phoenix Suns | |
| James Rappis | 5 | 77 | 1976 | Milwaukee Bucks | |
| Bob Elliott | 2 | 42 | 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Herman Harris | 2 | 43 | 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Jerome Gladney | 8 | 164 | 1977 | San Antonio Spurs | |
| Phil Taylor | 10 | 198 | 1978 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Larry Demic | 1 | 9 | 1979 | New York Knicks | |
| Joe Nehls | 7 | 152 | 1980 | Houston Rockets | |
| Ron Davis | 4 | 79 | 1981 | Washington Bullets | |
| Robbie Dosty | 6 | 148 | 1981 | Golden State Warriors | |
| Frank Smith | 8 | 177 | 1983 | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Leon Wood | 1 | 10 | 1984 | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Pete Williams | 4 | 89 | 1985 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Eddie Smith | 7 | 158 | 1985 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Tom Tolbert | 2 | 34 | 1988 | Charlotte Hornets | |
| Steve Kerr | 2 | 50 | 1988 | Phoenix Suns | |
| Sean Elliott | 1 | 3 | 1989 | San Antonio Spurs | |
| Anthony Cook | 1 | 24 | 1989 | Phoenix Suns | |
| Jud Buechler | 2 | 38 | 1990 | Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Brian Williams | 1 | 10 | 1991 | Orlando Magic | |
| Sean Rooks | 2 | 30 | 1992 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| Chris Mills | 1 | 22 | 1993 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Ed Stokes | 2 | 35 | 1993 | Miami Heat | |
| Khalid Reeves | 1 | 12 | 1994 | Miami Heat | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1 | 7 | 1995 | Toronto Raptors | |
| Joseph Blair | 2 | 35 | 1996 | Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Ben Davis | 2 | 43 | 1996 | Phoenix Suns | |
| Reggie Geary | 2 | 56 | 1996 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Mike Bibby | 1 | 2 | 1998 | Vancouver Grizzlies | |
| Michael Dickerson | 1 | 14 | 1998 | Houston Rockets | |
| Miles Simon | 2 | 42 | 1998 | Orlando Magic | |
| Jason Terry | 1 | 10 | 1999 | Atlanta Hawks | |
| A. J. Bramlett | 2 | 39 | 1999 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Richard Jefferson | 1 | 13 | 2001 | Houston Rockets | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2 | 31 | 2001 | Golden State Warriors | |
| Michael Wright | 2 | 39 | 2001 | New York Knicks | |
| Loren Woods | 2 | 46 | 2001 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Luke Walton | 2 | 32 | 2003 | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Andre Iguodala | 1 | 9 | 2004 | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| Channing Frye | 1 | 8 | 2005 | New York Knicks | |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2 | 31 | 2005 | Atlanta Hawks | |
| Hassan Adams | 2 | 54 | 2006 | New Jersey Nets | |
| Marcus Williams | 2 | 33 | 2007 | San Antonio Spurs | |
| Jerryd Bayless | 1 | 11 | 2008 | Indiana Pacers | |
| Jordan Hill | 1 | 8 | 2009 | New York Knicks | |
| Chase Budinger | 2 | 44 | 2009 | Detroit Pistons | |
| Derrick Williams | 1 | 2 | 2011 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Solomon Hill | 1 | 23 | 2013 | Indiana Pacers | |
| Grant Jerrett | 2 | 40 | 2013 | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Aaron Gordon | 1 | 4 | 2014 | Orlando Magic | |
| Nick Johnson | 2 | 42 | 2014 | Houston Rockets | |
| Stanley Johnson | 1 | 8 | 2015 | Detroit Pistons | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 1 | 23 | 2015 | Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 1 | 7 | 2017 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Kadeem Allen | 2 | 53 | 2017 | Boston Celtics | |
| Deandre Ayton | 1 | 1 | 2018 | Phoenix Suns | |
| Josh Green | 1 | 18 | 2020 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| Zeke Nnaji | 1 | 22 | 2020 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Nico Mannion | 2 | 48 | 2020 | Golden State Warriors | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 1 | 6 | 2022 | Indiana Pacers | |
| Dalen Terry | 1 | 18 | 2022 | Chicago Bulls | |
| Christian Koloko | 2 | 33 | 2022 | Toronto Raptors | |
| Pelle Larsson | 2 | 44 | 2024 | Houston Rockets |
A total of 33 NBA championships have been won by 15 former Wildcats, consisting of 15 different finals years (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023). 7 of the last 10 championship teams have had a former Wildcat as a player and/or coaching staff member on the team.
Former Wildcats have played in 22 of the last 29 finals and have coached in 7 of the last 10 finals.
| Andre Iguodala (2002–04) | 2015, 2016 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 | Golden State Warriors (4), Miami Heat | |
| Steve Kerr (1983–88) | 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 | Chicago Bulls (3), San Antonio Spurs (2) | |
| Richard Jefferson (1998–01) | 2002, 2003, 2016, 2017 | New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Luke Walton (1999-03) | 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) | |
| Jud Buechler (1986–90) | 1996, 1997, 1998 | Chicago Bulls (3) | |
| Channing Frye (2001–05) | 2016, 2017 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Jason Terry (1995–99) | 2006, 2011 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| Deandre Ayton (2017–18) | Phoenix Suns | ||
| Mike Bibby (1996–98) | 2011 | Miami Heat | |
| Ben Davis (1994–96) | 1999 | New York Knicks | |
| Bison Dele (1988–91) | 1997 | Chicago Bulls | |
| Sean Elliott (1984–89) | 1999 | San Antonio Spurs | |
| Al Fleming (1972–76) | Seattle SuperSonics | ||
| Aaron Gordon (2013–14) | 2023 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Solomon Hill (2009–13) | Miami Heat | ||
| Josh Green (2019–20) | Dallas Mavericks | ||
| Zeke Nnaji (2019–20) | 2023 | Denver Nuggets | |
| Brandon Williams (2018–19) | 2024 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| Derrick Williams (2009–11) | 2017 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Steve Kerr (1983–88) | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 | Golden State Warriors (4) | |
| Bruce Fraser (1984–87) | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 | Golden State Warriors (4) | |
| Luke Walton (1999-03) | 2015, 2016 | Golden State Warriors | |
| Bret Brielmaier (2004–08) | 2016 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Quinton Crawford (2011–13) | 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Miles Simon (1994–98) | 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers |
Honors, awards, and accomplishments
The individual honors, awards, and accomplishments listed in the succeeding subsections are aggregated by player in the following table. Players with only all-conference honors (other than conference player of the year), lower than first-team All-America honors, or later than second-round draft positions are not included.
| Deandre Ayton | 2017–18 | First Wildcat selected 1st Overall, 2019 & 2020 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 7 NBA Seasons | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 1999–01 | 2003 Rookie Challenge, 3-time NBA All-Star, NBA Most Improved Player Award, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2006 & 2007), 11 NBA Seasons | |
| Mike Bibby | 1996–98 | 2000 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 2-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2000 & 2009), 14 NBA Seasons | |
| Jud Buechler | 1986–90 | 3-time NBA champion, 11 NBA seasons | |
| Bison Dele (Brian Williams) | 1989–90 | NBA champion, 7 NBA seasons | |
| Sean Elliott | 1985–89 | 2-time NBA All-Star, NBA champion, 12 NBA seasons | |
| Channing Frye | 2001–05 | NBA champion, 2006 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 1-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2010), 15 NBA seasons | |
| Aaron Gordon | 2013–14 | 3x NBA Dunk Contest participant (2016, 2017 & 2020), NBA champion, 11 NBA seasons | |
| Josh Green | 2019–20 | 2x Australian Olympian – 2020 Summer Olympics, 2024 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medal (2020), 5 NBA Seasons | |
| Andre Iguodala | 2002–04 | 4x NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, 2005 & 2006 Rookie Challenge, 2012 NBA All-Star, NBA All-Defensive First Team, NBA All-Defensive Second Team, NBA All-Rookie First Team, NBA Rookie Challenge MVP, United States – 2012 Summer Olympics – Gold Medal, 19 NBA seasons | |
| Richard Jefferson | 1998–01 | NBA champion, 2003 Rookie Challenge, NBA All-Rookie Second Team, United States – 2004 Summer Olympics – Bronze Medal, 18 NBA Seasons | |
| Steve Kerr | 1983–88 | 5x NBA champion as Player, 4x NBA champion as Coach, 4-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant & 1-time winner(1997), 2016 NBA Coach of the Year, NBA All-Star Game Head Coach (2015 & 2017), All-time leader in 3 Point FG %, Most Single Season Wins by a Coach (73 Wins), 1st All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Win %(.707), Highest Single Post Season Win % (.933), 7th All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Wins (99), T-3rd All-time leader in Coaching Post Season Conference Title Games (6), 6th All-time leader in Coaching NBA Finals Wins (4), Head Coach of Team USA Basketball | |
| Kenny Lofton | 1985–89 | 6-time MLB All Star, 4-time Gold Glove Award, 17 MLB seasons | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2016–17 | NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2018), 2018 & 2019 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Star (2023), NBA Most Improved Player Award (2023), 1-time NBA 3 Point Contest participant(2023), 7 NBA Seasons | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 2020–22 | 2023 Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (2023), 3 NBA Seasons | |
| Chris Mills | 1989–93 | 1994 Rookie Challenge, 10 NBA Seasons | |
| Eric Money | 1972–74 | 456. Slam the 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time, 6 NBA Seasons | |
| Khalid Reeves | 1990–94 | 1995 Rookie Challenge, 6 NBA Seasons | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1991–95 | 1996 Rookie Challenge, NBA Rookie of the Year Award, NBA All-Rookie First Team, 13 NBA seasons | |
| Jason Terry | 1995–99 | 2001 Rookie Challenge, NBA champion, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, NBA All-Rookie Second Team, 18 NBA seasons – All-time leading scorer of Arizona players in NBA, 7th most made 3pt Field Goals all time, 10th in Games played | |
| Mo Udall | 1941–42, 46–48 | Former member U.S. Congress (30 years) | |
| Derrick Williams | 2009–2011 | 2012 Rookie Challenge, 7 NBA Seasons | |
| Leon Wood | 1979–80 | United States – 1984 Summer Olympics – Gold medal, 7 NBA seasons |
Source:
| 1989 | |||
| Sean Elliott | 1989 | ||
| Naismith Player of the Year | 1997 | ||
| Naismith Player of the Year | 1997 | ||
| 2000 |
| NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player | 1997 | ||
| Frank Hessler Award | 2000 | ||
| 2015 | |||
| 2018 |
Conference honors and awards (players)
| Sean Elliott | 1988 | |
| Sean Elliott (2) | 1989 | |
| 1993 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| Mike Bibby | 1998 | |
| Jason Terry | 1999 | |
| 2011 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | |
| 2022 | ||
| 2024 |
| Sean Elliott | 1986 | |
| Mike Bibby | 1997 | |
| 1999 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| Derrick Williams | 2010 | |
| 2014 | ||
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | |
| 2020 |
| 2022 | |||
| Christian Koloko | 2022 | ||
| 2023 | |||
| Jordan Brown | 2021 | ||
| Pelle Larsson | 2022 | ||
| Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year | Stone Gettings | 2020 |
| Sean Elliott | 1988 | |
| Sean Elliott (2) | 1989 | |
| Jud Buechler & Matt Muehlebach | 1990 | |
| 2002 | ||
| Salim Stoudamire | 2005 | |
| 2015 | ||
| 2017 | ||
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | |
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 |
Arizona has had 32 All-American All-Americans selections. Arizona has 7 players selected as Consensus First Team All-Americans 8 times. They have also had 6 players selected as Consensus Second Team All-Americans. 14 Arizona players have received AP All-America honorable mention.
| Sean Elliott | 1988 | |
| Sean Elliott (2) | 1989 | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1995 | |
| Mike Bibby | 1998 | |
| Miles Simon | 1998 | |
| Jason Terry | 1998 | |
| Nick Johnson | 2014 | |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 |
| Khalid Reeves | 1994 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2003 | |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2005 | |
| Derrick Williams | 2011 | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 2022 | |
| Ąžuolas Tubelis | 2023 |
| Roger Johnson | Helms Foundation 3rd Team (1951) | |
| Bob Elliott | Basketball Weekly &<br /> Helms Foundation/Citizen's Savings 3rd Team (1976) | |
| Bob Elliott (2) | Basketball Weekly &<br /> Helms Foundation/Citizen's Savings 1st Team (1977) | |
| AP 2nd Team & NABC 3rd Team (1988) | ||
| Chris Mills | Basketball Weekly 2nd Team &<br /> AP, Basketball Times, NABC & UPI 3rd Team (1993) | |
| AP 3rd Team (1998) | ||
| Jason Gardner | Basketball Times 3rd Team (2000) | |
| AP & ESPN 3rd Team (2001) | ||
| ESPN 3rd Team & AP Honorable Mention (2001) | ||
| Jason Gardner | Basketball America 2nd Team &<br /> AP, NABC 3rd Team (2002) | |
| John Wooden 1st Team SN, Basketball News 2nd Team Basketball Times 3rd Team (2002) | ||
| Basketball Times 2nd Team (2005) | ||
| SI 2nd Team & ESPN 3rd Team (2008) | ||
| SN 3rd Team & AP Honorable Mention (2009) | ||
| SN 3rd Team (2014) | ||
| Stanley Johnson | SN 3rd Team (2015) | |
| AP, NABC, SN & USAT 3rd Team (2017) | ||
| USBWA & NABC 2nd team, AP & SN 3rd Team (2024) |
| Chris Mills | AP Honorable Mention (1991) | |
| AP Honorable Mention (1991) | ||
| Chris Mills (2) | AP Honorable Mention (1992) | |
| AP Honorable Mention (1992) | ||
| Damon Stoudamire | AP, Basketball Weekly & USBWA Honorable Mention (1994) | |
| Michael Dickerson | AP Honorable Mention (1997) | |
| Loren Woods | AP Honorable Mention (2000) | |
| Michael Wright | AP Honorable Mention (2000) | |
| Jason Gardner | AP Honorable Mention (2001) | |
| Loren Woods (2) | AP Honorable Mention (2001) | |
| Luke Walton | AP Honorable Mention (2003) | |
| AP Honorable Mention (2004) | ||
| AP Honorable Mention (2009) | ||
| AP Honorable Mention (2018) |
The following 30 McDonald's All-Americans listed below have signed with Arizona. An asterisk, "*", Indicates player did not finish his college career at Arizona. A cross, "†", indicates player did not begin his college career at Arizona.
| Craig McMillan | 1984 | |
| Sean Elliott | 1985 | |
| Brian Williams | 1987 | |
| Chris Mills† | 1988 | |
| Khalid Reeves | 1990 | |
| Ben Davis† | 1991 | |
| Mike Bibby | 1996 | |
| Loren Woods† | 1996 | |
| 1998 | ||
| Jason Gardner | 1999 | |
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| Jawann McClellan | 2004 | |
| Chase Budinger | 2006 | |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2007 |
| 2012 | ||
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Aaron Gordon | 2013 | |
| Stanley Johnson | 2014 | |
| Chase Jeter† Allonzo Trier | 2015 | |
| 2016 | ||
| Deandre Ayton | 2017 | |
| Jordan Brown† | 2018 | |
| 2019 | ||
| Caleb Love† | 2020 | |
| Jaden Bradley† | 2022 | |
| Carter Bryant | 2024 |
Source:[103]
Arizona has had 86 All-Conference selections, which is 6th most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named first, second or third team All Pac-12:
| 1979 | ||
| Joe Nehls (2) | 1980 | |
| Ron Davis | 1981 | |
| 1984 | ||
| Pete Williams | 1985 | |
| Eddie Smith | 1985 | |
| Steve Kerr | 1986 | |
| Sean Elliott | 1987 | |
| Sean Elliott (2)‡ | 1988 | |
| Steve Kerr (2) | 1988 | |
| 1988 | ||
| Sean Elliott (3)‡ | 1989 | |
| Anthony Cook (2) | 1989 | |
| Jud Buechler | 1990 | |
| Brian Williams | 1991 | |
| Chris Mills | 1992 | |
| Sean Rooks | 1992 | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1993 | |
| Chris Mills (2)‡ | 1993 | |
| Khalid Reeves | 1994 | |
| Damon Stoudamire (2) | 1994 | |
| 1995 | ||
| Damon Stoudamire (3)‡ | 1995 | |
| 1996 | ||
| Reggie Geary | 1996 |
| Michael Dickerson | 1997 | |
| Mike Bibby‡ | 1998 | |
| Michael Dickerson (2) | 1998 | |
| Miles Simon | 1998 | |
| 1999 | ||
| Jason Terry‡ | 1999 | |
| Michael Wright | 1999 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000 | |
| Michael Wright (2) | 2000 | |
| Loren Woods | 2000 | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2001 | |
| Michael Wright (3) | 2001 | |
| Jason Gardner (2) | 2002 | |
| Luke Walton | 2002 | |
| Jason Gardner (3) | 2003 | |
| Luke Walton (2) | 2003 | |
| Channing Frye | 2004 | |
| Andre Iguodala | 2004 | |
| Channing Frye (2) | 2005 | |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2005 | |
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| Chase Budinger (2) | 2009 | |
| Jordan Hill | 2009 | |
| Nic Wise (2) | 2010 |
| Derrick Williams† | 2010 | |
| Derrick Williams (2)‡ | 2011 | |
| 2012 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| Solomon Hill (2) | 2013 | |
| Mark Lyons | 2013 | |
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | |
| Nick Johnson‡ | 2014 | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2015 | |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | |
| T. J. McConnell | 2015 | |
| Ryan Anderson | 2016 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2017 | |
| Deandre Ayton‡† | 2018 | |
| Allonzo Trier | 2018 | |
| Zeke Nnaji† | 2020 | |
| James Akinjo | 2021 | |
| Christian Koloko∞ | 2022 | |
| Bennedict Mathurin‡ | 2022 | |
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
| Ąžuolas Tubelis (2) | 2023 | |
| Oumar Ballo (2) | 2024 | |
| Caleb Love‡ | 2024 |
| Joe Nehls | 1979 | |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2008 | |
| 2009 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2016 | ||
| 2016 | ||
| Allonzo Trier | 2017 | |
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 2024 |
| Chase Budinger | 2008 |
All-Pac-12 Freshman Honors
Arizona has had 33 All-Freshman selections(*One selection vacated due to NCAA penalty, revised total is 32), which is 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 Freshman team:
| Brock Brunkhorst | 1982 | |
| Michael Tait | 1984 | |
| Sean Elliott‡ | 1986 | |
| Sean Rooks | 1989 | |
| 1989 | ||
| 1990 | ||
| Khalid Reeves | 1991 | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1992 | |
| Mike Bibby‡ | 1997 | |
| Richard Jefferson | 1999 | |
| Michael Wright‡ | 1999 | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2000 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000 | |
| Channing Frye | 2002 | |
| Salim Stoudamire‡ | 2002 | |
| Hassan Adams | 2003 | |
| Andre Iguodala | 2003 |
| 2004 | ||
| Marcus Williams | 2006 | |
| Chase Budinger‡ | 2007 | |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2008 | |
| Derrick Williams‡ | 2010 | |
| Nick Johnson | 2012 | |
| Aaron Gordon‡ | 2014 | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2014 | |
| Stanley Johnson‡ | 2015 | |
| Allonzo Trier | 2016 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2017 | |
| 2017 | ||
| Deandre Ayton‡ | 2018 | |
| Nico Mannion | 2020 | |
| Zeke Nnaji‡ | 2020 | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 2021 | |
| Ąžuolas Tubelis | 2021 |
Source:
Arizona has had 11 All-Defense selections, which is 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. Arizona has also had 3 Newcomer selections, which is tied for 8th among the Pac-12. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 Defense or Newcomer:
| Jordan Hill | 2009 | |
| Kyle Fogg | 2012 | |
| Nick Johnson | 2014 | |
| T. J. McConnell | 2014 | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2015 | |
| T. J. McConnell (2) | 2015 | |
| Kaleb Tarczewski | 2016 | |
| 2017 | ||
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | |
| Dalen Terry | 2022 | |
| Christian Koloko‡ | 2022 |
| Ben Davis Jr. | 1995 | |
| Bennett Davison Jr. | 1997 | |
| Loren Woods‡ | 2000 |
Arizona has had 14 All-Academic, which is 8th most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Pac-12 All-Academic team:
| Steve Kerr | 1986 | |
| Steve Kerr (2) | 1988 | |
| Matt Muehlebach | 1989 | |
| Matt Muehlebach (2) | 1990 | |
| Matt Muehlebach (3) | 1991 | |
| Kevin Flanagan | 1994 | |
| Eugene Edgerson | 2001 | |
| Jason Ranne‡ | 2004 | |
| Andre Iguodala^ | 2004 | |
| Brett Brielmaier‡ | 2004 | |
| Chase Jeter‡ | 2019 | |
| Stone Gettings‡ | 2020 | |
| Jordan Mains | 2022 | |
| Pelle Larsson | 2024 |
Source:
| 2002 | |||
| 2006 & 2019 | |||
| Sean Elliott | National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | 2018 |
| Lute Olson | National Coach of the Year | 1988 & 1990 | |
| 2002[104] | |||
| 2001 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| 2022 | |||
| WAC Coach of the Year | 1972 |
| Lute Olson | 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 & 2003 | |
| 2011, 2014, 2017 | ||
| Tommy Lloyd | 2022 |
A total of 36 Wildcats have or will earn entry into McKale Center's Ring of Honor, the display of names that begins in the southeast corner of the building's rafters. In order to join this elite group, players must meet at least one of the following six criteria[105] :
1.) First-team All-America recognition by one or more of the major national organizationsor media;
2.) Major national “player of distinction,” i.e. the Wooden Award or other honor ofsignificance;
3.) Pac-12 Player of the Year or Pac-12 Freshman of the Year;
4.) Arizona career leader in three or more major positive career categories at the conclusionof his collegiate career and must hold the career record for a minimum of five years(excluding single-game records);
5.) 10+ years in the United States Major Professional Leagues of the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB and/or been selected as an All-Star/All Pro by the official league;
6.) Olympic medalist
| 1974–77 | C | 1, 4 | |
| Steve Kerr | 1984–88 | G | 2, 5 |
| Sean Elliott | 1986–89 | G/F | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Jud Buechler | 1987–90 | F | 5 |
| Sean Rooks | 1989–92 | C | 5 |
| Chris Mills | 1991–93 | G/F | 1, 3, 5 |
| Khalid Reeves | 1991–94 | G | 4 |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1992–95 | G | 1, 3, 5 |
| Miles Simon | 1995–98 | G | 1, 2 |
| Jason Terry | 1996–99 | G | 1, 2, 3, 5 |
| Mike Bibby | 1996–98 | G | 1, 2, 3, 5 |
| Michael Wright | 1999–01 | F | 3 |
| Richard Jefferson | 1999–01 | F | 5, 6 |
| Jason Gardner | 1999–03 | G | 2 |
| Luke Walton | 2000–03 | PF | 1, 5 |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2002–05 | G | 3 |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2000–01 | G | 5 |
| Chase Budinger | 2007–09 | F | 3 |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2008 | G | 5 |
| Derrick Williams | 2010–11 | F | 3 |
| Andre Iguodala | 2003–04 | F | 5, 6 |
| Nick Johnson | 2012–14 | G | 1, 3 |
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | F | 3, 5 |
| Channing Frye | 2002–05 | C | 5 |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | G | 2, 3 |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | F | 1, 2, 3 |
| 1972–76 | F | 4 | |
| Ernie McCray | 1957–60 | F | 4 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 2020 | F | 3 |
| 2020 | G | 6 | |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 2020–22 | G | 3 |
| 2019–22 | C | 3 | |
| 1985–89 | G | 5 | |
| 2016–17 | F | 5 | |
| 2023–25 | G | 3 | |
| 2013–15 | G | 5 | |
See main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers.
| Arizona Wildcats retired numbers | |||||||
| width=40px style="" | No. | width=150px style="" | Player | width=100px style="" | Career | width=100px style="" | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1996–1998 | Naismith Player of the Year | |||||
| 22 | 1999–2003 | Wayman Tisdale Award | |||||
| 25 | 1983–1988 | USBWA National Courage Award | |||||
| 31 | 1995–1999 | Naismith Player of the Year | |||||
| 32 | 1985–1989 | John R. Wooden Award & Naismith Player of the Year | |||||
| 34 | 1994–1998 | NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player | |||||
Arizona has appeared 38* NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments (34),[106] and 4 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools.
| 1997 | 84–79 OT | 25–9 | ||
| National Championships | 1 |
| Round | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round #1 |
| 65–57 | |
| Round #2 |
| 73–69 | |
| Sweet 16 |
| 85–82 | |
| Elite 8 |
| 96–92 (OT) | |
| Final 4 |
| 66–58 | |
| Championship |
| 84–79 (OT) |
The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools.
| 1988–Semifinalist | 1994–Semifinalist | 1997–Champion | 2001–Finalist |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NCAA Tournament Seeding History
The NCAA began seeding the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with the 1979 edition.[107] The 64-team field started in 1985, which guaranteed that a championship team had to win six games.[108]
| 1985 | 10 | 1st Round | |
| 1986 | 9 | 1st Round | |
| 1987 | 10 | 1st Round | |
| 1988 | 1 | Final Four | |
| 1989 | 1 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 1990 | 2 | 2nd Round | |
| 1991 | 2 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 1992 | 3 | 1st Round | |
| 1993 | 2 | 1st Round | |
| 1994 | 2 | Final Four | |
| 1995 | 5 | 1st Round | |
| 1996 | 3 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 1997 | 4 | Champions | |
| 1998 | 1 | Elite Eight | |
| 1999 | 4 | 1st Round | |
| 2000 | 1 | 2nd Round | |
| 2001 | 2 | Runner-Up | |
| 2002 | 3 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 2003 | 1 | Elite Eight | |
| 2004 | 9 | 1st Round | |
| 2005 | 3 | Elite Eight | |
| 2006 | 8 | 2nd Round | |
| 2007 | 8 | 1st Round | |
| 2008 | 10 | 1st Round | |
| 2009 | 12 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 2011 | 5 | Elite Eight | |
| 2013 | 6 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 2014 | 1 | Elite Eight | |
| 2015 | 2 | Elite Eight | |
| 2016 | 6 | 1st Round | |
| 2017 | 2 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 2018 | 4 | 1st Round | |
| 2022 | 1 | Sweet Sixteen | |
| 2023 | 2 | 1st Round | |
| 2024 | 2 | Sweet Sixteen |
The Wildcats have a record is 60–37 . They were NCAA National Champions in 1997, is the only team to date to beat three #1 seeds to win the national championship.[109]
Appearances are grouped by the number of teams in the bracket. Round names are based on what round names were at the time of the tournament, not the present names. The term "Elite eight" began in 1956, "Final four" began in 1975, and "Sweet Sixteen" began in 1988.
Arizona is second No. 2 seed to ever lose a first-round game, losing 64–61 to No. 15 seed Santa Clara, led by future NBA star Steve Nash in 1993.[110] Thirty years later in 2023, the Wildcats losing 59−55 to No. 15 seed Princeton.
| 1951 | First round | L 59–61 | Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, MO) | ||
| 1976 | First Round Regional semifinals Regional finals | W 83-76 W 114-109 L 66-82 | Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, AZ) Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA) Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA) | ||
| 1977 | First round | L 77–81 | Omaha Civic Auditorium (Omaha, NE) |
| No. 10 (W) | First Round | L 64–66 | The Pit (arena) (Albuquerque, NM) | |||
| No. 9 (W) | First Round | L 63–73 | Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA) | |||
| No. 10 (W) | First Round | L 57–70 | McKale Center (Tucson, AZ) | |||
| No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | W 90–50 W 84–55 W 99–79 W 71–58 L 78–86 | Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA) Kingdome (Seattle, WA) Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO) | |||
| 1989 | No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 94–60 W 94–68 L 67–68 | Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID) McNichols Sports Arena (Denver, CO) | ||
| No. 2 (W) | First Round Second Round | W 79–67 L 55–77 | Long Beach Arena (Long Beach, CA) | |||
| No. 2 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 93–80 W 76–61 L 69–84 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT) Kingdome (Seattle, WA) | |||
| No. 3 (SE) | First Round | L 80–87 | Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, GA) | |||
| No. 2 (W) | First Round l | L 61–64 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT) | |||
| No. 2 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | W 81–55 W 71–58 W 82–70 W 92–72 L 82–91 | Sleep Train Arena (Sacramento, CA) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, CA) Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, NC) | |||
| No. 5 (MW) | First Round | L 82–91 | UD Arena (Dayton, OH) | |||
| No. 3 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 90–51 W 87–73 L 80–83 | Wells Fargo Arena (Tempe, AZ) McNichols Sports Arena (Denver, CO) | |||
| No. 4 (SE) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | W 65–57 W 73–69 W 85–82 2OT W 96–92 2OT W 65–58 W 84–79 OT | Memphis Pyramid (Memphis, TN) BJCC Arena (Birmingham, AL) RCA Dome (Indianapolis, IN) | |||
| No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 99–60 W 82–49 W 84–79 L 51–76 | Sleep Train Arena (Sacramento, CA) Honda Center (Anaheim, CA) |
| 1999† | No. 4 (MW) | First Round | L 60–61 | Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) | ||
| No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round | W 71–47 L 59–66 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT) | |||
| No. 2 (MW) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | No. 15 (MW) Eastern Illinois No. 10 (MW) Butler No. 3 (MW) Ole Miss No. 1 (MW) Illinois No. 1 Michigan State No. 1 Duke | W 101–76 W 73–52 W 66–56 W 87–81 W 80–61 L 72–82 | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO) Alamodome (San Antonio, TX) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis, MN) | ||
| No. 3 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 86–81 W 80–68 L 67–88 | WisePies Arena (Albuquerque, NM) SAP Center (San Jose, CA) | |||
| No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 80–51 W 96–95 2OT W 88–71 L 75–78 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT) Honda Center (Anaheim, CA) | |||
| No. 8 (ATL) | First Round | L 76–80 | PNC Arena (Raleigh, NC) | |||
| No. 3 (CHI) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 66–53 W 85–63 W 79–78 L 89–90 OT | Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID) Allstate Arena (Rosemont, IL) | |||
| No. 8 (MN) | First Round Second Round | W 94–75 L 78–82 | Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA) | |||
| No. 8 (MW) | First Round | L 63–72 | Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA) | |||
| 2008† | No. 10 (W) | First Round | L 65–75 | Verizon Center (Washington, D.C.) | ||
| No. 12 (MW) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 84–71 W 81–57 L 64–103 | American Airlines Arena (Miami, FL) Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN) |
| 2011 | No. 5 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 77–75 W 70–69 W 93–77 L 63–65 | BOK Center (Tulsa, OK) Honda Center (Anaheim, CA) | ||
| 2013 | No. 6 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | W 81–64 W 74–51 L 70–73 | Vivint Smart Home Arena (Salt Lake City, UT) Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) | ||
| 2014 | No. 1 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 68–59 W 84–61 W 70–64 L 63–64 OT | Viejas Arena (San Diego, CA) Honda Center (Anaheim, CA) | ||
| 2015 | No. 2 (W) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | W 72–53 W 73–59 W 68–60 L 78–85 | Moda Center (Portland, OR) Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) | ||
| No. 6 (S) | First Round | L 55–65 | Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, RI) | |||
| 2017† | No. 1 (W) | First Round Second round Sweet Sixteen | W 100–82 W 69–60 L 71–73 | Vivint Smart Home Arena (Salt Lake City, UT) SAP Center (San Jose, CA) | ||
| 2018† | No. 4 (S) | First Round | L 68–89 | Taco Bell Arena (Boise, ID) | ||
| 2020†† | ||||||
| No. 1 (S) | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | No. 16 Wright State No. 9 (S) TCU No. 5 (S) Houston | W 87–70 W 85–80 L 60–72 | Viejas Arena (San Diego, CA) AT&T Center (San Antonio, TX) | ||
| No. 2 (S) | First Round Second Round | L 55–59 | Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, CA) | |||
| No. 2 (W) | First Round | No. 15 (W) Long Beach State No. 7 (W) Dayton No. 6 (W) Clemson | W 85–65 W 78–68 L 72–77 | Delta Center (Salt Lake City, UT) Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA) | ||
†† – As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NCAA tournament was cancelled.
| First Four | N/A* | N/A* | |
| Round of 64 | 21–15 | 2024 | |
| Round of 32 | 19–3 | 2024 | |
| Sweet 16 | 8–9 | 2024 | |
| Elite 8 | 4–5 | 2015 | |
| Final Four | 2–2 | 2001 | |
| National Championship | 1–1 | 2001 |
The Arizona Wildcats have appeared in the four National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Arizona's combined record is 0–4.
| First round | Kentucky | L 53–77 | ||
| First round | La Salle | L 66–72 | ||
| First round | Dayton | L 68–74 | ||
| First round | Bucknell | L 54–65 |
Though the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament is given to the conference tournament winner, the Pac–12 declares the team with the best record in the regular season the "official" conference champion.
National championships
| 18* | Pac-12 Regular Season Conference Championship | 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2022, 2024 | |
| 12 | BIAA Regular Season Conference Championship | 1932, 1933, 1936, 1940, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953 | |
| 1 | WAC Regular Season Conference Championship | 1976 | |
| 30 Total Regular Season Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| 9* | Pac-12 Tournament Championship | 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2015, 2017*, 2018*, 2021, 2022 | |
| 9 Total Conference Tournament Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| 29 | Fiesta Bowl Classic | 1974, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 | |
| 3 | 1990†, 1995†, 1999†, 2013† | ||
| 3 | 2000†, 2014†, 2022† | ||
| 1 | 2019† | ||
| 1 | 2001† | ||
| 1 | 2021† | ||
| 38 Invitational Tournament Championships | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| †Denotes early-season invitational tournament | |||
Conference Tournament Championship Game appearances
See also: Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament.
See also: Big 12 Conference men's basketball tournament. U of A has won the Pac-10/12 Tournament a record nine times (two appearances in 2017 and 2018 were later vacated by the NCAA, 7 total), including three straight times from 1988 to 1990.
Source: 2023–24 Arizona Wildcats Media Guide
| 1988 | Arizona | 93–67 | Oregon State | McKale Center | Tucson, Arizona | Sean Elliott, Arizona |
| 1989 | Arizona | 73–51 | Stanford | Great Western Forum | Inglewood, California | Sean Elliott, Arizona |
| 1990 | Arizona | 94–78 | UCLA | University Activity Center | Tempe, Arizona | Jud Buechler & Matt Muehlebach, Arizona |
| 2002 | Arizona | 81–71 | USC | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California | Luke Walton, Arizona |
| 2005 | Washington | 81–72 | Arizona | Salim Stoudamire, Arizona | ||
| 2011 | Washington | 77–75OT | Arizona | Isaiah Thomas, Washington | ||
| 2012 | Colorado | 53–51 | Arizona | Carlon Brown, Colorado | ||
| 2014 | UCLA | 75–71 | Arizona | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Paradise, Nevada | Kyle Anderson, UCLA |
| 2015 | Arizona | 80–52 | Oregon | Brandon Ashley, Arizona | ||
| 2017 | Arizona | 83–80 | Oregon | T-Mobile Arena | Allonzo Trier, Arizona | |
| 2018 | Arizona | 75–61 | USC | Deandre Ayton, Arizona | ||
| 2022 | Arizona | 84–76 | UCLA | Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona | ||
| 2023 | Arizona | 61–59 | UCLA | Ąžuolas Tubelis, Arizona |
† – All NCAA tournament wins in 1999, 2008, 2017, and 2018 were vacated by the NCAA in its March 2015 report of Infractions on its athletics department by the NCAA making their official record of 53–36 due to 2017–18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal. The players involved in the scandal played in every game in the 2016–17 & 23 games in the 2017–18 season, resulting in a 9–8 record.[111] [112] [113]
See also: Arizona Wildcats men's basketball statistical leaders.
| Sean Elliott | 1985–89 | 2,555 | |
| Bob Elliott | 1973–77 | 2,131 | |
| Jason Gardner | 1999–2003 | 1,984 | |
| Salim Stoudamire | 2001-05 | 1,960 | |
| Khalid Reeves | 1990–94 | 1,925 |
| Khalid Reeves | 1994 | 848 | |
| Sean Elliott | 1988 | 743 | |
| Derrick Williams | 2011 | 741 | |
| Sean Elliott | 1989 | 735 | |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | 704 |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | 704 | |
| Jerryd Bayless | 2008 | 592 | |
| Coniel Norman | 1973 | 576 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2017 | 576 | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2000 | 523 | |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | 523 |
| Al Fleming | 1973–76 | 1,190 | |
| Bob Elliott | 1974–77 | 1,083 | |
| Channing Frye | 2001-05 | 975 | |
| Kaleb Tarczewski | 2013–16 | 879 | |
| Anthony Cook | 1986–89 | 861 |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | 405 | |
| Jordan Hill | 2009 | 375 | |
| Leo Johnson | 1951 | 373 | |
| Bill Reeves | 1956 | 343 | |
| Al Fleming | 1975 | 373 |
| 2018 | 405 | ||
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | 303 | |
| Bob Elliott | 1974 | 278 | |
| Zeke Nnaji | 2020 | 276 | |
| Lauri Markkanen | 2017 | 266 |
| Russell Brown | 1978–81 | 810 | |
| Mustafa Shakur | 2004-07 | 670 | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1992–95 | 663 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000-03 | 622 | |
| Luke Walton | 2000-03 | 582 |
| Russell Brown | 1979 | 247 | |
| T. J. McConnell | 2015 | 238 | |
| Reggie Geary | 1996 | 231 | |
| Damon Stoudamire | 1995 | 220 | |
| Mustafa Shakur | 2007 | 215 |
| Russell Brown | 1978 | 197 | |
| Mike Bibby | 1997 | 178 | |
| Nico Mannion | 2020 | 169 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000 | 162 | |
| Mustafa Shakur | 2004 | 147 |
| Jason Terry | 1996–99 | 245 | |
| Hassan Adams | 2003-06 | 238 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000-03 | 225 | |
| Reggie Geary | 1993–96 | 208 | |
| Kenny Lofton | 1986–89 | 200 |
| Mike Bibby | 1998 | 87 | |
| Jason Terry | 1997 | 85 | |
| T. J. McConnell | 2015 | 83 | |
| Hassan Adams | 2006 | 82 | |
| Jason Terry | 1999 | 80 |
| Mike Bibby | 1997 | 76 | |
| Gilbert Arenas | 2000 | 71 | |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | 57 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000 | 55 | |
| Andre Iguodala | 2003 | 47 |
| Anthony Cook | 1986–89 | 278 | |
| Channing Frye | 2001-05 | 258 | |
| Loren Woods | 2000-01 | 186 | |
| Ed Stokes | 1990–93 | 167 | |
| Christian Koloko | 2019–22 | 162 |
| Christian Koloko | 2022 | 102 | |
| Loren Woods | 2000 | 102 | |
| Channing Frye | 2005 | 85 | |
| Anthony Cook | 1989 | 84 | |
| Loren Woods | 2001 | 84 |
| Deandre Ayton | 2018 | 66 | |
| Anthony Cook | 1986 | 50 | |
| Channing Frye | 2002 | 50 | |
| Ed Stokes | 1990 | 49 | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2014 | 40 |
| Dusan Ristic | 2015–18 | 141 | |
| Kyle Fogg | 2009-12 | 139 | |
| Solomon Hill | 2010–13 | 139 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000-03 | 136 | |
| Jordin Mayes | 2011–14 | 136 |
| Jordin Mayes | 2011 | 38 | |
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | 38 | |
| Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | 2014 | 38 | |
| Stanley Johnson | 2015 | 38 |
| Dusan Ristic | 2015–18 | 115 | |
| Parker Jackson-Cartwright | 2015–18 | 110 | |
| Kaleb Tarczewski | 2013–16 | 110 | |
| Matt Muehlebach | 1988–91 | 110 | |
| Jason Gardner | 2000-03 | 107 |
| Points | Sean Elliott | 2,555 | |
| Scoring Average | Coniel Norman | 23.9 PPG | |
| Field Goals | Sean Elliott | 892 | |
| Field Goal Attempts | Sean Elliott | 1,750 | |
| Field Goal Percentage | .613 | ||
| 3-Point Field Goals | Salim Stoudamire‡ | 342 | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Attempts | Jason Gardner | 875 | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | Steve Kerr | .573 | |
| Free Throws | Sean Elliott | 623 | |
| Free Throw Attempts | Sean Elliott | 786 | |
| Free Throw Percentage | Dylan Rigdon | .872 | |
| Rebounds | Al Fleming | 1,190 | |
| Rebound Average | Joe Skaisgir | 11.2 RPG | |
| Assists | Russell Brown | 810 | |
| Steals | Jason Terry | 245 | |
| Blocked Shots | Anthony Cook | 278 | |
| Games Played | Dušan Ristić | 141 | |
| Games Started | Jason Gardner | 135 | |
| Minutes Played | Jason Gardner | 4,825 | |
| Average Minutes Per Game | Jason Gardner | 35.5 MPG | |
| Most Wins in a Career | Dušan Ristić | 115 Wins |
| Points | Khalid Reeves | 848 (1993–94') | |
| Scoring Average | Khalid Reeves | 24.2 PPG (1993–94') | |
| Field Goals | Khalid Reeves Deandre Ayton | 276 (1993–94') (2017–18') | |
| Field Goal Attempts: | Khalid Reeves | 572 (1993–94') | |
| Field Goal Percentage | Al Fleming | .667 (1973–74') | |
| 3-Point Field Goals | Salim Stoudamire ‡ | 120 (2004-05') | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Attempts | Jason Gardner | 276 (2001-02') | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | Steve Kerr ‡ | .573 (1987–88') | |
| Free Throws | Derrick Williams | 247 (2010-11') | |
| Free Throw Attempts | Derrick Williams ‡ | 331 (2010-11') | |
| Free Throw Percentage | Salim Stoudamire | .910 (2004–05) | |
| Rebounds | Deandre Ayton | 405 (2017–18') | |
| Rebound Average | Bill Reeves | 13.2 RPG (1955–56') | |
| Assists | Russell Brown | 247 (1978–79') | |
| Steals | Mike Bibby | 87 (1997–98') | |
| Blocked Shots | Loren Woods | 102 (1999-00') | |
| Games Played | 28 Players | 38 Games | |
| Games Started | 12 Players | 38 Games | |
| Minutes Played | Chase Budinger | 1,317 (2008-09') | |
| Average Minutes Per Game | Steve Kerr | 38.4 MPG (1985–86') |
| Points | Deandre Ayton† | 704 | |
| Scoring Average | Coniel Norman | 24.0 PPG | |
| Field Goals | Deandre Ayton† | 276 | |
| Field Goal Attempts | Coniel Norman | 476 | |
| Field Goal Percentage (min. 100 FG) | Deandre Ayton | .612 | |
| 3-Point Field Goals | Salim Stoudamire | 73 | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Attempts | Jason Gardner | 193 | |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | Khalid Reeves | .463 | |
| Free Throws Made | Jerry Bayless | 187 | |
| Free Throw Attempts | Derrick Williams | 232 | |
| Free Throw Percentage | Salim Stoudamire† | .904 | |
| Rebounds | Deandre Ayton† | 405 | |
| Rebound Average | Deandre Ayton† | 11.6 RPG | |
| Assists | Russell Brown | 197 | |
| Steals | Mike Bibby | 76 | |
| Blocked Shots | Deandre Ayton | 66 | |
| Games Played | 4 Players | 38 | |
| Games Started | Aaron Gordon | 38 | |
| Played | Jason Gardner | 1,244 | |
| Average Minutes Per Game | Jason Gardner | 36.6 MPG | |
| Double-Doubles (Pts/Rebs.) | Deandre Ayton† | 24 | |
| 30-Point Games | Coniel Norman | 6 | |
| 20-Point Games | Deandre Ayton† | 17 | |
| Double-Digit Scoring Games | Deandre Ayton† | 33 |
| Points | Jerryd Bayless | 39 | ASU (2/10/08) | |
| Made Field Goals | Coniel Norman | 17 | Wyoming (2/1/73) | |
| Field Goal Attempts | Coniel Norman | 27 | BYU (2/24/73) | |
| Field Goal Percentage (Min. 12 attempts) | Deandre Ayton | .917 | at WSU (1/31/17) | |
| Made Three-Point Field Goals | 4 Players | 6 | - | |
| Three-Point Field Goal Attempts | Mike Bibby | 11 | UNC (3/29/97) | |
| Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (Min. 6 attempts) | Bennedict Mathurin | .857 | at Oregon State (1/14/21) | |
| Made Free Throws | Jerryd Bayless | 18 | at Houston (1/12/08) | |
| Free Throw Attempts | Derrick Williams | 21 | Wisconsin (11/23/09) | |
| Free Throw Percentage (Min. 10 attempts) | 8 Players tied at 100% | - | ||
| Rebounds | Bob Elliott | 25 | ASU (2/2/74) | |
| Assists | Russell Brown | 15 | Utah (1/21/78) | |
| Steals | Mike Bibby | 8 | Texas (12/9/96) | |
| Blocks | Grant Jerrett Deandre Ayton | 6 | at Oregon State (1/12/13) at Stanford (1/20/18) | |
| Minutes Played | Allonzo Trier | 53 | at USC (1/9/16) | |
| Most Points In NCAA Debut | Eric Money | 37 | Cal State Bakersfield (11/29/72) |
| 1 | 81^ | 1945–51 | Fred Enke | |
| 2 | 71 | 1987–92 | Lute Olson | |
| 3 | 49 | 2013–16 | Sean Miller | |
| 4 | 38 | 1975–78 | Fred Snowden | |
| 5 | 37 | 1997–99 | Lute Olson |
Arizona teams have spent a total of 39 weeks ranked number 1, most recently in 2023.[114] Their current streak of weeks ranked in the AP Poll is at 57 weeks, which is the 4th longest active streak.[115]
The Associated Press began its basketball poll on January 20, 1949. The following is a summary of those annual polls. Starting in the 1961–62 season, AP provided a preseason (PS) poll. AP did a post-tournament poll in 1953, 1954, 1974 and 1975. The following table summarizes Arizona history in the AP Poll:[116] The Wildcats longest streak of weeks ranked inside the AP Top 25 poll is 141 weeks, starting with the 1988 pre-season poll and ended with the March 13, 1995 poll. The 141 weeks is 12th most all-time.[117] Arizona was ranked in 324 out of 326 polls from 1988 until 2005, which is more than any school during the same time frame.[118]
| 2024 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 11 | ||
| 2023 | 19 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2022 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2020 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 19 | NR | ||
| 2018 | 17 | 2 | 23 | 13 | 12 | ||
| 2017 | 19 | 4 | 20 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 2016 | 19 | 7 | 23 | 14 | 17 | ||
| 2015 | 19 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 2014 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2013 | 20 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 21 | ||
| 2012 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 18 | NR | ||
| 2011 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 17 | ||
| 2008 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 19 | NR | ||
| 2007 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 14 | NR | ||
| 2006 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 17 | 24 | ||
| 2005 | 19 | 8 | 21 | 13 | 9 | ||
| 2004 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 22 | ||
| 2003 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2002 | 17 | 4 | 20 | 12 | 7 | ||
| 2001 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 9 | 5 | ||
| 2000 | 19 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1999 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 12 | ||
| 1998 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1997 | 18 | 6 | 19 | 12 | 15 | ||
| 1996 | 17 | 3 | 19 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 1995 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 15 | ||
| 1994 | 18 | 6 | 19 | 12 | 9 | ||
| 1993 | 18 | 3 | 22 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 1992 | 18 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1991 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1990 | 17 | 2 | 24 | 18 | 14 | ||
| 1989 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 1988 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1987 | 2 | 19 | 20 | 20 | NR | ||
| 1985 | 1 | 19 | 19 | 19 | NR | ||
| 1977 | 15 | 8 | 20 | 14 | NR | ||
| 1976 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 13 | 15 | ||
| 1975 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 15 | NR | ||
| 1974 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 15 | NR | ||
| 1951 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 1950 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. eight other Big 12 opponents, trailing only Kansas, Kansas State, TCU and Texas Tech.
| Arizona St. | 161 | 87 | Arizona 3 | ||
| Baylor | 5 | 5 | Baylor 2 | ||
| BYU | 20 | 19 | BYU 2 | ||
| Colorado | 26 | 16 | Arizona 4 | ||
| Cincinnati | 4 | 0 | Arizona 4 | ||
| Houston | 6 | 6 | Houston 1 | ||
| Iowa State | 4 | 3 | Arizona 3 | ||
| Kansas | 4 | 8 | Kansas 1 | ||
| Kansas State | 6 | 8 | Arizona 3 | ||
| Oklahoma State | 3 | 0 | Arizona 3 | ||
| TCU | 1 | 2 | Arizona 1 | ||
| Texas Tech | 24 | 28 | Arizona 7 | ||
| UCF | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| Utah | 40 | 32 | Arizona 3 | ||
| West Virginia | 3 | 2 | West Virginia 1 |
The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. ten other Pac-12 opponents, trailing only UCLA.
| Arizona St. | 161 | 87 | Arizona 3 | ||
| Cal | 75 | 30 | Arizona 15 | ||
| Colorado | 26 | 16 | Arizona 4 | ||
| Oregon | 55 | 38 | Oregon 1 | ||
| Oregon St. | 72 | 23 | Oregon State 1 | ||
| Stanford | 73 | 33 | Arizona 1 | ||
| UCLA | 50 | 63 | Arizona 3 | ||
| USC | 76 | 47 | Arizona 1 | ||
| Utah | 40 | 32 | Arizona 3 | ||
| Washington | 61 | 31 | Arizona 8 | ||
| Washington State | 70 | 20 | Washington State 2 |
| 1904–1931 | None | — | — | |
| 1931–1962 | Border Conference | 231–144 | ||
| 1962–1978 | 98–98 | |||
| 1978–2011 | 400–194 | |||
| 2011–2024 | 143–69† | |||
| 2024–present | 0–0 | |||
| Total | All Conferences | 872–505 |
Arizona's home games include many traditions involving The Pride of Arizona pep band and the Zona Zoo.
Prior to playing its games at the McKale Center, Arizona played games at Bear Down Gym from 1927 until 1973. Arizona would win its inaugural game against Arizona State, then known as Tempe State Teachers College by a score of 29–18.
Arizona is currently plays its home games at McKale Center, a 14,688 seat multi-purpose arena located at Tucson, Arizona, that opened in 1973. The McKale Center is the fifth different home site in program history.
At McKale Center, Arizona enjoys one of the nation's best home court advantages. The Wildcats have compiled a 651–121 (an winning percentage) record since moving to the McKale Center permanently. Through the 2023–24 season, McKale Center has hosted 10,154,639 fans for Arizona home games and the Wildcats have averaged 13,035 fans (better than 95% capacity) per game during that time. The 2014–2015 season marked the highest average attendance in McKale Center history with an average 14,591 (100% capacity) Wildcats fans at each home game.
The current flagship radio station for men's basketball is Tucson sports radio station KCUB, branded as “Wildcats Radio 1290”. From 1983 until 2004, the flagship station was news/talk radio station KNST. The primary play-by-play voice of Wildcat football, baseball and men's basketball, since 1987, is Brian Jeffries (after starting out as the color commentator for former CBS Sports announcer Ray Scott, who called Wildcats games from 1984 through the spring of 1987).
The Phoenix radio affiliate for Arizona Wildcats football and men's basketball is KGME, branded as "Fox Sports 910."