Over three games in the Big 12 Tournament, culminating with a championship game loss to Houston, we saw all of what Arizona had to offer.
Hot shooting, stingy defense, rebounding, athleticism and grit were all apparent in wins over Kansas and Texas Tech. But in the loss to Houston we saw a clunky offense and, late in the game, turnovers and wasted possessions.
None of this was new, as the Cats this season have at times looked like one of the best five or 10 teams in the country and yet also shown the kind of warts that could lead to a brief tournament run — often in the same game.
Still, the team’s performance in Kansas City provided at least a hint of optimism as it heads into the tournament most Arizona fans care about, with the team rediscovering the intensity and level of play that allowed it to rebound from a terrible start to the season only to find its way into conference contention and a No. 4 seed in the dance.
As a 4 seed, the Cats are part of a group of teams who throughout history have made 15 Final Fours appearances and four national championship games, with two titles to show for it. A 4 has reached the final weekend in each of the last two seasons, with Alabama doing it in ‘24 and UConn accomplishing the feat in ‘23, with the Huskies winning it all. Prior to them you’d have to go back to 2013 to see a 4 seed reach the last weekend, with two — Michigan and Syracuse — getting there.
It can be done.
If you’re filling out a bracket and having trouble getting Arizona past the Sweet 16, that makes sense. Assuming the Cats beat Akron on Friday and then either Oregon or Liberty on Sunday they will most likely face off with Duke, who is most definitely one of the very best teams in the country and happened to already beat Arizona earlier this season in Tucson.
That said, there isn’t an Arizona fan alive who wouldn’t relish an opportunity to face off with Duke in the Sweet 16. Memories of this year’s November matchup would be drowned out by those from the 2011 NCAA tournament, and it wouldn’t be difficult to convince ourselves that the team that fell to the Blue Devils earlier in the season is not the one that would take the court in March.
Here’s hoping we get see and do all of that.
In fact, here’s hoping we get to see six more games from this team. That is the wish every season at this time, of course, and there is no season like the current one to get back to the Final Four and win a natty.
A guest on this week’s Wildcat Radio 2.0 podcast, Evan Miyakawa of EvanMiya.com said it’s unlikely to happen. One of the best numbers guys in the business, he does not have Arizona in the top tier of favorites or the one after filled with legitimate Final Four contenders.
“And then really kind of in that next group is where I put Arizona,” he said. “They’re kind of borderline, like legit final threat to just like, you know, Sweet 16 or further.”
Fair.
Miyakawa has the Cats ranked 13th in the country, which would put them just ahead of their seed line. He notes Arizona has a really good chance to get past this weekend, saying it should have no trouble with Akron and will be comfortably favored over Oregon or Liberty.
The round after? If it is indeed Duke, good luck.
Miyakawa did say that Arizona’s volatility is why they are not ranked higher but at the same time noted that at their best the Cats are elite. That could work in their favor — especially in an underdog setting — but is why he wouldn’t expect them to make a deep run in a tournament where consistency is needed.
That’s also fair.
Stringing four good performances together is something the team hasn’t shown the ability to do of late and it’s why the Cats are not anyone’s actual favorite to cut down any nets later this month.
Worse teams than Arizona have done it, though, and the best version of these Cats is absolutely capable of going on a run. Will it happen?
Probably not, but at least the team has shown enough to think it could.