Thrilling upsets, a brutal gauntlet and Steve Urkel: Looking back 20 years later, Arizona’s run toward the 1996-97 national championship stands out as one of the great March marches in history.
It all came together on March 31st, when Lute Olson cut down the nets for the first time, the only time, in his illustrious career, the first time, the only time, in the history of Arizona’s illustrious program.
And it all started with little Josh Pastner opening his big, goofy mouth.
“I was in the training room one day, and Josh is riding the elliptical, and he looks at me and says, ‘Donnell, you’re the key to us winning the national championship,’ ” forward Donnell Harris said. “I said, ‘Fine, if that’s all it is, great.’ ”
The Wildcats were projected as contenders but nothing more. Certainly not favorites. Certainly not talked about like the North Carolinas and Kentuckys of the world.
Pastner was earnest, and undeterred. Bennett Davison remembers.
“Miles (Simon) was apologizing to us, and Josh was a new guy, Mr. Positive, Mr. Everything, and he was just talking, saying that we could win it all,” Davison said. “But you know, we started believing it. During the regular season, we didn’t really dominate. We had no seniors. But we played with nothing to lose.”
And ultimately, they didn’t.
Through a perilous preseason and a Pac-12 campaign littered by devastating defeats, an NCAA Tournament gauntlet like no other, and a date with destiny with the defending champions, the Wildcats persevered.
Twenty years later, gathered at McKale Center in October 2016 for Arizona’s Red-Blue Game and Simon’s jersey retirement ceremony, several Wildcats joined the Star to look back on their run.
