This unpredictable "season" aside, Sean Miller's run as head coach has been extremely impressive, despite his teams' inability to make the Final Four and of course, beyond.

Still, I firmly believe the one glaring area that has negatively impacted the Arizona Men's basketball program has been the non-conference scheduling. In contrast, Coach Olson consistently welcomed the opportunity to play top teams year after year, and besides boasting an impressive non-conference record, clearly prepared his teams for the rigors of the Big Dance.

Mark Harlan on Coach O: β€œHe would always mention that players loved to play in those environments...he really felt compelled to give the fans those kinds of games because they were such an instrumental part of the program’s success." Not to mention the appeal it would have on current players and during recruiting.

Clearly, it would behoove those responsible for scheduling to take whatever means necessary to play a more demanding and competitive slate even if it means a few more loses.

Robert Feldman

Downtown

Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.

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