Arizona Wildcats overcame drama, distractions to top Pac-12 — again
This is a part of the Arizona Daily Star's special edition preview of the Pac-12 Tournament that will be available for purchase on news racks around Southern Arizona on Wednesday.
A look back at every Star cover from Cats' run to another Pac-12 title
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Arizona faced several suspensions, injuries and an FBI investigation in its quest for consecutive Pac-12 championships. This year's title was the Wildcats' fourth in five years and fifth under coach Sean Miller.
The team heads to Las Vegas in search of capping its 14-4 conference season with a tournament title, what would be the third in four years for the Miller-coached Wildcats and seventh Pac-10/12 tournament championship in program history.
But first, here's a look back at how the Wildcats' journey through the Pac-12 this season ended in another coronation.
Dec. 30: No. 17 Arizona 84, No. 3 Arizona State 78
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What went down: Deandre Ayton scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as the Wildcats pounded their in-state rivals in McKale Center.
He said it: “You can’t prepare for him when he comes in the game.” — Arizona’s Allonzo Trier, on Ayton
Jan. 4: No. 14 Arizona 94, Utah 82
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What went down: Rawle Alkins scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Wildcats topped the Utes in Salt Lake City.
He said it: “It’s tough. I think we just found out that ASU lost. Winning on the road is a hard thing.” — Alkins
Jan. 6: Colorado 80, No. 14 Arizona 77
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What went down: Colorado built a 20-point first-half lead, then held on to win in Boulder.
He said it: “I did a terrible job of having them ready. We weren’t ready. We didn’t play with any — any — emotion, any togetherness. And I didn’t know really what button to push other than maybe just don’t play the guys who weren’t playing hard.” — UA coach Sean Miller
Jan. 11: No. 17 Arizona 62, Oregon State 53
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What went down: Alkins scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and the Wildcats won a defensive slugfest in McKale Center.
He said it: “We’re improving. I wasn’t looking at jumping off any bridge after we lost our last game and certainly not celebrating like we won the Super Bowl tonight.” — Miller
Jan. 13: No. 17 Arizona 90, Oregon 83
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What went down: Ayton and Trier combined for 49 points and the Wildcats beat the Ducks on a night when 51 fouls and two technical fouls were called.
He said it: ”I think our defense won the game. … We were trying to mess with their heads a little bit, and our defense late helped us win.” — Alkins
Jan. 17: No. 14 Arizona 79, Cal 58
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What went down: Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 14 points and played the final 35-plus minutes without committing a turnover, and the Wildcats cruised past Cal in Berkeley.
He said it: “Once he got through that first four-minute stretch, (Jackson-Cartwright) went out and did an excellent job.” — Miller
Jan. 20: No. 14 Arizona 73, Stanford 71
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What went down: Trier scored 21 points and the visiting Wildcats overcame both a sizable second-half deficit and a technical foul on Miller to hand Stanford its 16th straight loss in the series.
He said it: “We just wanted to win so bad, it was defense. Defense won us the game.” — Alkins
Jan. 25: No. 11 Arizona 80, Colorado 71
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What went down: Ayton hit all 12 free throws he attempted, and Arizona took 15 more foul shots than the Buffaloes on the way to a nine-point win.
He said it: “People are going to pick up the paper and see the score and not understand the battle we gave those guys. When Arizona plays well, it’s like a juggernaut.” — Colorado coach Tad Boyle
Jan. 27: No. 11 Arizona 74, Utah 73
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What went down: Center Dusan Ristic scored a career-high 23 points on 9 for 11 shooting and the Wildcats eked out a win over the Utes.
He said it: “Can I say something? I think this was my best game at Arizona so far.” — Ristic
Jan. 31: No. 9 Arizona 100, Washington State 72
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What went down: Trier hit all eight of his shot attempts and scored 24 points as the Wildcats thumped the Cougars in Pullman.
He said it: “It was just being Allonzo Trier, doing what I do.” — Trier
Feb. 3: Washington 78, No. 9 Arizona 75
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What went down: Dominic Green hit an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Huskies past the Wildcats in Seattle.
He said it: “We’ve had so many games like this where the ball bounces your way, and you say we know how to win, how to finish. There’s a lot of truth to that. But when you keep playing one-possession games, the other team can do it, too.” — Miller
Feb. 8: UCLA 82, Arizona 74
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What went down: UCLA shot 51.6 percent from the field, hit 11 3-pointers and snapped Arizona’s 12-game McKale Center winning streak.
He said it: “I think we need to answer the bell right now. If we don’t do it, it’s gonna get ugly. It’s up to us to change something. We have to bounce back as soon as possible.” — Ristic
Feb. 10: No. 13 Arizona 81, USC 67
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What went down: Alkins scored 20 points and hit four 3-pointers as the Wildcats won to stay in sole possession of first place in the Pac-12.
He said it: “It was just repetition. I didn’t go on YouTube. I didn’t have a shooting coach.” — Alkins
Feb. 15: No. 17 Arizona 77, Arizona State 70
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What went down: Ayton scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Wildcats beat their rivals at a frenzied Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
He said it: “It was a great win and the environment was special. Road games in conference, especially when you’re playing for a lot like both teams are, I think you can really grow. Our team took a step forward tonight.” — Miller
Feb. 22: No. 14 Arizona 75, Oregon State 65, OT
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What went down: Alkins hit two free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and sank a pair of 3-pointers in the extra period, and the Wildcats topped the Beavers in Corvallis. The UA played without Trier, who was suspended after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine.
He said it: “They were probably the biggest free throws of my life.” — Alkins
Feb. 24: Oregon 98, No. 14 Arizona 93, OT
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What went down: The Ducks drained 14 3-pointers to top the Wildcats, who were without both Trier and Miller in Eugene. Lorenzo Romar coached the team after Miller returned home to face an ESPN report that he was paying players.
He said it: “I was really proud of our guys with the focus we came out with. But we didn’t finish the job.” — Romar
March 1: No. 19 Arizona 75, Stanford 67
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What went down: Ristic scored a team-high 21 points and the Wildcats — with Miller back on the bench — clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title. The game came hours after the UA president and Regents announced Miller would coach the team.
He said it: “The team showed great resiliency. I think we showed how tough we are, not only on the court but off the court as well.” — Ristic
March 3: No. 19 Arizona 66, Cal 54
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What went down: Ayton posted the first 20-point, 20-rebound game by an Arizona Wildcat in the Pac-10/12 era, and the Wildcats clinched an outright Pac-12 championship with a 12-point win on Senior Day. Miller announced following the game that Ayton, Trier and Alkins would all turn pro following the season.
He said it: “Yeah, they’re not coming back.” — Miller
