Arizona now in Big 12, Wildcats to go back into Phog to face Kansas in hoops, other sports | Greg Hansen

Editor’s note: This is part of the Star’s ongoing “Big 12 Blitz” series, where we introduce U of A fans to the on- and off-field need-to-know details surrounding each member of the new 16-team Big 12. Today: college hoops mecca the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, Kansas.

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To the best of my memory, I’ve been fortunate to attend men’s college basketball games in 92 arenas, from the Cow Palace near San Francisco to New York’s Madison Square Garden and 32 different NCAA Tournament venues, not to forget Duke’s epochal Cameron Indoor Stadium, which is as close to basketball heaven as it gets.

Among my favorites: Oregon’s old Mac Court, the Pit at New Mexico, Arkansas’ claustrophobic Barnhill Arena and, no question, Weber State’s long-ago madhouse, Swenson Gym, known better as ‘’Dim Gym’’, where the Wildcats lost just 18 times in 16 years.

Somehow, my eardrums survived.

Who’s No. 1? Better yet, who’s No. 2, because, in my mind, Kansas’ 70-year-old Phog Allen Fieldhouse is not challenged as the holy shrine of college basketball, a cathedral and then some.

As part of its Big 12 membership, Arizona gets to be a regular visitor at the Phog, which, to be honest, is not a benefit as much as it will be a test of the UA’s manhood. Part crisis, part conflict, part combat zone.

Prayers recommended.

Phog Allen Fieldhouse is a version of college football’s most hallowed venues: The Big House at Michigan, LSU’s Death Valley and the Horseshoe at Ohio State. It has sold out 355 consecutive games. Its rumble-style student section, population 4,000, hasn’t had more than a few empty seats since before Wilt Chamberlain played there.

A huge banner that says “Beware of the Phog’’ hangs behind the north basket at Allen Fieldhouse. No visiting coach of player has been known to say “hey, they spelled that wrong.’’ The proper reaction has been “gulp.’’

It makes UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion come off as a study hall.

KU has two basketball immortals: Dr. James Naismith, who invented basketball in 1891, and Dr. Forrest Clare “Phog’’ Allen, who played under Naismith and coached the Jayhawks for 41 years. Only then do you get to Roy Williams and Bill Self, two of the leading college basketball coaches of the last 100 years.

Allen Fieldhouse is held in such high regard that it offers guided tours, Monday through Friday, for $35 per person.

On a snowy Saturday afternoon, Jan. 25, 2003, I walked through some slush to the entrance of Phog Allen Fieldhouse for what would become one of the most unforgettable basketball games in Arizona history.

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The No. 1 Wildcats were underdogs against the No. 6 Jayhawks in a made-for-TV game. Some of it was the revenge factor. Kansas was still miffed that its No. 1 team of 1997, a 34-1 powerhouse, was stunned by Arizona’s soon-to-be-national champs in a Sweet 16 game in Birmingham, Alabama.

Some regard that colossal upset as the greatest in UA basketball history, superior to the 1997 national title victory over Kentucky.

Either way, Kansas was prepared. Before a crowd that included scouts from 19 NBA teams and more than 150 media members, the Jayhawks zipped to a 44-24 lead. Game over, right?

And then Salim Stoudamire scored 20 points — it seemed like 40 — as Arizona outscored Kansas 67-30 in the final 25 minutes, winning 91-74.

“It was the greatest run I’ve ever seen,’’ said Arizona forward Ricky Anderson.

Two months later, Kansas got revenge, beating No. 1 seed Arizona in the Elite Eight in Anaheim, 78-75. It was a heartbreaker like few in UA history. The lingering image of UA senior Luke Walton crying on his father Bill’s shoulder near the team bus still draws emotion.

The UA-Kansas rivalry has been on hiatus since 2011, but when the Jayhawks and Wildcats resume the series this season in Lawrence – there will be no game in Tucson until 2025-26 – it will reawaken one of the game’s most theatrical rivalries: Bill Self vs. Arizona.

Self has coached four Illinois and four Kansas teams against Arizona, and almost all were can’t-miss clashes:

• Nov. 2000 — No. 1 Arizona def. No. 8 Illinois in Hawaii, 79-76.
• Dec. 2000 — No. 5 Illinois def. No. 7 Arizona in Chicago, 81-73.
• March 2001 — No. 5 Arizona def. No. 4 Illinois, 87-81, in the Elite Eight in San Antonio.
• Dec. 2001 — No. 7 Arizona def. No. 5 Illinois in Phoenix, 87-82.
• Nov. 2005 — No. 9 Arizona def. Kansas in Hawaii, 61-49.
• Nov. 2007 — No. 4 Kansas def. Arizona in Lawrence, 76-72, in OT.
• Dec. 2008 — Arizona def. No. 19 Kansas in Tucson, 84-67.
• Nov. 2010 — No. 6 Kansas def. Arizona in Las Vegas, 87-79.

There’s no reason to believe the intensity and high profile of the Self vs. Arizona series will diminish as Big 12 rivals. The meaning of each game seems likely to intensify.

Get your tickets now (if you can).

By comparison, the history of Arizona vs. Kansas football was established when the schools met for the first time, Halloween afternoon, 1936, in Lawrence.

It was a 0-0 tie. Not exactly Salim Stoudamire swishing 3-pointers at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

In that ’36 game, Arizona punted a school-record 22 times and completed just one pass. And yet it didn’t lose. Kansas was 3 for 26 passing and punted 19 times.

Times change. Arizona is now ranked No. 21 in football’s AP preseason Top 25; Kansas is No. 22. It’s a shame they are not scheduled to meet one another this season.

Until then, Arizona’s winter return to the Phog should be enough to justify the UA’s move to the Big 12, home of a basketball palace like few others.