Like an old light bulb, flickering and almost powerless, Arizona closed its regular season Saturday with a 17-14 record.
โWe had a lot of bad games,โ said UA senior guard Justin Coleman.
The Wildcats plumbed a depth โ finishing a three-way tie for eighth place, earning the No. 9 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament โ not seen at Arizona for 36 years.
To give the moment proper focus and meaning, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said that beating the Wildcats was โpretty special. โฆ I just have so much appreciation for the success and tradition at Arizona.โ
The Sun Devils won 72-64 and letโs be serious: Arizona State is no oneโs idea of a powerhouse. The Devils arenโt ranked, they may get stiffed on Selection Sunday, and other than dynamic point guard Remy Martin, they probably donโt have a player who wouldโve started at Arizona from 1988-2018.
Yet the unhappy events of Senior Day all but moved Sean Miller to tears.
Rather than the oft-angry, oft-defiant coach who has broken the unofficial NCAA record for โno commentโ in Q&A sessions in a single season, Miller did his best to apologize to the 14,291 fans who sat and suffered through Saturdayโs loss at McKale Center.
โTheyโre used to seeing the best of the best and today didnโt represent the best of the best,โ Miller said quietly. โTheir loyalty is one thing that is unforgettable. Coaching at McKale is a responsibility; you donโt want to let them down because of what they bring to the table. Seeing them like this at Senior Night makes it even worse.โ
For one day, feeling worse might not be possible. At precisely the time the Wildcats produced a conference season that tied their worst mark since 1983, the Sun Devils equaled their best conference season since 1981.
Itโs one thing to run aground. Itโs another to have ASU leave you lifeless and have Hurley throw some shade.
โI never go into a game thinking my life wonโt be complete if I donโt win here,โ he said outside the Sun Devils locker room, a rare scene in which 15 or 20 media people from Phoenix surrounded the coach as he talked about โall the great wins weโve had this year.โ
All the great wins? In this league? Thatโs a story for another day.
Sean Millerโs Wildcats finished 8-10 in the Pac-12 this season, tying their worst mark since 1983. โThereโs a lot of truth in that itโs not as bad as it really appears,โโ Miller said.
But usually, the media contingent following ASU to McKale Center can be counted on one hand, or maybe seven or eight fingers. But this isnโt a normal season. Given the improvements by Cal and Washington State the last six weeks, one could argue that if the Pac-12 season started over today, Arizona would finish 12th.
Miller quickly defused any speculation that Arizona would pursue or appreciate a berth in the NIT.
โArizona doesnโt go to the NIT,โ he said. โAnd I donโt think weโd get an invitation.โ
It wasnโt that the Wildcats werenโt willful or lacked a working manโs approach to Saturdayโs game. Itโs just that they arenโt good enough to beat more than a handful of Power 5 conference teams, even at home.
The lack of rim protection, inside scoring, size and strength, outside shooting, a go-to guy, a defensive stopper and the UAโs worst overall shooting percentage (.427) since 1972 โ yes, 1972! โ has become manifest.
This is what happened in one particularly damaging segment of the second half:
- Alex Barcello dribbled the ball off his calf, leading to a break away dunk by ASUโs Lu Dort.
- The UA was whistled for a 5-second call, failing to in-bounds the ball properly, even though the Sun Devils offered no real defensive pressure.
- Dylan Smith dribbled into a crowd, penetrating too deeply, and ultimately dribbled the ball out of bounds.
Unforced errors, all. Good teams donโt do those things.
โIt is what it is,โ said Miller. โWeโre not going to beat any team (with 17 turnovers) because we have too many other problems.โ
But there is a possible consolation that has helped UA fans get through a difficult season. Sitting near the UA bench Saturday were mega-recruits Nico Mannion and Josh Green, who are scheduled to be part of Arizonaโs 2019 recruiting class.
If you put Mannion and Green with any Pac-12 team, now or next year, youโre probably not talking about losing on Senior Day.
Miller tried to put it in perspective, saying โitโs easy to roll out there on Senior Day, watching your team cut down the nets and see the great pageantry of McKale when things are going well.
โBut when things arenโt going well, I think the definition of coaching is to balance things, and see them for what they really are,โ he added. โMost of the time itโs not nearly as good as it appears, and, now, given the situation we are currently in, thereโs a lot of truth in that itโs not as bad as it really appears.โ
Bad isnโt losing to ASU in a historically bad season, or being slotted for a play-in game at the Pac-12 Tournament. Bad is losing to Buffalo in the NCAA Tournament when youโve got Deandre Ayton and Allonzo Trier in the lineup.
Arizona has known far worse than losing to ASU.
