March Madness memories: Wildcats advanced to national title game, suffered two heartbreaking losses on this date

This weekend was supposed to be a time when college basketball teams punched their tickets to the Final Four.

But that won’t happen at least until the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

March Madness comes with countless memories, however, and over the last week, the Star has looked back on important dates in Wildcats basketball history.

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, March 29:

Arizona advances to national title game

What: No. 4 seed Arizona vs. No. 1 seed North Carolina in Final Four

When: March 29, 1997

Where: RCA Dome, Indianapolis

What went down: The 1997 Final Four included three No. 1 seeds — and Arizona. The Wildcats were a No. 4 seed that finished fifth in the Pac-12 standings and stumbled at the end of the regular season. But the UA found life in the NCAA Tournament, taking down top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Kansas in the Sweet 16.

Could the Wildcats could accomplish a feat no other team has done in NCAA Tournament history, beat three No. 1 seeds en route to a national championship?

The Wildcats opened the Final Four against North Carolina, a team boasting a 16-game winning streak and players such as Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter and Shammond Williams. Arizona wasn’t intimidated: It had beaten UNC in the teams’ season opener.

“The biggest thing you’ve got to get by is the North Carolina aura,” said Arizona assistant coach Jim Rosborough. “We got that out of the way in November. How much they had improved since November was irrelevant. The fact that we had seen the powder blue uniforms before allowed us to take this game in stride. There was no intimidation.”

UA shooting guard Miles Simon’s motivation to beat UNC stemmed from his recruiting days at Mater Dei High School in Southern California. Tar Heels coach Dean Smith recruited Simon, but backed off after the additions of Donald Williams and Dante Calabria. Smith wrote Simon a letter informing him that he didn’t want to have a log jam of off-guards.

Simon used that letter as fuel when the Wildcats and Tar Heels met in the NCAA Tournament.

“He was like, ‘We need to kill these people. They recruited me, but they didn’t recruit me enough. They’re going to pay for it today,’” UA forward Eugene Edgerson said.

UA freshman point guard Mike Bibby started the game 1 of 7 from the field, but his teammates and coaches encouraged him to keep shooting the ball.

“Once we got into the flow of the game, I just knew, from all the practice I’ve been doing, I knew it would fall in sometime,” Bibby said. “Josh Pastner is the one who told me to keep shooting it at halftime.”

UNC jumped to a quick 15-4 lead but Arizona rallied and led by halftime.

A 20-8 run by the Wildcats, including back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by Bibby, gave Arizona to a 15-point lead with 4:41 remaining and the UA won 66-58. Simon and Bibby combined for 44 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Two No. 1 seeds down, one more to go to become a national champion.

“A lot of people don’t think we belong here. … I don’t know when people will start believing in us,” Arizona forward Michael Dickerson said. “What else do we have to do?”

What happened next: Arizona beat No. 1 seed Kentucky in overtime two days later to win the national championship.

Kansas gets last laugh

What: No. 1 seed Arizona vs. No. 2 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight

When: March 29, 2003

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Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California

What went down: Much like the 1997 Arizona team, the ’03 squad was familiar with its opponent. In January, Arizona rallied back from a 44-24 deficit to stun Kansas 91-74 at Allen Fieldhouse.

In the rematch, Arizona trailed the Jayhawks 31-15, but a 13-0 run to end the first half got the Wildcats back into the game.

In a back-and-forth second half, neither team led by more than four. Kansas’ Keith Langford cut to the basket and extended the lead to 78-75 in what would be the game’s final points.

Arizona senior guard Jason Gardner had a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer, but it fell short.

“I wanted to take that shot,” Gardner said. “You always want to take that shot.”

The impressive collegiate careers of Gardner, Luke Walton and Rick Anderson came to an end. The trio passed on the torch to Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Hassan Adams and Andre Iguodala.

“They beat us,” said Iguodala, who scored two points off the bench. “But I don’t look at it like that, I look at it as Luke, Jason and Ricky are gone. That hurts more than losing.”

UA coach Lute Olson echoed the appreciation for Arizona’s senior group that led the Cats to a 28-4 record.

“That senior class has been the best. I mean, there’s no one that has done a better job than those guys have done over the last three years,” Olson said. “A year ago, when you look at it, they had nothing but freshmen there, but they got them together and had them learn what Arizona basketball is all about. And their leadership this year was outstanding.”

What happened next: Kansas beat Marquette in the Final Four but lost 81-78 to Syracuse in the national championship game.

‘Frank the Tank’ runs over Wildcats in Elite Eight

What: No. 1 seed Arizona vs. No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the Elite Eight

When: March 29, 2014

Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California

What went down: The first time Sean Miller coached Arizona to an Elite Eight, the Wildcats ran into Kemba Walker, Connecticut’s one-man show, in 2011.

Three years later, the Wildcats ran into Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky recorded 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Badgers beat the UA 64-63 in overtime.

Kaminsky scored six points in the final three minutes of overtime to give the Badgers a one-point lead. Arizona had a chance to score the go-ahead bucket in the closing seconds, but guard Nick Johnson was called for an offensive foul after he pushed off Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser.

Wisconsin’s ensuing inbounds pass was tipped out of bounds by Badgers guard Traevon Jackson, giving Arizona the ball back with 2.3 seconds left. But Johnson couldn’t get a shot off in time to potentially beat the Badgers.

“When you lose, it’s like a car crash. It’s just — you’re done. … Frank Kaminsky is the reason Wisconsin is in the Final Four,” Miller said.

Rondae Hollis-Jerfferson said the Wildcats “didn’t want it to end like that, but that’s basketball.”

“Coach told us we had a great season, 33-5, but it hurts when you have that competitive nature and you want to win so bad,” he said. “It eats you up when you lose.”

What happened next: Wisconsin fell to eighth-seeded Kentucky in the Final Four. UConn went on to win the national championship.