Las Vegas, a city where you can watch Penn and Teller perform magic and the “Jabbawockeez” defy gravity with their dance moves, lose your retirement plan on the blackjack tables, attend the NFR Rodeo — and see a college basketball matchup between two top 15 teams that doesn’t have a Rebel as their mascot.
But when No. 10 Arizona faces 14th-ranked Indiana on Saturday in Las Vegas, it won’t be at T-Mobile Arena. UFC has it for the night. Instead, the Wildcats and Hoosiers will battle at MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Arizona posted a 7-3 record from 2013-16.
Here’s a look at the five most notable games Arizona has played at MGM Grand Garden Arena during that span:
2014: Wildcats fall to UCLA in title game
What: Pac-12 Tournament championship game
Score: UCLA 75, Arizona 71
What went down: After winning the Pac-12 regular season championship, the Wildcats lost a nail-biter to UCLA in the tournament title game. Arizona guard Nick Johnson scored 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting, while center Kaleb Tarczewski had 12 points and seven rebounds. UA star freshman Aaron Gordon flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. UCLA’s Jordan Adams canned a clutch 3-pointer to take a 71-68 lead with 45 seconds left.
2015: Arizona avenges loss to Bruins
What: Pac-12 Tournament semifinals
Score: Arizona 70, UCLA 64
What went down: The following year, Arizona got its revenge against the Bruins. Arizona trailed 47-40 in the second half, but a 15-0 run propelled the Wildcats ahead of UCLA to win. Arizona forward Brandon Ashley had a career-high 24 points. Point guard T.J. McConnell had 10 points and 11 assists in the win.
2016: Cats fall to Oregon in overtime
What: Pac-12 Tournament semifinals
Score: Oregon 95, Arizona 89 (overtime)
What went down: Oregon had the Wildcats on the ropes. But like a true fighter, Arizona wasn’t going down without a fight. The Wildcats, down by 17, rallied to have a chance to win after Gabe York’s 3-pointer pulled Arizona within a point. Then, Arizona grad transfer forward Mark Tollefsen stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but was fouled; he made one of two free-throws to send the game into overtime, but the Wildcats were without star freshman Allonzo Trier, who fouled out in regulation. Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Dwayne Benjamin made a pair of 3-pointers and held on to the lead — and won.
2013: ‘He touched the ball’What: Pac-12 Tournament semifinals
Score: UCLA 66, Arizona 64
What went down: It was a one-possession game with less than five minutes left to play when Arizona guard Mark Lyons drove in the lane and was stripped by UCLA’s Jordan Adams. Lyons regained possession of the ball, but was called for double-dribble. Then-Arizona head coach Sean Miller addressed the missed call to the official, who handed Miller a technical foul. UCLA made a pair of free throws to tie the game, then ultimately outlasted the Wildcats. Arizona missed two shots on its final possession to lose.
Said Miller: “The reason I got a technical foul is because I said, ‘He touched the ball. He touched the ball. He touched the ball.’ That’s a hard one now when you work August, September, October, November, December, January, February, and here we are. … By the way, full credit given to UCLA, they did a great job.”
2015: Arizona routs Oregon to win first conference tournament title since 2002
What: Pac-12 Tournament championship game
Score: Arizona 80, Oregon 52
What went down: Leading up to this game, the last time Arizona won a conference tournament championship was when Lute Olson coached the Wildcats and Luke Walton was his pupil. A year after a disappointing finish in the Pac-12 Tournament, Arizona was all gas and no brakes. Arizona grabbed a 36-21 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, a transition dunk by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson with 4:11 left to play, giving the Wildcats a 27-point lead, ignited the Wildcats crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena. A season after missing time for a broken foot injury, Arizona forward Brandon Ashley earned Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in three wins in Las Vegas.
