Elite company

Deandre Ayton reached the 700-point mark Thursday, joining Derrick Williams, Sean Elliott and Khalid Reeves as the only Wildcats to reach the milestone in a single season. Not a bad way to end what was a brief (but impressive) college hoops career.

Final goodbyes

Thursday marked the final UA game for Ayton, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Rawle Alkins, Allonzo Trier and Dusan Ristic. The five players combined to reach two Elite Eights and three Sweet 16’s and claim three Pac-12 regular season and tournament championships.

Arizona vs. the world

Tucson’s The Underestimated City has been selling “Arizona vs. Everyone” T-shirts for the last few weeks. While that’s probably an exaggeration, the UA was certainly outnumbered in Boise.

Between 1,000 and 2,000 Arizona fans attended the regional at Taco Bell Arena, with the rest either part of the Buffalo crowd or locals rooting for an upset.

How bad was it? UA coach Sean Miller was met with a mixture of cheers and boos pre-game. As the game progressed, Taco Bell Area turned into a road game for Arizona. The further the Wildcats dug themselves into a hole, the more the crowd relished that the No. 4 seed could go down.

Downtown blues

Kentucky went 0 for 6 from beyond the arc on Thursday, ending a 30-year streak of making at least one 3-pointer per game. The last time Kentucky didn’t connect from deep in a game was in the 1988 Great Alaska Shootout championship game against Seton Hall.

Buffalo, meanwhile, used a barrage of 3s to sink Arizona and earn a date with Kentucky. The Bulls hit 15 3-pointers in their runaway win over the UA.

Zags avoid scare

Gonzaga fans showed up en masse for Thursday afternoon’s game against UNC Greensboro. After all, Spokane is about a seven-hour drive from Boise — the equivalent of Tucson fans trekking to San Diego.

They got quiet, however, when 13th-seeded Greensboro erased an 11-point deficit and took a one-point lead with 5:55 left to play. Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left. The following possession, UNCG’s 3-point attempt rattled in and out — and if you closed your eyes, the crowd sounded like Tiger Woods missing a crucial putt at the Masters.

Uphill battle for Bulls

Buffalo is college basketball’s darlings right now, but its path doesn’t get much easier. Next up is Kentucky, which has two players — forward Kevin Knox and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — projected to go in the NBA Draft lottery. Arizona had at least one sure-fire first-rounder, Ayton, and both Trier and Alkins could join him.

Throwback Thursday

Some could call 2011 the year that put Arizona back on the map and established Sean Miller as a prominent head coach.

In the opening round of NCAA Tournament in Tulsa, the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats battled No. 12 Memphis, coached by former UA guard Josh Pastner. Clinging to a 77-75 lead, Derrick Williams stuffed a potential game-tying layup to seal the win. The Wildcats went on to beat Duke in the Sweet 16 before falling to UConn in the Elite Eight.

The big number

The Arizona Wildcats will call this place home for at least until the end of tomorrow. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Zw5TAXixg8

— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) March 14, 2018

$155

The ticket price for Arizona-Buffalo on StubHub.com four hours before Thursday’s game.

Another big number

7,025

Number of miles UNC Greensboro, Arizona, South Dakota State and Davidson will cover on their flights home from Boise.

He said it

“For anybody to not remember Deandre as the greatest freshman that ever walked through Arizona, they weren’t paying attention, statistically and just the type of kid he is. He’s destined to do some great things. ... He’s one of a kind.” — Arizona coach Sean Miller

The big number III

28

Number of current NBA players who hail from the Kentucky Wildcats and Buffalo Bulls. And the Bulls don’t have any representation in the NBA.