Picking the 25 greatest wins of Lute Olson’s career was no easy task.
There were almost 800 of them, at all. We narrowed things down by limiting the selections to just Olson’s tenure in Tucson. (Almost all of them, anyway).
Today: Wins No. 5-1 on Lute’s list.
5. Missouri loves company
Looking back at Missouri’s 1994 roster, there wasn’t a ton of future NBA talent in the lineup. Arizona’s ’94 squad did not have a ton either, but it did have arguably the best backcourt in the country, as Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves’ combined 53 points in the 92-72 Elite Eight win would attest. The win sent UA to the Final Four and erased the memories of first-round upset losses in 1992 and 1993.
4. Lute outwits a legend
North Carolina’s Dean Smith was widely regarded as the dean of college basketball, but Olson had his number. Their first March Madness matchup came in the 1988 Elite Eight in a game featuring nearly a dozen future NBA players. Much like in its 1997 loss to Arizona, North Carolina struggled shooting the ball. The Wildcats? No such issues, as Sean Elliott (24 points), Tom Tolbert (21) and Steve Kerr (14) combined to shoot 17 of 29 as UA won 70-52 to clinch its first Final Four bid.
3. Down goes Sparty
Arizona sprinted past Michigan State in the 2001 Final Four with one of the best halves in Olson’s history. The Wildcats led by just two at the half over the Jason Richardson-led Spartans, but outscored Michigan State 48-31 in the second half as the entire starting lineup contributed. Arizona shot 50% from the field that day, with Jason Gardner leading the way with 21 in the 80-62 win.
Lute Olson 1997
2. Cats win it all
Overtime to decide the national championship? That’s the stuff legends are made of, and Lute’s legend was forever written on March 31, 1997. Arizona entered the championship game against Kentucky as a seven-point underdog, but after already having defeated two No. 1 seeds en route to the title tilt, the Wildcats had the momentum. And they had Miles Simon, who had 30 points in one of the defining championship game performances ever. UA won 84-79 in Indianapolis for the only national title in program history.
1. Lute wins over Bobbi
As if it could be any other. Roberta Rae Russell Lute’s longtime love. They met as teens and fell in love in a hurry. They married and built a family. Bobbi may have been a better recruiter than Lute. Her pancakes were legendary. There’s a reason the floor at McKale Center is named after the both of them.
