If history repeats itself for Arizona, being the No. 4 seed in the East Region could result in the Wildcats cutting down the nets — or it could be disastrous.
The current rendition of Arizona is the program's fourth-ever No. 4 seed, and the Wildcats will tip off NCAA Tournament play against the 13th-seeded Akron Zips on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
This year marks the third time Arizona has played an NCAA Tournament game in Seattle, a city the Wildcats are familiar with from their 45-year tenure in the Pac-12 as Washington's conference opponents. The Wildcats beat Iowa and North Carolina at the Kingdome in Seattle en route to the program's first-ever Final Four in 1988. Second-seeded Arizona returned to the Kingdome and lost to third-seeded Seton Hall in the 1991 Sweet 16.
As the Wildcats prepare for another trip to the Emerald City, with a potential matchup against fifth-seeded Oregon waiting in the Round of 32, here's a look at Arizona's history as a No. 4 seed.
Simon says championship
Arizona's backcourt of Mike Bibby and Miles Simon celebrate the Wildcats' overtime win against Kentucky in the 1997 national championship.
Season: 1996-97
How they finished: National champions
The rundown: Arizona finished fifth in the Pac-10 standings after dropping the final two games of the regular season. The Wildcats were given the No. 4 seed in the Southwest Region and played their first two games in Memphis, Tennessee, where they beat South Alabama and College of Charleston in the first two games.
During Arizona’s run to the national championship, the Wildcats defeated three No. 1 seeds. The first one: Kansas, which eliminated the UA from the NCAA Tournament a year earlier. Despite a 27-point performance from Kansas guard Paul Pierce, Arizona's backcourt of Miles Simon, freshman Mike Bibby and Michael Dickerson combined for 58 points, eight assists and five steals.
In the Elite Eight against Providence, Simon scored 30 points and led the Wildcats to an overtime win over Providence.
The second No. 1 seed Arizona beat was North Carolina, which had Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Shammond Williams. The Wildcats beat the Tar Heels in the season opener at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, but they met again for a chance to face Kentucky in the national championship at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
“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.”
Bibby and Simon combined for 44 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and led Arizona to a 66-58 win over UNC, which was Dean Smith's last game as coach of the Tar Heels.
The only team standing between Arizona and cutting down the nets was Kentucky, the team that won the national championship the year prior.
Kentucky guard Anthony Epps' 3-pointer tied the game and the battle of the Wildcats went into overtime, but Arizona's 10 free throws in the extra period lifted Arizona over Kentucky 84-79 for the program's first and only national championship. Simon made 14 free-throws in his 30-point performance and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
“It was such a war,” Simon said. “This is the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever done.”
They said it: “Our kids showed their toughness to the very end. What’s most impressive is three No. 1 seeds went down. This is one tough group of Cats." — Arizona head coach Lute Olson, who appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno the night after the national championship
Oklahoma rallies back for upset
Shocked players from left; Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright and Jason Stewart, sit near their lockers after coach Lute Olson spoke to the team after their loss to Oklahoma during the NCAA first round tournament in Milwaukee in 1999.
Season: 1998-99
How they finished: Loss in the first round to No. 13 seed Oklahoma
The rundown: In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona had a four-point advantage late, but a pair of missed free-throws by A.J. Bramlett and a turnover by the inbounding Michael Wright allowed Oklahoma to rally back and win 61-60 in Milwaukee.
Arizona shot 33% from the field and missed nine free throws in the loss to Oklahoma. OU forward Eduardo Najera had 17 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the opening-round win over the Wildcats.
It was the first NCAA Tournament-opening loss for Arizona since 1995.
He said it: "It was a disappointing loss. We played hard, but the thing that killed us were the inopportune moments of our turnovers." — Olson
Cats end roller-coaster season with upset loss
Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) comforts UA guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (0) as the clocks winds down in the second half during the first round NCAA South Region game at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho, on March 15, 2018. Buffalo won 89-68. Arizona Wildcats guard Rawle Alkins (1) and Arizona Wildcats center Dusan Ristic (14) sit on either side.
Season: 2017-18
How they finished: Lost in the first round to No. 13 seed Buffalo
The rundown: Arizona's season started with a federal investigation into the program, then ended with an upset loss to Nate Oates-coached Buffalo in Boise, Idaho. Somewhere in between, Arizona star guard Alonzo Trier tested positive for Ostarine, a substance prohibited by the NCAA.
Arizona's up-and-down season started with UA assistant coach Book Richardson's arrest by the FBI for a pay-for-play scandal in college basketball. Arizona head coach Sean Miller sat out a game after an ESPN story.
However, Arizona won the Pac-12 championship outright on the shoulders of center Deandre Ayton, the only No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick in UA history, who was the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
The Wildcats' championship aspirations crashed and burned in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after Buffalo guard Wes Clark torched Arizona for 25 points and shot 71% from the field. Arizona was 2 for 18 from 3-point range against Buffalo; Clark had more 3s than the UA. Arizona's 89-68 loss to Buffalo was the largest margin of defeat in the postseason since it lost to Louisville 103-64 in 2009.
He said it: “It kind of felt weird. They came out of the gate and just destroyed us. They just kept coming at us and we obviously had no answer for that, so I’m gonna give them a lot of credit for that." — Arizona guard Brandon Randolph
