The average price for a round-trip plane ticket to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament is roughly $500. A hotel room on the strip will cost $900 for four nights.
That’s nearly $1,500 to attend a conference tournament that, most years, has almost no bearing on Arizona’s NCAA Tournament seeding. But Wildcats fans say the entire experience, from Wednesday’s tip-off until Saturday’s championship game, is priceless.
There’s a reason why T-Mobile Arena is called “McKale Super North,” and Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe is already “McKale North.” Arizona fans always find a way — somehow, someway — to travel with their team.
Even when the present — and future — seem so uncertain.
“It doesn’t matter where, it doesn’t matter how. As a die-hard Arizona fan, I will always make the effort to support my Cats,” said Ben Berger, a UA graduate and Los Angeles-based actor.
“I don’t care how much drama there is, I’m an Arizona Wildcat until the day I die.”
Added UA student Jelika Cullinan: “The drama is what makes things fun. It’s called March Madness for a reason.”
Wildcats fans have dealt with more heartache than usual over the last six months, culminating in ESPN’s report last month that coach Sean Miller and a sports agent discussed paying a recruit.
Miller’s staunch denial of the ESPN report — “I’m outraged by the media statements that have been made and the acceptance by many that these statements were true,” he said — has given some fans reason to believe the coach will eventually be vindicated.
But there are other issues.
Former assistant coach Book Richardson was arrested in September and charged with federal bribery and conspiracy crimes. Former associate head coach Joe Pasternack has not been charged with any crime, but has been linked to the same sports agent — Christian Dawkins — that federal agents say funneled money to Richardson. A a recent Yahoo Sports story detailed the influence Dawkins had with top programs, including Arizona.
Add to that Arizona’s in-season issues, from Rawle Alkins’ foot injury to Allonzo Trier’s failed drug test, and fans have had plenty of reasons to worry.
The current drama has led to a sense of urgency among die-hards.
“I do feel like we’re in a must-win-now time for the program,” Berger said. “But then again, it’s Arizona and I feel like we should be in a spot to compete for a championship every year based on who we are.”
It’s one of the reasons Tucson native Zack Edwards will attend his first Pac-12 Tournament this week. Edwards, who lives in Dallas, said he’s hoping the Wildcats can make a Final Four run to silence their critics.
“I am so proud of the team embracing the ‘us-against-the-world’ mentality,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t miss this tournament for the world now, and hopefully it is the first step to a dominant postseason and a Final Four appearance just down the road from me in San Antonio.”
Former UA pep band member Devin McBride, who went to Arizona from 2005-10, said the ongoing drama might make the Wildcats underdogs in March. Forget that they’re the top seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and a likely No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the NCAAs.
“This is the time the program needs us the most,” he said. “That’s why I travel. That’s why I will be there. That’s why I will always Bear Down.”
