Arizona is No. 1: The history of the Cats being in the top spot in the country.
The Bear Down Bias Podcast will return next week but in the meantime, Arizona is No. 1 in the country for the first time in nearly a decade.
I would much rather Arizona be No. 1 on April 8th in Glendale but it’s still pretty cool the Cats are getting some much-deserved love.
This is the 39th time in the program’s history that it has donned the No. 1 moniker.
Let’s take a look at the other Arizona squads that have been No. 1 at some point in the season and see how they finished that year.
1987-88 (35-3)
This team kicked off 35-plus years of Arizona being known as a powerful basketball school. They held the top spot for six weeks.
Lute Olson’s squad won the Great Alaska Shootout over previously No. 1 Syracuse, beat No. 9 Duke to win the Fiesta Bowl Classic, went 5-0 against the Big-10, and reached their first Final Four after defeating blue-blood North Carolina.
How it ended: Lost to No. 1 seed Oklahoma in the National Semi-Final.
1988-89 (29-4)
This squad held the top spot for four weeks. Senior Sean Elliott passed Lew Alcindor’s Pac-10 scoring record in a victory over UCLA at McKale Center and the Wildcats once again beat a top-10 Duke squad thanks to a clutch three-pointer by Elliott late in the game at the Meadowlands.
How it ended: Lost to No. 4 seed UNLV in the Sweet Sixteen.
1990-91 (28-7)
The Tucson Skyline Wildcats only held the top spot for one week(in the UPI poll) but they were the first team in program history to stay in the Top 10 for the entire regular season.
During that campaign, Arizona won the preseason NIT over No. 2 Arkansas and once again beat Duke. This time it was a double overtime game against the eventual National Champions.
How it ended: Lost to No. 3 seed Seton Hall in the Sweet Sixteen.
1996-97 (25-9)
After finishing fifth in the Pac-10, the Wildcats went on one of the most magical runs in the history of the NCAA Tournament. They finished No. 1 in only one week. The one that mattered.
Simon says championship.
How it ended: Defeated Kentucky to win the school’s first National Championship.
1997-98 (30-5)
One of the best teams in program history. They returned every key player from the previous championship season and started the year ranked No. 1.
They ranked at the top spot for three weeks and could have finished the year undefeated in the Pac-10 if it were not for an unfortunate buzzer-beater against USC.
The Adam Spanich fan club does not meet here.
How it ended: Lost to No. 6 seed Utah in the Elite Eight.
2000-01 (28-8)
Known as the most talented team in program history. They held the top spot for three weeks. If it were not for a Gilbert Arenas injury against Michigan State the Cats might have two banners hanging in McKale Center.
How it ended: Lost to No. 1 seed Duke in the National Championship game.
2002-03 (28-4)
This team held the top spot for a program-record 13 weeks. The Cats’ signature regular season win came on the road at Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. Arizona trailed by 20 in the first half but thanks to Salim Stoudamire’s 32 points they came back and destroyed the Jayhawks 91-74.
The NCAA Tournament gave Arizona one of its most thrilling victories ever when a guy named Tommy Lloyd was sitting on the opposing bench. Channing Frye came up big with 22 points and 12 rebounds in Arizona’s double-overtime survival against Gonzaga.
How it ended: Lost to No. 2 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight.
2013-14 (33-5)
This was the Brandon Ashley broken foot season and probably Sean Miller’s best squad in the Old Pueblo. The Cats held onto the No. 1 spot for a program record eight straight weeks and won the NIT Season Tip-off after a win over No. 6 Duke.
How it ended: Lost to No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the Elite Eight.
In the previous eight seasons that Arizona was ranked No. 1 they
….won the Pac-10/12 six times.
…reached the Sweet 16 every time.
…advanced to the Elite Eight six times.
…made the Final Four three times.
…played Duke six of the eight years and went 4-2 against the Blue Devils (5-2 if you include this year).
Bear Down!