Zoning On In

Sean Miller (left) made it work at Xavier. In five years, he lead the Musketeers to three A-10 regular season championships and one A-10 tournament championship. He also took Xavier to the NCAA tournament four times, including an elite eight appearance as the three seed. Following the 2009 season, Miller emerged as a candidate to replace coach Russ Pennell at Arizona. He initially declined when offered the position but eventually changed his mind, having never set foot on the Wildcats' school campus.

For decades, coach Lute Olson embodied the entire University of Arizona basketball program. He had entered in 1983 from the University of Iowa, and the Wilcats were among the nation's worst basketball programs. In just three seasons, Olson led Arizona to prominence, winning the Pac-10 Regular Season Championship in 1986. The Wildcats, two years later, spent much of the season ranked number one in the country, and in the NCAA Tournament, Olson navigated through his old foe the Iowa Hawkeyes to earn the University its first ever Final Four appearance.

Success became expected in Tucson over Olson's tenure. They continued to dominate Pac-10 play, and Arizona returned to the Final Four in 1994. The Wilcats, however, returned home without a national championship. In 1997, Arizona entered the NCAA Tournament seeded fourth. Olson & Company overcame double digit deficits in opening round matchups against both 13th seeded South Alabama and 12th seed College of Charleston. Led by future NBA All-Star point guard Mike Bibby, the Wildcats then proceeded to beat three number one seeds, an NCAA Tournament record, and coupled with fellow guard Miles Simon, Arizona trounced the University of Kentucky to capture their first national title. Simon was later named the Final Four's Most Oustanding Player.

The program returned to the Final Four in 2001. The Wildcats eventualy lost in the national championship game to Duke, 82-72. Prior to Olson's unexpected retirement before 2008 season, he had reached the NCAA Tournament 28 times in total, in which 25 appearances were part of a then-active consecutive streak. Known as one of college basketball's most adept minds at developing young talent, Arizona became known as "Point Guard University," and notable basketball alumni include Bibby, maligned Wizards star Gilbert Arenas, Suns shooting guard Jason Richardson, and perennial NBA 6th Man of the Year Jason Terry.

Prior to Miller, the head coaching position was in flux. Initially tapped to succeed Olson, Kevin O'Neil struggled in the midst of elite talent. The team was incredibly inconsistent, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In the subsequent season, Russ Pennell managed to squeak into the NCAA Tournament, in which the Wildcats ultimately fell to Louisville in the Sweet 16.

With 11 underclassmen, Miller's first season in Tucson was tumultuous, to say the least. Arizona finished the season 16-15, and 10-8 in the Pac-10. Nevertheless, the future shines bright in 2010-11. Leading scorer and leading rebounder sophomore Derrick Williams returns, in which he looks to build on solid freshman campaign. Furthermore, sharp shooting junior Jamelle Horne should provide another consistent scoring option for the Wildcats. He averaged 9.4 points-per-game.  
Expect Arizona to return to the NCAA Tournament in under Miller this season. With a weak Pac-10 Conference, crippled by Tim Floyd's departure at USC and Quincy Pondexter's graduation from the University of Washington, the Wildcats look to be a major player alongside the California Golden Bears to win the entire conference.


-Josh Neighbors