Arizona Wildcats

In 1985, the Arizona Wildcats made it to only their third ever NCAA tournament appearance. While the fans celebrated and the players were thrilled to be able to participate in this experience, what they did not envision was that this was the beginning of the schools rise to elite status.For the next 25 years, the team would advance to this elite competition, reaching the final four four times and the finals twice, winning it all in 1997.

Undoubtedly, the architect for this rise to prominence is the mercurial Lute Olsen. One of the greatest college basketball coaches of his day, Olsen’s impact at the school was almost immediate. In his first year, the team posted a losing record, but for the remainder of his tenure at Arizona, not only did Lute Olsen have the team in the NCAA tournament but also he had them in contention for winning the national title.

Despite spending only two years under the tutelage of Lute Olsen, Mike Bibby’s impact on the history of the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team is immense. Scoring 20 points during the Wildcats 1997 victory over the University of Kentucky, his scoring capabilities provided enough offense to help get Arizona in front and stay there for good, clinching the schools first ever NCAA Men’s Basketball championship.

Joining Mike Bibby on that national championship team for Arizona was Jason Terry. Rounding out the leadership core for the 1997 champions potent scoring attack, Terry has remained highly supportive of his alma mater, and has stated his desire to return to the school and coach there upon his retirement from the NBA

Gilbert Arenas continued the tradition of excellence established by Mike Bibby and John Terry. As a member of the Arizona squad that lost the 2001 finals, Arenas potent scoring abilities carried over with him into the NBA, as he proved to be a vital component in the Wizards lineup during the first decade of the 21st century.

The wildcats have three different jerseys that they wear, depending upon the location or environment of the game. For their home games, the team wears white jerseys with a blue stripe down the sides. For away contests, the teams wears blue jerseys with a white stripe down the sides. For their alternate colors, the teams jerseys are cardinal, with white stripes down the sides.

By far, the Wildcats biggest rival is Arizona State. Even though other rivalries developed over the last three decades with teams such as Kentucky and Kansas, it is the in state factor that makes their clashes with Arizona State so intense.