Fansided

College basketball blue bloods ranked by all-time legacy

By Mike Phillips

Michael Jordan is all smiles along with coach Dean Smith as Jordan announces at a 1984 press conference that he will forgo his senior year in college to play professional basketball. (Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images)
Michael Jordan is all smiles along with coach Dean Smith as Jordan announces at a 1984 press conference that he will forgo his senior year in college to play professional basketball. (Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 21
Next
19 Mar 1998: Guard Mike Bibby of the Arizona Wildcats in action during an NCAA Tournament game against the Maryland Terrapins at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Arizona defeated Maryland 87-79. Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw /Allsport
19 Mar 1998: Guard Mike Bibby of the Arizona Wildcats in action during an NCAA Tournament game against the Maryland Terrapins at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Arizona defeated Maryland 87-79. Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw /Allsport /

11. Arizona

  • Record: 1,813-946-1 (.657 Winning Percentage)
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 35
  • Final Fours: Four (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001)
  • National Titles: One (1997)
  • Notable Alums: Steve Kerr, Andre Iguodala, Mike Bibby

Our first trip to the Pac-12 brings us to Arizona, which has a long and storied basketball tradition. The Wildcats made their first NCAA Tournament back in 1951, but they waited until 1976 to return to March Madness.

Those waits became less frequent over the ensuing years as Arizona began producing elite point guards at a prodigious rate. Notable guards who manned the point for Arizona over the years include Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, and Jerryd Bayless.

The top coach in Arizona history was Lute Olson, who took over in 1983 and coached the Wildcats until 2007, beginning a dominant run of Wildcat basketball. The Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament in Olson’s third year, back in 1985, and didn’t miss again until 2010, a run of 25 straight trips to March Madness.

Olson had a few shots at the national championship, making the Final Four in 1988 and 1994 before finally cutting down the nets in 1997. The Wildcats got back to the title game in 2001, narrowly losing to Duke and missing out on an opportunity to join the elite fraternity of programs with more than one championship.

Arizona is currently a program in some hot water as coach Sean Miller has been caught up in the FBI’s recruiting probe. Miller is still the coach for now, and he has a top recruiting class coming in this year to try and get Arizona back to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.