The Best (and Worst) March Madness Moments in Arizona History

The Arizona Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament as a national championship contender. Still, this time of year can bring plenty of stressful moments, both good and bad.

Here are some of those moments Arizona has experienced in previous NCAA Tournament appearances.

Mar 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd reacts in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Best Moments

1. 1997 National Championship

We'll start with Arizona's only national championship win. The Wildcats took home the 1997 title with an overtime win over Kentucky, the defending national champion in pursuit of a repeat. Arizona was a No. 4 seed in that tournament, and Miles Simon led the championship effort with 30 points.

It was a loaded Arizona roster, featuring players like Simon, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, and Michael Dickerson. Kansas, North Carolina, and Providence were among the other teams the Wildcats eliminated on their title run.

2. 2001 Final Four Run

❝Life goes by fast❞

We caught up with Eugene Edgerson, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Final Four @ArizonaMBB Team! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6mLkyygZ2A
— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) February 10, 2026

Arizona's next shot to claim a national championship came in 2001. The Wildcats again had a roster loaded with NBA talent in players like Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, Luke Walton, and Loren Woods.

They came up with big wins over Illinois in the Elite Eight and defending champion Michigan State in the Final Four, but ultimately fell short of a national title against Duke. Arizona has not been back to a Final Four since.

3. 2003 Double Overtime Win Over Gonzaga

Do @ArizonaMBB fans still remember this 2003 finish against Gonzaga? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/WXy687aIir
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) August 24, 2023

It's not often that an early-round game makes this list for such a storied program, but this game was such an all-time March Madness classic that it was going to end up as a memorable moment for the winner and one of the worst moments for the loser. Plus, it came right at the onset of Gonzaga's rise.

Five Wildcats and three Bulldogs played more than 40 minutes in this contest. Point guard Jason Gardner gave Arizona a 78-76 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation, only for Gonzaga to tie the game on a tip-in. A Luke Walton shot sent the game to a second overtime, and Salim Stoudamire hit the game-winning bucket.

Worst Moments

1. 2005 Elite Eight Collapse Against Illinois

The 2005 college basketball season seemed to have Illinois and North Carolina on the fast track to the national championship, but Arizona nearly ended the dream for the Fighting Illini. The Wildcats had a 15-point lead in the late stages of the game.

Yet, Illinois mounted a comeback to force overtime and emerged with a one-point victory to advance to St. Louis and avenge its 2001 Elite Eight loss to the same Arizona program.

May 21, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Deron Williams (31) during the first half in game three of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

This game is considered one of the best in NCAA Tournament history and featured future NBA players in Channing Frye, Deron Williams, Luther Head, Dee Brown, and Hassan Adams.

2. 1995 First-Round Loss

Miami (OH) is one of the significant stories of this year's NCAA Tournament and pulled off a big upset against Arizona in 1995. The Wildcats were a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. However, they were at a bit of a disadvantage as the first-round game was played in Dayton, Ohio -- virtually a home game for Miami.

It proved to be detrimental to Arizona's NCAA Tournament quest, as the Wildcats were sent packing after reaching the Final Four the previous year.

3. 15-seed Upsets

There have been 11 upsets of a No. 2 seed by a No. 15 seed in NCAA tournament history. Arizona has been on the wrong side of two of them:

🏀 1993 to Steve Nash and Santa Clara
🏀 2023 to Princeton pic.twitter.com/4J8z2eA4NO
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 16, 2023

Eleven No. 2 seeds have lost to No. 15 seeds in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and Arizona was the victim of the upset in two of those games. The first came in 1993 against future NBA legend Steve Nash and Santa Clara. That made Arizona just the second No. 2 seed to lose its opening game, as the Wildcats' offense went cold in the second half.

The Wildcats are also the most recent No. 2 seed to lose in the first round, falling to Princeton in 2023 and extending a three-year streak in which a No. 2 seed lost in the first round. It was Princeton's first NCAA Tournament win since 1998.