Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
2025–26 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team
University	University of Arizona
First season	1904; 121 years ago (1904)
All-time record	1,919–999–1 (.658)[1]
Athletic director	Desiree Reed-Francois
Head coach	Tommy Lloyd (5th season)
Conference	Big 12
Location	Tucson, Arizona
Arena	McKale Center (capacity: 14,688)
Nickname	Wildcats
Colors	Cardinal and navy[2]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1997
Other NCAA tournament results Runner-up 2001 Final Four 1988, 1994, 1997, 2001 Elite Eight 1976, 1988, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015 Sweet Sixteen 1976, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2024, 2025 Appearances 1951, 1976, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference tournament champions
1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
Conference regular-season champions 1932, 1936, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1976, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024

TheArizona Wildcats men's basketball team is theintercollegiate men's basketball program representing theUniversity of Arizona inTucson, Arizona. They compete in theBig 12 ofNCAA Division I and are coached byTommy Lloyd. Arizona previously spent 45 seasons in thePac-10/12.

The program came to national prominence during the tenure of former head coachLute Olson (1983−2007), who established the program as among America's elite in college basketball. One writer referred to U of A as "Point Guard U"^[3] because the school has produced successful guards likeSteve Kerr,Damon Stoudamire,Khalid Reeves,Mike Bibby,Jason Terry,Gilbert Arenas,Jason Gardner,Jerryd Bayless,T. J. McConnell andCaleb Love, among others.

From 1985 to 2009, the Arizona basketball team reached theNCAA Division I tournament for 25 consecutive years, tied for 3rd longest in NCAA history.^[4][5][6] Despite having their 1999 and 2008 appearances later vacated by the NCAA, the media still cites Arizona's streak, and simply notes the changes.^[7][8] The Wildcats have reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament on four occasions (1988,1994,1997, and2001). They have also made two appearances in the National Championship (won overKentucky Wildcats in 1997, lost toDuke Blue Devils in 2001). In Pac-10 play, former head coach Lute Olson currently holds the record for most wins as a Pac-10 coach with 327.^[9] In addition, the team has won 18 Pac-10/12 regular season championship titles and 9 Pac-10/12 tournament championship titles.^[9] Arizona also holds the distinction of recording five out of the seven 17–1 Pac-10 seasons (one-loss seasons).^[9] In 2022 Arizona became the first team in conference history to win 18 conference games in a season. No team has gone undefeated since the formation of the Pac-10/12.

Arizona ranks sixtenth all-time heading into the 2025–26 season with 1,913 wins and ranks seventh by winning percentage at (.657).^[10] Arizona has spent 39 weeks at No. 1 in the AP Poll, which is ninth-most all-time; 31 weeks at No. 2, ninth most all-time; 177 weeks in the Top 5, seventh all-time; 350 weeks in the Top 10, sixth all-time; and 622 weeks in the top 25, seventh all-time.^[11]

The University of Arizona fielded its first men's basketball team in 1904–05. Orin Albert Kates coached the team and drew opponents from local YMCAs. The first game Arizona played ended in a 40–32 victory over the Morenci YMCA.^[12]

In 1914, Arizona's first famous coach,James Fred "Pop" McKale was lured away from a teaching and coaching job at Tucson High School to take over asAthletic Director and coachbasketball,football,baseball andtrack.^[12] McKale took things to a new level, posting a 9–0 record his first season as a basketball coach.^[12] Moreover, McKale elevated the program to intercollegiate play.^[12] While basketball was his least favorite of the many sports he coached while at U of A, he chalked up three undefeated seasons and a career-winning average of .803, which has never been bested by a U of A coach who has held the post for at least three years.^[12] TheMcKale Memorial Center, the main arena for Arizona basketball, is named in his honor.^[12]

From 1925 to 1961, the program was under the stewardship ofFred Enke, U of A's longest-tenured coach.^[13] Coach Fred A. Enke was responsible for the early successes of Wildcat basketball. Enke amassed 509 wins in his tenure on the U of A sidelines and still ranks as the second-winningest coach in school history, winning more than 60 percent of his games. Enke also led the Cats to the first four postseason appearances (3 N.I.T. and 1 NCAA) in school history and in 1950–51 competed in both the N.I.T. and NCAA postseason tournaments. Finally, he was the first coach to lead Arizona to a national ranking. Two of his teams (1950, 1951) finished the season ranked in the top 15.^[13]

Under Enke, U of A competed in the now-defunctBorder Conference. Under Enke's direction, Arizona won 12 conference championships, including a span in which the Cats won or shared seven consecutive Border Conference titles (1942–51). No Border Conference team won as many league games (231) or overall contests (398) during its membership.^[13] In 1962, Arizona joined theWestern Athletic Conference as a founding member after the Border Conference disbanded.^[13]

Bruce Larson, a player and assistant under Enke before coaching atEastern Arizona andWeber State, coached the Wildcats from 1961 to 1971, leading the school to a 136–148 record. Under his tenure, major planning began^[14] for a larger and more modern basketball arena (which would become McKale Center) to replace the outdatedBear Down Gymnasium. Larson would later serve as an analyst on Wildcat football and basketball telecasts during the Lute Olson (andDick Tomey) era.^[15]

In 1972,Fred Snowden was hired as the head basketball coach, making Arizona the second Division I school and the first major program to hire anAfrican American head coach.^[16][17] Known as "The Fox", Snowden brought the excitement back to Wildcat basketball during his 10 years on the Arizona sideline, averaging more than 80 points per game in six of his 10 years and topping the 100-point barrier 27 times.^[13] Snowden led Arizona to the NCAA tournament twice, in1976 and1977, getting as far as the Elite Eight in 1976 before losing toUCLA 82–66, a game after defeatingUNLV in a Sweet Sixteen matchup. During the 1976 tournament, he also logged Arizona's first and only tournament wins until Lute Olson's hiring, beatingJohn Thompson'sGeorgetown team 83–76. Snowden's 1976 team also won the school's only WAC championship title on a buzzer-beater byGilbert Myles versesNew Mexico, with the help of the spectacular play ofBob Elliott, Jim Rappis, andAl Fleming. In 1978, Coach Snowden helped transition the basketball program over to the newly formed Pac-10. Snowden could not sustain success in the Pac-10, however, finishing no higher than 4th place in the conference. His 9–18 final season led U of A to look for a replacement.^[12]

Known for his high-octane offense and remembered as a trailblazer, Fred "The Fox" Snowden brought excitement to Arizona basketball during his 10-year tenure as the program's head coach. Snowden, who led the Wildcats from 1972 to 1982, was the first African-American head basketball coach at an NCAA Division I institution, amassing a 167–108 mark. The 1973 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, his career winning percentage of .607 has been topped by only three U of A coaches since 1924. Nicknamed "The Fox" due to his cool demeanor, Snowden led Arizona to three postseason berths, including the 1975 National Commissioners’ Invitational Tournament and the 1976 and 1977 NCAA Tournaments. His best season came in 1976, when the Wildcats went 24–9, won the Western Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA West Regional Final. The Brewton, Ala., native was the head coach who led Arizona into the Pac-10 in the 1978–79 season, guiding the program for its first four seasons in the Conference. Snowden also oversaw the transition into the McKale Center after its opening in 1973. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Prior to his role at Arizona, Snowden was an assistant coach at Michigan. He also served on the coaching staff of his high school, Northwestern High School in Detroit, Mich., where he coached for five years after attending Wayne State University from 1954 to 1958. Snowden died in 1994 at the age of 57.

Athletic Director Dave Strack brought inBen Lindsey to replace Fred Snowden in 1983, and on the surface, it seemed like a reasonable move. Lindsey had junior college expertise, having had a successful career atGrand Canyon University, where he won two national titles. What resulted, however, was nothing short of disaster. The 1983 team finished with the worst season in school history at 4–24, with only one Pac-10 win.^[12]

Newly hired U of A Athletic directorCedric Dempsey fired Lindsey after only one season and hiredUniversity of Iowa coachLute Olson as his successor. U of A needed a coach with a history of quickly turning around programs, which Olson had done previously at Iowa. "I knew we had a tremendous amount of work to do", Olson recalled in a recent interview with Tucson Lifestyle. "The program was in shambles at that point, after the terrible year before..."^[12]

Under Olson, Arizona quickly rose to national prominence. Arizona won its first Pac-10 title in 1986, only three years after his arrival.^[12] That season set up an amazing 1987–88 season, which included taking theGreat Alaska Shootout championship, the Valley Bank Fiesta Bowl Classic championship and the Pac-10 championship.^[12] Under playersSteve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, andSean Elliott, Arizona spent much of the season ranked No. 1 and made their first (and Olson's second) Final Four.^[12] While Arizona lost in the Final Four round, their play put the program on the map and launched Arizona's reign as a perennial Pac-10 and NCAA tournament contender. Sean Elliott was awarded the John R. Wooden Award on the season and would set the PAC-10 scoring record.^[12]

In 1997, Arizona defeated theUniversity of Kentucky, the defending national champions, to win the NCAA national championship. Prior to winning the championship in 1997, Arizona stormed back from 10-point deficits in the Southeast Regional First round and Second Round against #13South Alabama and #12College of Charleston, respectively winning 65–57 and 73–69. The Southeast Regional semifinal pitted Arizona against overall #1 Kansas (34–1) which had defeated Arizona the year before in the 1996 West Regional semifinal. However, Arizona came out fast and stunned theJayhawks 85–82, then prevailed in overtime againstProvidence 96–92 in the Elite Eight to clinch a berth in the Final Four. Arizona then beat #1 seedNorth Carolina 66–58 in the Final Four, which turned out to beDean Smith's last game as a coach. Arizona also accomplished the unprecedented feat of beating three number one seeds in the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. This feat has never been accomplished by another team.

The year following the Championship season, 1998, Arizona returned all 5 starters (Mike Bibby,Michael Dickerson,Miles Simon,Bennett Davison, andA. J. Bramlett^[18]) and were poised to make another run after receiving the #1 overall seed in the West, but were upset by Utah in theElite 8.

In 1999, all 5 starters were lost to graduation or early entry to the NBA draft and Arizona's hopes of continuing its streak of consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament was in jeopardy until senior point guardJason Terry (the 6th man the previous two seasons) elevated his game (receiving National Player of the Year honors) and continued the school's amazing streak.

In 2000, former Wildcat Jason Terry, stated that he received approximately $4,500 in cash, checks and wire transfers from New York sports agent Larry Fox, after his junior season.^[19] The NCAA announced that as a result a one-game 1999 NCAA tournament appearance was formally vacated. In addition, Arizona asked Terry to repay the $45,363 in forfeited NCAA 1999 tournament revenue and banned him from the U of A Sports Hall of Fame, including a provision that his jersey would not be retired.^[20] Terry's jersey was later retired in 2015.^[20]

2001 was one of the most challenging and rewarding years for the program. Lute Olson's wife Bobbi, well known to players and fans alike as a steadfast presence on the sidelines, died of cancer. The team, which had been a preseason pick by many to win the national title had to play without Olson for three weeks while Olson was on bereavement leave. The Cats vowed to dedicate their season to Bobbi. With guardJason Gardner, centerLoren Woods and forwardMichael Wright — each an All-American — leading the way, the Cats trounced their opponents, beating Oregon 104–65, devastating USC 105–61, and charging through theFinal Four. They took down Eastern Illinois,Butler, Mississippi,Illinois, andMichigan State, only to be stopped byDuke in the title game. While being considered the favorite to win the title, which would have been Coach Olson's 2nd and tied him with CoachMike Krzyzewski, his opponent, the Blue Devils claimed a ten-point victory in the game. This is the last game Coach Olson ever coached in the Final Four and is considered by fans of the program to be his most bitter defeat. A championship would have vaulted him into hallowed ground among coaches, being one of few with multiple titles. Instead he remains tied with many coaches who have a single championship ring to their name. Meanwhile, his opponent in that game now is in second place among college coaches with five championship rings, behind only John Wooden's ten. All five of Krzyzewski's titles came in the 64 team field era; Wooden none. Still Coach Olson earned the respect of his contemporary, Coach K said in the post-game interview that "Arizona had a great team and an amazing season and was worthy of winning the championship, let's give a hand to Coach Olson and his team." The comment drew rousing applause from the audience in attendance and made Coach Olson proud, even in defeat, to be honored as an equal by Coach Krzyzewski who many claim is the best coach in college history.

In his later years at U of A, Olson fielded competitive teams with extremely talented point guards. Continuing the reputation and nickname "Point Guard U,"^[3] recent standouts includeJason Gardner,Salim Stoudamire,Mustafa Shakur,Jerryd Bayless andNic Wise. Arizona would win Olson's last Pac-10 title during the 2004–2005 season under the spectacular play of seniors Salim Stoudamire and centerChanning Frye. That team also made it to the Elite 8 and the verge of the Final Four before blowing a 15-point lead with four minutes to play and losing in overtime, 90–89, to the No. 1 seed and eventual national runner-up,University of Illinois.^[21]

Olson took an unexplained leave of absence at the beginning of the 2007–2008 season. Assistant coach Kevin O'Neill took over interim head coaching duties for the Arizona Wildcats. At that time, Olson announced that he intended to be back for the 2008–09 season and finish out his contract, which was scheduled to end in 2011.^[22] His departure was criticized by some members of the media. They also questioned how he and the U of A athletic department handled his return and the verbal succession agreement with coach O'Neill.^[23] However, on October 23, 2008, he unexpectedly announced his retirement from the program (by way of an announcement from Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood).^[24] A few days later, Olson's personal physician held a press conference and explained that the retirement was strongly advised due to health concerns.^[25][26]

After Lute Olson's abrupt retirement, Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood appointed assistant coachRuss Pennell as the interim head coach for the2008–2009 season 23 days before the start of the season.^[27] The appointment came afterMike Dunlap, the associate head coach brought in to replace Kevin O'Neill, turned down the job. Under Pennell, the Cats finished 19–13 in the regular season, including a non-conference win over Kansas and a 7-game win streak with wins over UCLA and Washington. Despite a 19–13 finish to the season, Arizona was controversially selected as one of the last teams into the field of 65 as a 12th seed in the Midwest region, extending its NCAA consecutive tournament appearances to 25 years.^[28] The Cats made it to the Sweet 16 (regional semi-finals) with wins over 5-seedUtah and 13-seedCleveland State, before falling to overall 1-seed,Louisville.^[29] Despite Pennell's post-season success, he was not retained, as Arizona announced before his hiring they would hold a national coaching search after the season ended.^[29] (On April 9, 2009, Pennell was hired as head coach of the men's basketball team at Division IIGrand Canyon University, a member of thePacific West Conference.)

Following Olson's retirement, reports of NCAA violations arose regarding payment of impermissible benefits to players and recruiting violations. In response, Arizona self-imposed sanctions that included a reduction in the number of recruiting visits by coaches and prospective players, the disbanding of a booster group, and implementation of a series of administrative and rules changes to prevent further violations.^[30] The NCAA upheld most of those self-imposed sanctions but determined the school had used two ineligible players in 2007-08 and would have to vacate all wins involving those players and eliminate their statistics.^[31] The NCAA reduced the number of scholarships and visits with recruits Arizona was allowed to make.^[32] The NCAA found that Olson failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance at the university but decided against sanctioning the coach because he was retired and had health issues. "I think that was my fault," Olson said during a 2008 interview with ESPN.com. "That wasn't anyone else's fault. It was my error and it was a big error. But I guess in 26 years you are allowed to make a mistake once in a while anyway and that's not to say I haven't made a lot of them but in terms of that, that was a big mistake on my part."^[33]

After the end of the season, various coaching names were considered to succeed Lute Olson on a permanent basis. Arizona was perceived to have interest inGonzaga'sMark Few,Pittsburgh'sJamie Dixon and then-Memphis coachJohn Calipari (before he accepted the vacant position atKentucky) to take the job. Arizona even broughtUSC'sTim Floyd on campus for an interview and while Arizona claims no formal offer was ever presented, Floyd ultimately turned down the job publicly.

Arizona hiredSean Miller fromXavier University to fill the head coaching position. He initially turned the job down before changing his mind and accepting the job on Apr. 6, 2009 despite having never visited the Arizona campus.^[33] Miller was formally introduced as the 13th head men's basketball coach at Arizona at a press conference on April 7, 2009, at McKale Center.^[34] At the press conference, Miller acknowledged Lute Olson's impact on the Arizona program by addressing Olson personally: "One of the reasons I sit here today is because of the great legacy you built."^[35] Miller also promised U of A fans that they would enjoy the style of both offense and defense he would bring to Wildcat basketball. Miller's salary is $1.6 million per year; he will receive an additional $400,000 per season fromNike and media contracts during a five-year deal, as well as a $1 million signing bonus and other amenities such as season tickets to other Wildcat sporting events and the use of a private jet.^[35] Within three months of joining the program, Miller compiled a strong five-player recruiting class that ranked 13th nationally in 2009.^[36] After going 16–15 and missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 25 years during Miller's initial 2009–10 campaign.

In his second season as the head coach at Arizona, the Cats finished the season with 30–8, 14–4 Pac-12 play, behind the play of sophomorePac-10 Player of the YearDerrick Williams.^[37] It would be the Wildcats' first outright Pac-10 regular season title (its 12th overall), 4th 30+ win season (1st overall) and Elite Eight appearance (8th overall) since the 2004–2005 season. In addition, Miller led the Wildcats to their first unbeaten home record (17–0) in 14 years and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. This was the first time an Arizona coach received this honor sinceLute Olson in 2003. The 17 wins without a loss at home is tied for the second-most in school history.^[38] Miller would add to the season's success by guiding the Cats to their first Elite Eight appearance since the 2004–2005 Season as a 5-seed. In the second round, Arizona secured a 2-point victory over 12th seededMemphis (coached by former Wildcat (and member of the 1997 national title team)Josh Pastner) with a blocked shot in the final seconds by Derrick Williams. Arizona would follow with another close game—a controversial one-point win against 4-seedTexas.^[39] In the Sweet-16 match-up, Arizona found itself pitted against top-seededDuke, the first time since the 2001 title game that the two schools had met.^[40] Duke would extend an early lead, but 25 points from Derrick Williams kept the Cats in the game and down by 6 points at the half.^[40] In the second half, Williams' teammates picked up the slack, dominating the Blue Devils by scoring 55 second-half points and routing the defending champs 93–77.^[40] Arizona's run at the Final Four would fall 2 points short, losing to 3-seed (and eventual national champion) Connecticut 65–63.

For his third season, Arizona's 2011 recruiting class was ranked 7th, notably signing Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner. Arizona secured three players in the top nine of the ESPNU 100, with all four newly signed players within the top 36. This has cemented Arizona as the No. 1 signing class nationally, surpassingKentucky who held the No. 1 spot 2010 and 2011.^[41][42][43] The Wildcats missed the postseason for the second time, reached to the NIT Tournament before falling to Bucknell to finish the season 23–12 overall, 12–6 in Pac-12.

In his fourth season, Miller guided to its second top-5 ranking in the AP poll (the first coming in weeks 7–10 of the 2012–2013 season^[44]), Arizona reached the Sweet 16 in 2013 falling to Ohio State, finished the season with 27–8, 12–6 in Pac-12.

In his fifth season with the most talent Coach Miller has had since arriving in Tucson. On December 9, 2013, Arizona became the #1 ranked Team in the Country for the 6th time in school history, after a 9–0 start with wins over traditional national powerhouses Duke and UNLV. The Wildcats followed this up by securing a key come-from-behind victory on the road atMichigan on December 14 and led the Wildcats to their second outright Pac-12 Regular Season Title (its 13th overall, 26th regular season overall) in Sean Miller's fifth year as the head coach. Arizona reached the second unbeaten home record at (18–0), Coach Miller again named the second Pac-10/12 coach of the year, 5th 30+ wins season (2nd overall), 2nd Elite Eight appearance (9th overall) in 2014. But in the 2014 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats fell to Wisconsin in overtime, they finished the season with 33–5, 15–3 in Pac-12.

In his sixth season as the Arizona Wildcats basketball head coach, after Gonzaga's home loss to BYU on February 28, 2015, Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball (38th home win at 2nd all-time, 82nd home win at 5th all-time). Arizona defeated #13 Utah in Salt Lake City the same day, winning its share of the Pac-12 regular season title. After three losses to Pac-12 archrival Arizona State, Oregon State and UNLV, Arizona won their third Pac-12 regular season championship title (2nd straight year, its 14th overall, 27th overall). Arizona reached the third unbeaten home record at (17–0). The Wildcats completes their sixth ever 30+ win (3rd overall) and won their first Pac-12 Tournament title (5th overall) since 2002. In the 2015 NCAA tournament, the Wildcats fell to the Wisconsin Badgers in Elite Eight, 85–78, and finished the season 34–4, 16–2 in the Pac-12.^[45]

In his seventh season, they finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to tie with California for third place. They defeated Colorado in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Oregon. In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, as a 6-seed in the South Region. They lost in the first round to Wichita State.

In his eighth season at U of A, AP polls & 81-straight coaches polls. The 97-consecutive weeks in the AP poll is currently the second-longest streak in the nation behind Kansas at 161 weeks.[1] They have been ranked every week in the 2016–2017 season, bringing those totals to 97 weeks for the AP & 100 weeks for the coaches poll. Arizona won its first 10 conference games, the best start since the '97-'98 season when they started 16–0. They finished the season at seventh ever 30+ wins with 32–5, tied at 16–2 with Oregon in Pac-12 play for first place to win their 3rd Pac-12 regular season championship title for the 15th time (28th overall). The Wildcats entered the Pac-12 Tournament as a 2-seed, the Wildcats defeated 7-seed Colorado in the quarterfinals, 3-seed UCLA in the semifinals and 1-seed Oregon in the championship game, Wildcats won their 2nd Pac-12 Tournament championship title for the 6th time. In the 2017 NCAA Tournament, as a 2-seed in the West regional, Arizona defeated the 15-seed North Dakota 100–82 in the first round, 7-seed Saint Mary's 69–60 in the second round and losing to Xavier 73–71 in the Sweet Sixteen.

As Miller'sninth season as the head coach at Arizona was about to get underway, federal prosecutors announced, on September 26, 2017, bribery, soliciting a bribe and wire fraud charges against assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson as part of a far-reaching,college basketball-wide scandal.^[46] Perhaps in part due to the ongoing scandal, the Wildcats ranked No. 2 in the country at one point, lost three games at theBattle 4 Atlantis tournament.^[47][48] Arizona would eventually fire Richardson for his role in the scandal and the team would recover to lead the Pac 12 for the majority of the season.^[49] On February 24, 2018, Associate head coach Lorenzo Romar was temporarily named head coach after news broke the previous day that Miller had been caught on an FBI wiretap offering to pay players to come to Arizona.^[50][51] On March 1, Miller held a joint press conference with the university denying all allegations and stating he would be retained as men's head basketball coach. That same night, the Wildcats won their 29th regular season conference title, 16th in the Pac-12, and secured the No. 1 seed in theconference tournament by defeatingStanford 75–67. On March 10, Arizona defeatedUSC to win a record seventh conference tournament title. As a result, the Wildcats received an automatic bid to their sixth straightNCAA tournament (35th NCAA tournament appearance, 12th all time) as the No. 4 seed in the South regional. The Wildcats, a trendy pick to make the Final Four and win the championship were blown out in the first round by No. 13 seedBuffalo, losing 89–68.^[52]

2018–2019 marked the tenth season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Arizona replaced all 5 starting players, 3 via the NBA draft. After a victory against UTEP, Miller recorded his 250th win for Arizona (370th win overall), in only 324 games, which was the 5th fastest of any coach at any Division 1 program all-time.^[53] On January 5, 2019, Arizona won its 600th game in the McKale center with an 84–81 overtime victory over Utah.^[54] Arizona became the first Pac-12 team to achieve 100 wins against conference opponents since the conference expanded to 12 teams before the 2011 season, after defeating Stanford 75−70 Jan. 9, 2019.^[55] The Wildcats would go on to finish the season in Pac-12 play 8–10, 9th place overall & lose their first round Pac-12 Tournament match up against USC, 78−65.^[56] They would end the season with an overall record of 17–15 & decline an invitation to theCBI.

2019–2020 marked the eleventh season for Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats head coach. Despite again losing all 5 starting players, Arizona would bring in the 6th overall best recruiting class & ranked pre-season 21st by theAP Poll.^[57][58] Arizona would open the season 9–0, capped off by winning theWooden Legacy tournament located in Anaheim, California led by tournament MVPNico Mannion & defeatedWake Forest 73–66.^[59] Arizona finished non-conference play ranked 16th with an overall record of 10–3. On February 1, 2020, Miller would win his 400th overall game of his career in a 75−70 over USC to move their record to 16–6 & 6–3 in conference play.^[60] They would defeat Stanford in Maples Pavilion for the conferences longest active streak 20th time, 69–60.^[61] Arizona would finish the regular season with an overall record of 20–11 & 10–8 in conference play, which was good for 5th. The Wildcats would face 12 seed Washington in their first-round match up & win 77–70, to set up a second-round matchup versus 4 seed USC.^[62] The season would end due to theCOVID-19 pandemic which shut down sports globally & end the 2019–20 season.^[63] Arizona would have an overall record 21–11 & were a projected 7 seed but could have moved higher pending the remainder of the Pac-12 tournament.^[64]

In 2020–21, Arizona would begin its twelfth season under Head Coach Sean Miller. The Pac-12 announced before the season started that schools would not allow for fans to be in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[65] Also due to travel restrictions, financial impact & COVID-19 testing, Arizona was forced to cancel non-conference match ups against pre-season top 5 teams,Gonzaga &Illinois,^[66] as well as cancel their appearance in the2020 NIT Season Tip-Off^[67] in Brooklyn against top 15 rankedTexas Tech,Cincinnati &St. John's. In total Arizona would have 14 games cancelled, postponed or rescheduled but none of which were due to COVID-19 issues within the Arizona Wildcat program.

This season also marked the introduction of expanded Pac-12 play with each team adding two games, one home & one road, during the months of November & December for a total of 20 with the Wildcats adding games at home against Colorado & on the road against Stanford.^[68] Arizona again would replace the entire starting 5 for a third straight season but bring in another top 10 recruiting class, 7th overall led by six international players from Canada, Estonia, France, Lithuania & Turkey, as well as the United States.^[69] Arizona would finish non-conference play with an overall record of 6–0 against its opponents. Arizona would lose its opening Pac-12 game against Stanford 75–78 which would snap the Wildcats' 20-game winning streak against the Cardinal.^[70]

Following 88–74 victory over Colorado, the Wildcats' announced a Self-Imposed one-year postseason ban, which included the 2021 Pac-12 tournament.^[71]

On February 20, Sean Miller would win his 300th game at Arizona in only his 408th, 3rd fastest for any coach at any Pac-12 school by defeating the #17 USC Trojans by a score of 81–72.^[72] During the halftime of match up against Washington, Arizona would induct former players Ernie McCray (1958–60) & Al Fleming (1972–76) as the 26th & 27th members of the program's Ring of Honor.^[73] Arizona would end the season with an overall record of 17–9 overall and finish 5th in the conference at 11–9 but because of their self-imposed ban would not participate in the conference tournament. Many bracketologists stated that Arizona would have been an NCAA tournament team if not for the self-imposed ban.^[74]

In March 2021, a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, originally issued in October 2020 at the conclusion of the NCAA's initial investigation, was released to the media by the university after a lawsuit was filed by ESPN; the school received five Level I violations, considered the NCAA's most serious, one specifically against Miller for failing to monitor his assistant coaches accused of academic misconduct and other rules violations. None of the allegations included anything regarding former player Deandre Ayton.^[75]

On April 7, 2021, Arizona fired Sean Miller after 12 years.^[76] Miller at the time had finished his coaching career with an overall record of 302–109, five regular–season Pac-12 championships, three conference tournament titles & seven NCAA appearances.^[77] His 302 wins were the 3rd most in school history. The NCAA along with the IARP would vacate 32 wins from the 2016–17 season and 18 wins from the 2017–18 season, for a total of 50 wins. It would bring his all-time record to 252–109 and his 252 wins would remain the 3rd most in school history.^[78]

After the university decided to part ways with Sean Miller, various coaching names were considered to succeed him on a permanent basis. Three former Wildcats who played under Lute Olson –Damon Stoudamire (head coach atthe University of the Pacific),Miles Simon (assistant for theLos Angeles Lakers), andJosh Pastner (head coach atGeorgia Tech), as well asArkansas'Eric Musselman, were under speculation to take the job.^[79] On April 14, 2021, it was announced thatTommy Lloyd, the longtime top assistant coach atGonzaga underMark Few, would become the 18th head coach of Arizona men's basketball. Both Lloyd and Few have been heavily influenced by the European style of basketball (and a focus on recruiting international players), as well as the uptempo, player-focused offense as implemented at Arizona under Lute Olson.^[80] A formal press conference was held at McKale Center on April 15 to introduce Lloyd as the head coach.^[81][82][83] Coach Lloyd got his first victory as a head coach versus the Wildcats' in-state rivalNorthern Arizona 81–52. His 29-point victory versus NAU was the second largest margin in a coach's debut in school history & largest since 1915.^[84] He would win his first Pac-12 game on December 12, 2021, against Oregon State, 90–65.^[85] Coach Lloyd & Arizona would go on to lose their first game of his career & season inKnoxville, 77–73 against no. 19Tennessee.^[86]

The Wildcats would finish the regular season undefeated on their home court at McKale Center for the 2021–22 campaign, one of only five programs in the nation to do so.^[87] The Wildcats would be led by sophomore guardsBennedict Mathurin,Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry, as well as junior centerChristian Koloko and sophomore forwardĄžuolas Tubelis. Coach Lloyd & the Wildcats would win their 1st regular season conference title under Lloyd & 17th overall as a program with a 91–71 road win over USC. In the season finale Arizona would defeatCalifornia 89–61, becoming the first program & coach to win 18 conference games in the Pac-12 in one season. Arizona clinched the top seed in the2022 Pac-12 tournament; they would go on to defeat No. 9 seedStanford 84–80,^[88] No. 4 seedColorado 82–72^[89] & No. 2 seed (No. 16 in the AP poll) UCLA 84–76 to win their 8th overall conference tournament title & Coach Tommy Lloyd's 1st.^[90] Following the end of the Pac-12 season Lloyd was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year.^[91] Arizona finished the Pac-12 portion of the season with a 31–3 record, earning a number 2 ranking in both the AP & coaches poll. Following the Pac-12 tournament title win, Arizona was selected as the second overall number 1 seed in the South Regional of the2022 March Madness Tournament where they would go on to play 16 seedWright State in their first round matchup. Arizona reached its 20th "Sweet 16" by defeatingTCU in overtime 85–80.^[92] The Wildcats' season would end with a Sweet 16 loss toHouston 72–60.^[93] Lloyd was named as a finalists for theNaismith Award.^[94] Following the end of the season Coach Lloyd won theAP Coach of the Year,NABC Coach of the Year &USBWA Coach of the Year.^[95][96]

Arizona would begin the2022–23 Season by winning the2022 Maui Invitational Tournament by defeatingCincinnati, No. 17San Diego State, No. 10Creighton as well as non-conference games against No. 14Indiana in the Las Vegas Clash & No. 6Tennessee in McKale. Arizona & Coach Lloyd would end the non-conference part of the schedule with a record of 12–0. Lloyd would become the fastest coach to 50 wins, doing so in 57 games, with a 58–52 win over their rival No. 5 UCLA, it was Arizona's 5th win over a ranked team during the season.^[97] Arizona would end the season losing to their rival in Los Angeles, 73–82, giving them an overall record of 25–6 & 14–6 in conference play. They would enter postseason play ranked No. 8 overall & the No. 2 in the2023 Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Arizona defeated No. 10 seed Stanford Cardinal 95–84, which was his 59th career win, the most of any head coach to start their coaching career.^[98] Arizona defeated Arizona State in the Semifinals, 78–59. Arizona then defeated rivals UCLA 61–59 to win Arizona's ninth conference tournament title overall, and the second title in a row. Arizona earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the2023 NCAA Tournament, with a first round match up against Ivy League Champion and No. 15 seedPrinceton. Arizona was upset 59–55, ending their season with an overall record of 28–7.

Arizona began the3rd season under Lloyd ranked No. 12 in thepreseason AP Poll. They had several non-conference match ups against ranked opponents defeating No. 2Duke atCameron Indoor Stadium 78–73, No. 21Michigan State 74–68, No. 21Wisconsin 98–73, suffered defeats against No. 3Purdue 92–84 and No. 14Florida Atlantic 96–95. The Wildcats entered Pac-12 play with a 9–2 record and were ranked No. 4 in the country but suffered their first conference loss on the road against unrankedStanford 100–82. Arizona would go on to sweep the season series against rivalsArizona State andUCLA, finish the regular season with a record of 24–7(15–5) to win their 18th Pac-12regular season title.Caleb Love won the schools 11th overallPac-12 Player of the Year and was named second and third team all-American. Arizona lost their semifinal matchup in the Pac-12 tournament against eventual winnersOregon 67–59. Arizona earned a second straight No. 2 seed in the West Region of the2024 NCAA Tournament, with a first round matchup against Big West Champion and No. 15 seedLong Beach State. Arizona defeated Long Beach 85–66 in the round of 64, defeated No. 7Dayton 78–68 to reach their second Sweet Sixteen in three years but lost to No. 6Clemson 77–72 ending their season with an overall record of 27–9. Coach Lloyd was one win shy of tyingBrad Stevens record of 89 wins in a head coaches first three years as head coach. This would also mark Arizona's 50th and final season as members of the Pac-12 Conference, as they will move to the Big 12 Conference to start the2024–25 season.

Under Tommy Lloyd

SinceArizona State became a University on December 5, 1958, Arizona leads ASU 83–58. Since both schools joined thePac-10 conference in the 1978–79 season Arizona leads ASU 69–30. Since Lute Olson took over as head coach for the 1983–84 season Arizona leads ASU 67–20. Sean Miller took over for the 2009–2010 season Arizona & finished with a 17–7 record against ASU. Tommy Lloyd is 8–1 all time versus ASU.

The most recent matchup came in Tempe, AZ on March 4, 2025, with Arizona winning 113–100. The largest margin of victory between 97 two teams occurred on February 17, 2024, with Arizona winning 105–60. Arizona leads the all-time series with 163–87.

Since then, the two schools competed for the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Championship every year, with the two teams winning 24 out of the 32 conference titles, and 9 of 18 conference tournament titles. Arizona clinched their first conference title in 1986, when they won on the road atUCLA in Olson's third season.^[99][100] The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry is still seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference.^[101] Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference. California CoachMike Montgomery has stated, "...If those two are not good, the conference is not perceived as being good. People don't give credit to the schools across the board in the league." Since the mid-1980s, Arizona has also had a basketball rivalry with UCLA, as the two schools competed for the Pac-10 Championship every year. Since 1985 the two teams have combined to win 26 out of the 36 conference titles. The UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry still is seen as the match up of the two premier teams in the conference. Also, the performance of the two schools influences the national opinion of the conference.^[102]

The most recent matchup came November 14, 2025, where Arizona beat UCLA 69–65. The Arizona Wildcats trailed the all-time series lead by UCLA with 64–51.

^[13]

The Wildcats have had 18 coaches in their 116-year history. To date, one Wildcats’ coach has won the National Coach-of-the-Year award: Lute Olson twice, in 1988 and 1990. Additionally, 3 Wildcats coaches have been named Pac-12 Conference Coach-of-the-Year: Lute Olson in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2003, Sean Miller in 2011, 2014, and 2017, and Tommy Lloyd in 2022.

Coaches

• Lute Olson (2002)

There have been seven Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that have represented four different countries eight total times in basketball (Budinger was an Olympian in Volleyball) in the Summer Olympics:

Year Player Country Location Medal or Placement 1984 Leon Wood  United States (USA) Los Angeles Gold 2004 Richard Jefferson  United States (USA) Athens Bronze 2012 Andre Iguodala  United States (USA) London Gold 2020 Nico Mannion  Italy (ITA) Tokyo 5th Place 2020 Josh Green  Australia (AUS) Tokyo Bronze 2024 Paris 7th Place 2024 Chase Budinger  United States (USA) Paris T-9th Place (beach volleyball) U of A Olympians

Source: Arizona 2023–24 Media Guide^[13]

• Steve Kerr, head coach,Golden State Warriors
• Joseph Blair, head coach,Rio Grande Valley Vipers
• Quinton Crawford, head coach,Portland Trail Blazers
• Matt Brase, assistant coach,Philadelphia 76ers
• Bret Brielmaier, assistant coach,Orlando Magic
• Bruce Fraser, assistant coach, Golden State Warriors
• Jason Terry, assistant coach,Utah Jazz
• Luke Walton, assistant coach,Detroit Pistons

• Damon Stoudamire, Head Coach,Georgia Tech
• Mike Bibby, Head Coach,Sacramento State
• Josh Pastner, Head Coach,UNLV

14 different NBA championships have been won by 15 Wildcats players. Since the NBA draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, 47 Arizona players have been selected. Former Wildcats have had successful NBA careers, totaling over $2.0 billion in total contracts through the 2025–2026 NBA season^[103] Former Wildcat players have been drafted by every current NBA Franchise except theNew Orleans Pelicans and theUtah Jazz.

Source: Arizona 2024–25 Media Guide^[104]

A total of 33 NBA championships have been won by 15 former Wildcats, consisting of 15 different finals years (1996,1997,1998,1999,2003,2009,2010,2011,2015,2016,2017,2018,2020,2022 and2023). 7 of the last 10 championship teams have had a former Wildcat as a player and/or coaching staff member on the team.

Former Wildcats have played in 23 of the last 30 finals, including 11 straight(since 2015) and have coached in 7 of the last 11 finals.

Honors, awards, and accomplishments

The individual honors, awards, and accomplishments listed in the succeeding subsections are aggregated by player in the following table. Players with only all-conference honors (other than conference player of the year), lower than first-team All-America honors, or later than second-round draft positions are not included.

Source: Arizona 2025–26 Media Guide^[105]

Source:^[13]

Conference honors and awards (players)

Arizona has had 32 All-AmericanAll-Americans selections. Arizona has 7 players selected as Consensus First Team All-Americans 8 times. They have also had 6 players selected as Consensus Second Team All-Americans. 14 Arizona players have received AP All-America honorable mention.^[13]

The following 32McDonald's All-Americans listed below have signed with Arizona. An asterisk, "*", Indicates player did not finish his college career at Arizona. A cross, "†", indicates player did not begin his college career at Arizona.

Source:^[106]

While members of the Pac-12, Arizona had 86 All-Conference selections, which was 6th most among Pac-12 Schools. They have had 87 All-Conference selections. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named first, second or third team All Pac-12 or Big 12:

Note

• ‡ indicates player was Pac-12/Big 12 Player of the Year
• † indicates player was Pac-12/Big 12 Freshman of the Year
• ∞ indicates player was Pac-12/Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year

Note: Second team was only awarded from the '77–79' & starting again in the 2007 season.

All-Conference (Pac-12 & Big 12) Freshman Honors^[106]

While members of the Pac-12 Arizona had 33 All-Freshman selections(*One selection vacated due to NCAA penalty, revised total is 32), which was 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Conference Freshman team:

Note

• ‡ indicates player was Pac-12/Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

Source:^[106]

While members of the Pac-12 Arizona had 11 All-Defense selections, which was 2nd most among Pac-12 Schools. Arizona has also had 3 Newcomer selections, which was tied for 8th among the Pac-12. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Conference Defense or Newcomer:

While members of the Pac-12 Arizona had 14 All-Academic, which was 8th most among Pac-12 Schools. The following is a list of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players that were named All Conference Academic team:^[106]

Source:^[106]

A total of 36 Wildcats have or will earn entry into McKale Center's Ring of Honor, the display of names that begins in the southeast corner of the building's rafters. In order to join this elite group, players must meet at least one of the following six criteria^[108]:
1.) First-team All-America recognition by one or more of the major national organizationsor media;
2.) Major national “player of distinction,” i.e. the Wooden Award or other honor ofsignificance;
3.) Pac-12 Player of the Year or Pac-12 Freshman of the Year;
4.) Arizona career leader in three or more major positive career categories at the conclusionof his collegiate career and must hold the career record for a minimum of five years(excluding single-game records);
5.) 10+ years in the United States Major Professional Leagues of the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB and/or been selected as an All-Star/All Pro by the official league;
6.) Olympic medalist

Arizona has appeared 39*NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments (35),^[110] and 4National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools. 

The Arizona Wildcats have been to four Final Fours, which is tied for 21st all time among Division I schools. 

NCAA Tournament Seeding History

TheNCAA began seeding the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with the1979 edition.^[111] The 64-team field started in1985, which guaranteed that a championship team had to win six games.^[112]

The Wildcats have a record is 62–38 (.620). They were NCAA National Champions in 1997, is the only team to date to beat three #1 seeds to win the national championship.^[113]

Appearances are grouped by the number of teams in the bracket. Round names are based on what round names were at the time of the tournament, not the present names. The term "Elite eight" began in 1956, "Final four" began in 1975, and "Sweet Sixteen" began in 1988.

Arizona is second No. 2 seed to ever lose a first-round game, losing 64–61 to No. 15 seedSanta Clara, led by future NBA starSteve Nash in1993.^[114]

Sixteen to Thirty-two team tournament

Sixty-four teams

Sixty-five teams

First four era

*Following the introduction of theFirst Four round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015, then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds.

†† – As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NCAA tournament was cancelled.

Record by round

*Since its inception in 2011, Arizona has not participated in the First Four

The Arizona Wildcats have appeared in the fourNational Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Arizona's combined record is 0–4.

Though the automatic berth in the NCAA tournament is given to the conference tournament winner, the Pac–12 declares the team with the best record in the regular season the "official" conference champion.
National championships

Regular season championships

Conference tournament championships

Invitational tournament championships

Conference Tournament Championship Game appearances

U of A has won the Pac-10/12 Tournament a record nine times (two appearances in 2017 and 2018 were later vacated by the NCAA, 7 total), including three straight times from 1988 to 1990.
Source: 2023–24 Arizona Wildcats Media Guide^[13]

† – All NCAA tournament wins in 1999, 2008, 2017, and 2018 were vacated by the NCAA in its March 2015 report of Infractions on its athletics department by the NCAA making their official record of 53–36 (.596) due to2017–18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal. The players involved in the scandal played in every game in the 2016–17 & 23 games in the 2017–18 season, resulting in a 9–8 record.^{[115][116][117]}

Note‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Note‡ indicates player was also Conference record holder

Note† indicates player was also the Yearly Pac-12 Leader

Note‡ indicates player was also single game record holder

^Played at Bear Down Gym

Arizona teams have spent a total of 39 weeks ranked number 1, most recently in 2023.^[118] Their current streak of weeks ranked in the AP Poll is at 6 weeks.^[119]

The Associated Press began its basketball poll on January 20, 1949. The following is a summary of those annual polls. Starting in the 1961–62 season, AP provided a preseason (PS) poll. AP did a post-tournament poll in 1953, 1954, 1974 and 1975. The following table summarizes Arizona history in theAP Poll:^[120] The Wildcats longest streak of weeks ranked inside the AP Top 25 poll is 141 weeks, starting with the 1988 pre-season poll and ended with the March 13, 1995 poll. The 141 weeks is 12th most all-time.^[121] Arizona was ranked in 324 out of 326 polls from 1988 until 2005, which is more than any school during the same time frame.^[122]

• Ranked in 40 out of 75 seasons (53%)

The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. eight other Big 12 opponents, trailing only Houston, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.^[13]

• Total (323–224, .590)
• Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.

The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. ten other Pac-12 opponents, trailing only UCLA.^[13]

• Total (765–421, .645)
• Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups & Pac-12 Tournament.

Note:† 30 Pac-12 wins vacated due to NCAA infractions. Pac-12 record is 173–69 (.715).

Arizona's home games include many traditions involvingThe Pride of Arizona pep band and theZona Zoo.

• Before every game, the band splits into four sections in the four sides of McKale Center. They playBear Down Arizona in sequence before the band runs back to the student section in the north stands and plays all of Bear Down. The band also yells "Hi fans!" to the fans, who respond by yelling "Hi band!" and "Hi Tommy!" to head coachTommy Lloyd, who responds by waving to the band.
• While the opposing team's players are being introduced, the student section turns their backs to the court. As each player's name is announced, they will yell "Sucks!" In the interest of sportsmanship, though, the Athletic Department is attempting to phase this tradition out.
• At the start of each half, the entire crowd will stand until the other team scores a point. The fans will also clap rhythmically with the band as it plays a four-note refrain repeatedly until the ball is tipped or inbounded.
• When an opposing player fouls an Arizona player, the band and students chant, while pointing at the opposing player, "You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! You! On you, that's who!" If the foul occurs during a shot and the player makes the shot, the chant is instead "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! No no no no! Don't touch me!"
• If an opposing player accrues four fouls during the game, they will chant "Four!" four times while waving four fingers. If a player fouls out, the band plays the beat from "Another One Bites the Dust", concluding with the band and students yelling "Hey! We're gonna get you too!"
• When opposing players are attempting foul shots, besides attempting to distract the player, the band and students have several chants, but the only constant one is yelled if the player misses their first shot of a two-shot foul, in which case they yell "Nice shot, buddy!"
• If Arizona is beating an opponent by a comfortable margin late in the game, the band and students will chant "Go start the bus!" repeatedly. If an opponent makes a big play, they will chant "It just doesn't matter!"
• Beginning in the 1980s, the "Ooh Aah Man," Joe Cavaleri, made regular appearances at McKale to pump up the crowd. He would start by spelling out "A-R-I-Z-O-N-A!" with his body as the crowd chanted along. He would then direct the crowd in chanting "U of A!", first by each side of the arena, then by the north and south sides and east and west sides simultaneously then by the whole arena. His routine usually involved pulling off his shirt and pants to reveal another Arizona shirt and shorts underneath. Cavaleri was diagnosed withParkinson's disease in 2010 and only made a few appearances during the 2010–2011 season; he officially retired from his "superfan" duties in 2013.^{[123][124][125][126]}
• At the end of every home game (and every Arizona athletics event the band is present at) the band plays Arizona's alma mater, "All Hail, Arizona!" Students and fans link arms, sway as they sing and jump up and down while singing the last part of the song.
• For a time during the Sean Miller era, the team hosted an annual "White Out" game. All fans were encouraged to wear white T-shirts. The most recent white out game was on December 7, 2013, versus UNLV. This was the fourth consecutive season to include a white out game.^[127] The tradition has not continued under Tommy Lloyd (theArizona women's basketball program has continued to have white out games at McKale Center under coachAdia Barnes).

Prior to playing its games at the McKale Center, Arizona played games atBear Down Gym from 1927 until 1973. Arizona would win its inaugural game againstArizona State, then known as Tempe State Teachers College by a score of 29–18.

Arizona is currently plays its home games atMcKale Center, a 14,688 seat multi-purpose arena located at Tucson, Arizona, that opened in 1973. The McKale Center is the fifth different home site in program history.

At McKale Center, Arizona enjoys one of the nation's best home court advantages. The Wildcats have compiled a 651–121 (an .847 winning percentage) record since moving to the McKale Center permanently. Through the 2023–24 season, McKale Center has hosted 10,154,639 fans for Arizona home games and the Wildcats have averaged 13,035 fans (better than 95% capacity) per game during that time. The 2014–2015 season marked the highest average attendance in McKale Center history with an average 14,591 (100% capacity) Wildcats fans at each home game.

The current flagship radio station for men's basketball is Tucsonsports radio stationKCUB, branded as “Wildcats Radio 1290”. From 1983 until 2004, the flagship station was news/talk radio stationKNST. The primary play-by-play voice of Wildcat football, baseball and men's basketball, since 1987, is Brian Jeffries (after starting out as the color commentator for formerCBS Sports announcerRay Scott, who called Wildcats games from 1984 through the spring of 1987).