The Arizona Wildcats like all Pac 12 Teams were “One and Done” in the NCAA Tournament this Year

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Pac-12 went up in flames this week, becoming the first power five conference since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996 to fail to advance to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament,

Arizona State and UCLA both lost in the First Four. But the real shocker came Thursday night when Buffalo buried fourth-seed Arizona, 89-68, in a South Region first round game at Boise.

Boom.

”With us being a MAC team, it’s easy to look at us as a team that can’t compete with a high major with four NBA prospects,” Buffalo senior guard Wes Clark said. “But we watched enough film and got our confidence up overnight. We knew we could play with these guys and came out and played hard.”

It would be easy to look at this in a vacuum. Just because mid-major confidences don’t have football teams that play in prime time, does not mean they are not willing to put the resources in to be competitive in basketball. Back in the 80’s, the MAC was a multi-bid league and over the past 20 years, the MAC has had four teams, Eastern Michigan, Miami of Ohio, Ohio U and Kent State, have all won first round games.

By the same token, Power Five conferences have gone through down years because players leave early for the NBA and coaches realign. The BIG EAST and the Big Ten have both had down years in the past. This was just a particularly bad year in the Pac 12 punctuated by the fact Arizona went through a tumultuous season, Oregon had a major rebuild after its Final Four run, USC lost a key player to the FBI investigation and UCLA lost three freshmen after the Chinese shop lifting scandal.

Clark scored 25 points and junior guard Jeremy Harris had 23 for the bracket busting Bulls. “I felt like we had a shot,’’ Buffalo coach Nate Oats said. “I didn’t think we were going to win it like that.’’

The Wildcats, arguably the most talented team Miller has ever coached, blew themselves up, shooting just 2 for 18 from beyond the three-point arc. The Bulls knocked down 15 of 30, shredding the Wildcats’ defense with their quickness and 55 percent shooting and neutralizing Arizona’s size inside by collapsing on the paint to limit 7-0 freshman center DeAndre Ayton from dominating, pressuring the guards and forcing Arizona to shoot from the perimeter. Ayton finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

“It is a disappointing time for us,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller. “We did not expect to lose this tournament.  And the last four years don’t feel real good right now.’’

Arizona was left with bumps, bruises and emotional scars after playing a more physical, quicker team.

They overwhelmed us offensively and defensively in the second half,’’ Arizona coach Sean Miller admitted. “They pressured our guards. They took us out of a lot of things. DeAndre in the first half had zero offensive rebounds. Obviously, he came alive in the second half. He had five. But we as a group didn’t get him the ball.

“I think sometimes you have to give the defense on the other team credit. They were able to pressure us at a level that hasn’t happened very often. And DeAndre has averaged 20 and 11. I think in the last two or three weeks he’s probably closer to 26, 28 points and 15 rebounds. We’ve established we can get him the ball.”

“Tonight, it wasn’t as if we got away from him, It was just the other team did a great job. I’ll use the analogy of a great wide receiver.  If the pass rush and blitzes just continue to get to the quarterback, then that receiver isn’t going to get as many catches or opportunities.’’

Shortly after the nightmare ended, 7-0 center DeAndre Ayton, who could be the first pick in the 2018 NBA draft; and 6-3 junior guard Alonzo Trier, the Cats’ second leading scorer, declared for the NBA draft. “Next for me is finishing out school and getting ready for the draft, that’s about it,’’ Ayton said in the Arizona locker room. Senior guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, 7-0 senior forward Dustin are gone. Sophomore wing Rawle Aikins will also declare for the draft, leaving this team to rebuild from scratch.

This is not the way Miller thought this season would end. The Wildcats, who won the Pac-12 regular season and the conference tournament, were considered a real contender to advance to a Final Four. But Arizona’s season has been filled with major distractions that could have long term consequences if the allegations are proven true and could even lead him to consider speaking with Pitt about a coaching vacancy in his hometown.

The Wildcats have been linked to an FBI investigation into corruption and bribery in recruiting twice and lost Trier for two games after he tested positive for the same banned substance that cost him 19 games a year ago.

The investigation forced the school to fire influential recruiter Book Washington after he was arrested and charged with accepting a bribe to steer players toward agents and financial advisers. He was accused of accepting $20,000 in bribes and allegedly paying a recruit, who was identified by Arizona newspapers as guard Jahvon Quinerly from Hudson, N.J. Catholic, to sign with the Wildcats.

It has also cost him all three of his marquee recruits, Shaquille O’Neal’s son 6-9 forward Shareef from Crossland High in Santa Monica, CA, who cut ties with the school and signed with UCLA days after an ESPN report that Miller was allegedly overheard on a wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment to bring Ayton to Tucson, Quinerly and Brandon Williams of Crespi High School in Los Angeles, who also both decommitted. Quinerly has since committed to Villanova.

Miller and Ayton have forcefully denied the accusations and Miller currently has the full support of the university president and Board of Trustees, who may find it easier to support him rather than to pay him a $10 million buyout if he is fired with or without cause.

“We endured a lot from the beginning,’’ Jackson-Cartwright said. “People kind of wrote us off. And I thought we responded every time that happened.  We kind of fought through everything. People were writing about us or tearing us down. We felt like coming into tonight we were playing good basketball and for it to end like this is disappointing.’’