Arizona Wildcats basketball — program history
Arizona's basketball program dates to the early 1900s, and the 'Wildcats' name was born in 1914 after a columnist wrote that the team 'showed the fight of wildcats.' The program became a national powerhouse under Lute Olson, who arrived in 1983 and built a dynasty in the desert. Arizona won its lone national championship in 1997, upsetting three No. 1 seeds en route to the title. McKale Center's court is named 'Lute and Bobbi Olson Court' in honor of the beloved coach and his late wife.
The name
A 1914 Los Angeles Times columnist wrote Arizona 'showed the fight of wildcats' after a tough football game against Occidental College
Signature moment
Winning the 1997 NCAA Championship, upsetting three No. 1 seeds including Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky
Arizona's original live mascot was a bobcat named Rufus Arizona, purchased for $9.41 in 1915, who sadly died a year later when he fell from a tree
The Arizona Wildcats compete in the Big 12 and hold an all-time record of 1902–989 (.658 winning percentage) across 121 recorded seasons dating back to 1904-05. The program has won 1 NCAA national championship (1997) and reached 4 Final Fours.
National championships
1997
Season-by-season results
* Season vacated by the NCAA — absent from the official season table; record computed from the game log and not counted in official totals or rankings.
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