LOS ANGELES — It was anybody’s game, a nail-biter that wasn’t decided until the final seconds of overtime, an instant classic.
History will repeat itself on Saturday, when Arizona and Wisconsin battle it out once again for the NCAA Tournament West Region title, a Final Four berth on the line, back in California. The only change is the seeds. Wisconsin is the one and Arizona the two; it was the reverse last year.
“We’ve had all year to think about Wisconsin,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
All year to think about the 64-63 loss in Anaheim, Calif., where guard Nick Johnson was unable to get off a final shot attempt in the waning moments, all year to think about whether the final result would be different if the two teams met again.
“It stuck with everyone,” Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell said. “It left a bad taste in our mouths that pushed this summer and to where we’ve gotten now. It’s been motivation.”
The teams are both on remarkable runs, both 34-3, a combined 143-19 the last two years, led by seniors who don’t want to see their careers ends short of the Final Four. Both were pushed in the regional semifinals Thursday night, but both showed resolve and fortitude in the final minutes, perfectly executing to reach the Elite Eight. Last year, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan finally got to the Final Four, in his 30th season as a college basketball head coach. Miller hopes to follow that path, in his 11th season as a head coach, after three previous trips to the Elite Eight.
“We respect Wisconsin, not just because we lost to them in last year’s Elite Eight, but we followed them,” Miller said. “We’ve watched them all year. They’ve had a tremendous year. They have a terrific team, and we know they play their brand of basketball.
“I hope it comes down on our end to a couple plays at the end, and this time maybe we’ll make them.”
Many of the same faces are back, Wisconsin’s star duo of Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker; McConnell, Arizona’s coach-on-the-floor senior point guard; and the Wildcats’ hulking center, Kaleb Tarczewski. Arizona’s roster has changed more. The Wildcats lost forward Aaron Gordon and Johnson to the NBA and replaced them with hotshot freshman guard Stanley Johnson and junior forward Brandon Ashley, who missed last year’s contest with a foot injury.
“He adds another dimension to their team with size and athleticism,” Dekker said of Ashley, Arizona’s second-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game.
Arizona feels it is better suited to face Wisconsin this year, more accustomed to the Badgers’ deliberate style, their wide array of 3-point shooters and, most notably, Kaminsky, the 7-foot National Player of the Year candidate, who is as adept at scoring in the paint as he is at sinking jumpers from the perimeter.
The Wildcats didn’t have an answer for Kaminsky in last year’s regional final — he scored 28 points and hit three 3-pointers — but they feel ready and better prepared to face him this time.
“His pick-and-pop on those screens [really hurt us],” Tarczewski said. “Over the year … we’ve gone against some good pick-and-pop fives. We’ve been able to defend them.
“Losing to them last time we played was an eye-opener for a lot of us. We have a year to step back and become more familiar with the situation.”
From the moment Arizona’s victory over No. 6 Xavier was complete Thursday night, the Wildcats have been asked about revenge, asked about what it means to get another crack at Wisconsin with the same stakes. They’ve toned down the rhetoric, talked about the game’s significance on its own.
It’s not about revenge, not about erasing the pain last year’s game created. It’s about getting to Indianapolis, advancing to the Final Four for the first time since 2001, and cutting down the nets at Staples Center on Saturday.
“We’re hungry to get to a Final Four,” McConnell said. “We just need to play Arizona basketball.”
Keys to the game
Stop Frank the Tank
Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky, a National Player of the Year candidate, torched Arizona for 28 points last year, including six in overtime. The Wildcats can’t let the multi-talented 7-foot senior get loose again.
Protect the Paint
Arizona gets most of its points inside, relying on Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski and Rondae-Hollis Jefferson finishing above the rim and T.J. McConnell creating chances off penetration. The Pac-12 champions struggle shooting from the perimeter, so if Wisconsin can limit the Wildcats’ chances close to the hoop, its fortune improves.
Stan the Man
The player with the most upside on the floor on Saturday — Arizona freshman guard Stanley Johnson — rebounded well Thursday night after a poor Round of 32 performance, scoring 12 points. The Los Angeles native, a likely top 10 pick in June’s NBA Draft, has the potential to take over in front of friends and family if his shot is falling.