SAN ANTONIO — When a team goes to the Sweet 16 as many times as the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats have, there are memorable moments — and sour ones as well.
The Wildcats are making their 19th appearance in the round of 16. Thursday night, they’ll take on No. 5 seed Houston in San Antonio.
Here’s a look at the five best — and five worst — moments for the UA in the Sweet 16:
Sweet: 1988
What: No. 5 seed Iowa vs. No. 1 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Date: March 25, 1988
Location: The Kingdome, Seattle
Score: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 99, Iowa 79
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ players Kenny Lofton, far left, Joe Turner and Steve Kerr box Iowa player B.J. Armstrong during their 1988 Sweet 16 game.
What happened: The first Sweet 16 appearance for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ under coach Lute Olson featured a date with his former school. With a chance to advance to the Elite Eight, future NBA standout B.J. Armstrong led Iowa with 27 points, but Steve Kerr’s four 3-pointers in the second half, along with Sean Elliott’s 25 points, overwhelmed the Hawkeyes. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ would eventually make its first Final Four.
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Sour: 1989
What: No. 4 seed UNLV vs. No. 1 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Date: March 23, 1989
Location: McNichols Sports Arena, Denver
Score: UNLV 68, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 67
What happened: The Wildcats came in ranked No. 1 overall in the country, but fell to Jerry Tarkanian and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in one of the most painful losses in school history. UNLV’s Anderson Hunt scored 21 points on 5-or-8 shooting from 3-point range, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with two seconds left to win the game. Elliott’s stellar UA career came to an end.
Sour: 1991
What: No. 3 seed Seton Hall vs. No. 2 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Date: March 21, 1991
Location: The Kingdome, Seattle
Score: Seton Hall 81, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 77
What happened: The one time P.J. Carlesimo beat Olson in a head-to-head matchup was the ’91 Sweet 16, when Seton Hall star Terry Dehere scored 28 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and made 10 of 11 free throws on the way to an upset win. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ center Brian Williams posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss as a much-anticipated Elite Eight matchup with undefeated UNLV wasn’t meant to be.
Sour: 1996
What: No. 3 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs. No. 2 seed Kansas
Date: March 22, 1996
Location: McNichols Sports Arena, Denver
Score: Kansas 83, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 80
What happened: The Wildcats led Kansas 27-15 early in the first half, but the Jayhawks — behind Jerod Haase and Jacque Vaughn’s combined 19 assists — rallied back to win the game. Kansas star Paul Pierce scored 20 points, while B.J. Williams chipped in 18 points off the bench. Four Wildcats scored in double figures: Miles Simon (21), Michael Dickerson (21) Corey Williams (16) and Ben Davis (10). Haase scored a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game to steal a win for the Jayhawks.
Sweet: 1997
What: No. 4 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs. No. 1 seed Kansas
Date: March 21, 1997
Location: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham
Score: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 85, Kansas 82
What happened: During ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s run to the national championship, the Wildcats took down three No. 1 seeds. The first one: Kansas, who had eliminated the UA from the NCAA Tournament a year earlier. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ contained Haase and Williams this time, limiting them to just four points on 33% shooting. Pierce had another stellar offensive showing with 27 points, but ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s backcourt monster of Simon, Mike Bibby and Dickerson combined for 58 points, eight assists and five steals.
Sweet: 2005
What: No. 3 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs. No. 2 seed Oklahoma State
Date: March 24, 2005
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Score: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 79, Oklahoma State 78
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Salim Stoudamire puts up the game-winning shot in the final seconds to beat Oklahoma State 79-78 the 2005 Sweet 16.
What happened: With top-seeded Illinois waiting, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ got into a shootout with Oklahoma State. After Cowboys guard Joey Graham hit a go-ahead layup with 18.8 seconds left, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star Salim Stoudamire sank a 15-foot jump shot to give the Wildcats a 79-78 lead with 2.8 seconds left. The win marked the last time ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won a Sweet 16 game with Olson on the sidelines.
Sour: 2009
What: No. 12 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs. No. 1 seed Louisville
Date: March 27, 2009
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Score: Louisville 103, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 64
What happened: In hindsight, the last time ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ played Houston in basketball propelled the Wildcats to their 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. After the Wildcats rallied back from a 10-point deficit with less than a minute left to beat the Cougars in overtime, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ went on a seven-game winning streak and secured an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, albeit sweated through Selection Sunday as a “bubble†team. Under interim head coach Russ Pennell, the UA beat Utah and Cleveland State in the first two rounds, setting up a showdown against top-seeded Louisville. The Cardinals pummeled the Wildcats, putting an end Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ careers.
Sweet: 2011
What: No. 5 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs. No. 1 seed Duke
Date: March 24, 2011
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Score: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 93, Duke 77
What happened: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ unloaded 10 years of frustration with every dunk in the Wildcats’ Sweet 16 win over Duke. (It was the Blue Devils, after all, who beat ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in the 2001 national title game). Derrick Williams, Sean Miller’s first breakout star during his 12-year tenure at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, emerged as one of the top players in college basketball. Williams saved his best performance when it counted, scoring a career-high 32 points. His top highlight from the rout of Duke was a powerful, high-flying dunk down the middle of the lane. Point guard MoMo Jones scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and the Wildcats outscored the Blue Devils by 22 in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats won the Sweet 16 by 16 points — and avenged their loss in ’01. Revenge was sweet.
Sweet: 2015
What: No. 6 seed Xavier vs. No. 2 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Date: March 26, 2015
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Score: 68-60
What happened: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat the Musketeers to move on to the Elite Eight to face Wisconsin. In the first meeting since coach Miller left Xavier for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in 2009, UA point guard T.J. McConnell finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, with Kaleb Tarczewski posting a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Sour: 2017
What: No. 11 seed Xavier vs. No. 2 seed ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Date: March 23, 2017
Location: SAP Center, San Jose
Score: Xavier 73, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 71
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Allonzo Trier reacts to being called for a foul during the second half of the Wildcats’ 2017 loss to Xavier in the Sweet 16.
What happened: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ appeared destined for an Elite Eight matchup with No. 1-seeded Gonzaga and possibly a trip to the Final Four, which would be held just a couple of hours up Interstate 10 in Glendale. Plus, it was the 20th anniversary of UA’s title run. All the Wildcats had to do was get past head coach Sean Miller’s former team. Even ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s star freshman, forward Lauri Markkanen, wore No. 10 like Mike Bibby did in 1997. The stars aligned, right? In the final 11 minutes against the Musketeers, Markkanen didn’t attempt a field goal as UA squandered a lead. Guard Allonzo Trier had just as many field-goal attempts as points (19). Xavier sent ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ home.
Photos: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats get ready for Sweet 16 showdown with Houston
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd appears on a monitor as he answers questions the day before facing Houston in their Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) finishes off a drill with a dunk as the team runs through a brief open portion of their practice the day before taking on the Houston Cougars in a Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to reporters during a press conference the day before they take on the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats prior in the Sweet Sixteen at the AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
Houston Cougars guard Kyler Edwards, left, and teammate Josh Carlton answers a few questions during a press conference the day prior to their Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament against the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) tries to dial in his shooting eye as the team gets the AT&T Center floor to work out the day before going up against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats athletic director Greg Byrne chats with current ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ head coach Tommy Lloyd just before the team goes through a practice session at the AT&T Center, getting ready for a Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) and the team huddle a bit just before their turn on the court the day before going against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Pelle Larsson (3) looks for the outlet as the team runs a few drills during the public portion of their practice the day before their Sweet Sixteen game agains the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
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ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd received high praise from ex-Wildcats star Sean Elliott. "A lot of people close to the program felt like it should’ve been a former player and an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guy, but it’s worked out really, really well, and I think that speaks to the character of Coach Lloyd and his staff," Elliott said.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ NCAA Tournament, 2022
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Christian Koloko (35) and the team run the court for a few minutes, getting ready to face off against the Houston Cougars prior to their Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA Tournament, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Tex., March 23, 2022.
Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 or jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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