Wildcats' future is now

The Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona's Bennett Davison (21), in the arms of teammate Mike Bibby (10), celebrates the Wildcats' 96-92 win over Providence in overtime in the NCAA Southeast Regional final game yesterday in Birmingham, Ala.

Yesterday at the Birmingham Civic Center was no exception.

Two days after relinquishing a 13-point lead before holding on to upset top-ranked Kansas, 85-82, the Wildcats lost a seven-point lead in the final minutes against Providence to send the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, however, the Wildcats made clutch baskets to pull out a 96-92 win and send the team to Final Four - its third trip in 10 years.

"After regulation, we said there are five minutes left in our season and it would be a case of who's strong and who would survive," UA sophomore guard Jason Terry said. "We came out and executed and we came out on top."

With just under four minutes remaining, Michael Dickerson appeared to put the final nail in the Friars' coffin with a 10-foot jumper to give Arizona an 82-72 lead. After that, it should have been a matter of holding on to the ball and hitting free throws.

But that was too boring for the Wildcats, so Arizona (23-9) decided to take chances on making the big final play. Three minutes later, Providence had taken advantage of questionable shot selections by Dickerson and guard Miles Simon to pull to within three points.

Then, Arizona's frustration turned into disbelief when an errant Dickerson pass found its way into the hands of Providence guard Cory Wright. And with 14 seconds remaining, Friar forward Jamel Thomas hit a three from the corner to tie the game.

But Arizona wasn't finished yet. A Wildcat turnover with four seconds remaining gave Wright a chance to win it, but his three-pointer was wide right and the teams entered overtime.

"We were trying to get the ball to (forward) Derrick Brown for the shot," Friar guard God Shammgod said of the final possession. "I couldn't get him the ball and we didn't have any timeouts, so I had to throw it to Cory. He just took the shot and it came up short."

It was in overtime that Arizona guard Miles Simon cemented his status as the game's most valuable player. He scored four of the final seven points to tie a career-high with 30.

"If you're going to be successful in the tournament, you have to have leadership. And Miles was our leader tonight," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "He has been a starter for three years, so he has more experience than most seniors."

In the second half, the Arizona pressure had frustrated the 10th-seeded Friars. Within a three-minute stretch, Providence was baited into three technical fouls. The resulting free throws extended Arizona's lead.

"They were getting a little frustrated and made some stupid moves," UA freshman forward Eugene Edgerson said. "The technical fouls were just a matter of them thinking the game was over."

With 9:16 remaining, UA forward Donnell Harris and Friar center Ruben Garces each received a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct. But Thomas bumped a referee while arguing the call and received a technical. The third infraction came when Jason Murdock shoved Simon after the whistle.

"We lost our composure for a while and we got some technicals," Providence head coach Pete Gillen said. "Our emotions took over."

The Wildcats received another solid frontcourt performance. While A.J. Bramlett - the tournament regional's leading rebounder - had been the inside force in Arizona's first three games, yesterday was Bennett Davison's turn to shine. Davison finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. More importantly, though, he forced the Friars' leading scorer - Austin Croshere - into early foul trouble which limited his play.

"I think that my defense has been there all season and I tried to show that against Croshere," Davison said. "But the big difference for me tonight was my offense. This is the type of game I should be having every night."

Arizona guards Mike Bibby and Jason Terry combined their solid play as Bibby finished with 17 points and Terry added 11.

"We've accomplished a lot, but we're not done yet," Bibby said. "We have to come out and get focused for North Carolina because they will be looking for revenge from our win earlier this season."

The Wildcats and Tar Heels tip-off in the first game of next weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis. Minnesota and Kentucky will do battle in the later game.