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Men's basketball overcomes adversity, wins Pac-10 title

Perhaps no team in the country faced as much adversity as the 1999-2000 Arizona basketball team, but the team managed to win its ninth Pacific 10 Conference championship and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into the season, it appeared that Arizona had one of the deepest benches in the country. But events nobody could have predicted shortened the roster to as little as six scholarship players for a few games late in the Pac-10 season.

Sophomore guard Ruben Douglas, complaining that he wasn't getting enough playing time after losing the starting two-guard spot to freshman Gilbert Arenas, transferred to New Mexico. Junior forward Luke Recker, who transferred from Indiana during the offseason and was involved in a serious automobile accident in July, decided to transfer to Iowa in December, citing that he needed to be closer to his family and friends critically injured in the accident.

If two transfers in one season wasn't enough, freshman center Robertas Javtokas left the team in late December to play professionally in his home country of Lithuania.

Despite all this, Arizona flew through the non-conference season, winning the Preseason National Invitational Tournament after defeating Kentucky in New York City. Arenas, who was unnoticed by major colleges while he was in high school, was named the tournament's most valuable player.

After falling to Connecticut at the Great Eight in Chicago for its first loss, Arizona bounced back and knocked off Michigan State at McKale Center, but the 37-game home winning streak was snapped in a loss to New Mexico before Christmas.

Arizona entered the Pac-10 season with a 11-2 record, and handed No. 1 Stanford its first loss of the season in Northern California. Freshman guard Jason Gardner dropped in a game-high 22 points, including two clutch free throws despite a shaking floor, in the 68-65 win.

The win came at a price, however, as Richard Jefferson limped off the court early in the game with a broken foot. The injury would keep him out until March.

Filling in for Jefferson was his roommate, redshirt freshman Luke Walton, who improved steadily as the season went on. Walton and Arizona won in his father's - NBA great Bill Walton - old stomping grounds of Pauley Pavilion in a 15-point dismantling of UCLA in late January, but the team would suffer its first Pac-10 loss at USC two days later.

Arizona destroyed arch-rival ASU 82-55 in Tempe, as Gardner and Arenas limited Eddie House, the Pac-10's leading scorer, to just eight points. It wasn't the only time House would be shut down by the Wildcats, as he scored just seven points in the team's second meeting, won again by Arizona.

Perhaps the finest individual performance of the season came on Feb. 3, when Woods tied the single-game NCAA record with 14 blocks in the 77-71 victory against Oregon. Woods' dominance in the paint sparked Arizona to seven consecutive wins, which was snapped in early March at the Oregon schools.

Deaundra Tanner's three-pointer at the buzzer gave Oregon State its second straight win against Arizona in Corvallis, Ore. and two days later, Oregon looked to have finished Arizona's Pac-10 hopes with an 86-81 win.

Upset at being dismissed by the national, and even local, media, the Wildcats played their finest game of the season on March 9 with a win against Stanford at McKale Center. Almost as impressive as the return of Jefferson's shooting touch and sophomore forward Michael Wright's rugged play inside was the home crowd, who cheered on Arizona from start to finish. Students stormed the court in ways they had been only previously seen on television.

"It was great, we see every other team do it to us, and it was nice to have it on our side," Arenas said after the game.

Despite knocking off Stanford for a tie atop the Pac-10 standings, Arizona needed to defeat California to earn the automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. The result - a 70-61, and the school's ninth Pac-10 championship.

With its impressive victory against Stanford and upsets in other conference tournaments, Arizona earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region and headed for Salt Lake City.

By the time the team arrived in Utah, the effects of a long and difficult season were starting to show. Gardner was limping after injuring his calf muscle against Cal and Woods was ruled out for the postseason, still struggling with back problems.

Against Jackson State in the first round, Arizona was sluggish and the game was, at best, boring. After struggling in the first half, Arizona made sure they wouldn't be the first No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed, and cruised to a 71-47 victory.

In the next round against No. 8 seed Wisconsin, the team had run out of breath in the high altitude air, and was suffocated by Wisconsin's slow-down defense. The Badgers eliminated the Wildcats 66-59, and continued their improbable run that would end in the Final Four.

"I am very proud of their effort because all year long they have had to face unbelievable types of problems that I think it would be easy for guys to lean on those and use those as excuses, I don't think they have ever done that," Olson said after the loss. "They continued to battle and scrap all the way."

While nothing is guaranteed, especially after this season, the Wildcats aren't expecting to face nearly as much adversity next year.

"With our experience, the way that the guys played before the injuries and the way the guys who stepped into the lineup, there should be great expectations of our team," Olson said.

Bryan Rosenbaum can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.