Elite 8 – History on Arizona’s Side

Analyzing numbers is almost always the key to being a great NCAA basketball bettor (or a bettor of any sport in general), but in this case, these are numbers that don’t have very much to do with the actual teams on the court that have caught our attention. The Arizona Wildcats are already in the Elite 8, and they definitely have an interesting trend on their side.

Arizona is the No. 5 seed in the West Bracket. This No. 5 seed thing is important, as there have been four of them in the Elite 8 since 2002. All four, including last year’s Butler Bulldogs and Michigan State Spartans, went on to the Final Four. A five was also in the Final Four when the Spartans pulled it off in 2005, and the Indiana Hoosiers also did it in 2002.

The Wildcats have been to the Final Four as a questionable seed a few times before in team history. They were here as a No. 4 seed in 1997 and actually went on to win the National Championship. Arizona was actually the lowest seed to win the dance since that point, and no one has done it with a worse seed than the 1988 Kansas Jayhawks, who were a No. 6 seed. Before that, the No. 6 NC State Wolfpack with Jim Valvano of 1983 and the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats of 1985 have pulled off the unthinkable.

Three No. 5 seeds, the Bulldogs, the 2000 Florida Gators, and the 2002 Indiana Hoosiers all ended up in the NCAA Tournament final. None have ever won it all, but this could really be the exception.

This Arizona team just looks different than a lot of these other No. 5 seeds. Obviously, last year’s Butler team stormed through the Elite 8 and did a great job getting through the Final Four as well. But these Cats definitely have a chip on their shoulder and have a superstar that they can count on.

Derrick Williams is a man child out there. He single handedly blocked the Memphis Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and fired back two days later and packed the game winning attempt of the Texas Longhorns as well. Then in the Sweet 16 against the Duke Blue Devils, the Cats’ star scratched the champs by dropping 32 points and coming up with 13 boards. No last second dramatics needed.

Save for the winner of the VCU/FSU game on Friday night, this team is probably going to have the longest odds on the board to win it all, even longer than the Elite 8 bound Bulldogs, who are the No. 8 seed in the dance. Head Coach Sean Miller thinks that he has a team that can get the job done, and we’re not ones to argue with him. After a dismal 16-15 season that ended without a postseason bid a year ago, the Cats are back, and they are sure to be one of the most dangerous teams in the Elite 8!