1997 NCAA Basketball Championship

[gpwerner]

Love these Arizona "highlights." You would have thought Kentucky won the game.

[8181418]

#5 WAYNE TURNER IS A BOSTON LEGEND & BASKETBALL ICON!!!

[JakeThesnake101tv]

The minnesota golden gophers lost to kentucky in the final four.

[CrisisGriff]

Miles!!!



[hockeycox07]

1:38 - 1:54 Why is there a highlight of a turnover, a missed 2-on-1 break and then a foul?

[gpwerner]

@hockeycox07 Yeah, I love these Arizona "highlights." You almost would have thought Kentucky won this game.

Still waiting for an outside agency to do the Wildcats' 97 championship run true justice. This video doesn't come close, unfortunately.

[hornean]

It's the Battle of the Wildcats

[StFidjnr]

@hornean or the wildcat war

[antayat]

Yeah UConn beat both Arizona and Kentucky this year in the tourney! Go UConn!

[toddky32]

Great game beating Duke last night in the tournament AWESOME. This was such a great game Im a Kentucky fan and have much respect for Arizona this is one of those games you would have liked to see go three overtimes. Good too see Arizona back in the elite eight, GO BIG BLUE !!

[AZ520ful]

U of A smashed the blue devils tonight!

Derrick Williams best game in UofA history!

[MrAzcatfan97]

LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUKE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE LUTE

[ROHTNA1991]

Derek Anderson who was out with a knee injury was UK's leading scorer.

Pitino doesn't play him for fear of hurting his NBA career.

The game went to overtime. Pretty safe to say that Kentucky wins with a healthy Anderson who was average 19.0 ppg before he got hurt.

[dmgoforth1]

@ROHTNA1991

VOTE DOWN

[ROHTNA1991]

@dmgoforth1 If it makes you feel better just the facts. :)

[AZ520ful]

@ROHTNA1991 dont quit your hating dayjob!

mike dickerson averaged 35 the first five games of the season this year.

Had better NBA career.

Oh I forgot, Mike Bibby plays with lebron.

[ajgree6]

@ROHTNA1991 I'm a hardcore UK fan. Anderson was fine to play but Pitino didn't use him except to shoot those free throws. Of course, this would be the only Final Four I was ever fortunate enough to go to. Give credit to Arizona though. They had a loaded team that year and deserved it. They beat three #1 seeds to win it all--incredible.

[roochuckyroo]

@ajgree6 TORN ACL DUMB ASS !! ( NO WAY IN HELL HE COULD HAVE PLAYED !! ) " DUH !! "

[ajgree6]

@roochuckyroo Aren't you a Louisville fan? Why don't you go watch the 1986 championship game? Oh wait...is it even on YouTube? Cheers!

[wahhappened]

I spent 300$ for that hair, and you messed it up.

[KevinKronz]

lute was like wtf why did he mess up my hair

[NelsonHolbrook]

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[KYExtemper]

If we have Derek Anderson, this championship game is ours.

[cbhitman1]

Hard to believe Kentucky could have won 3 straight championships.

[sptrfn]

This was one of the best title games I ever saw. Arizona should have been back the next year, not Kentucky. The Blue Devils gave the game away to the Wildcats, and Arizona didn't show up against Utah for some reason. It should have been Arizona, Duke, Rhode Island(they gave the regional final away to Stanford in the last minute), and UNC.

[Deuzday]

@ChristmasBelles92 Huh?

[Zonafan1515]

The only team to beat 3 number 1 seeds ever

[beallendall08]

And their the only #4 seed to win it all with the 3 #1 seed defeats

[allard1999]

Go Arizona!!!!!!!!

[timmytoth]

The summer before Miles Simon's junior year, I attended basketball camp at Arizona. At camp, Miles told a group of us that if he had the opportunity to leave school for the NBA, he wouldn't do it because he believed that Arizona could win a National Championship during his tenure. I didn't take him seriously, at all. Well, he was right, and that was one of the best games I've ever seen.

[turkishpower08]

I never understood how Miles Simon couldnt launch a successful NBA career, even a "career", he almost never played.. Lame..

[TheLeilisa]

If you wanna increase your height " Helpo Growth Formula "

Just google it. Worked for me....

[bkstyle82]

I really enjoyed that Zona backcourt. Dickerson would have had a better pro career had it not been for injuries. Bibby & Jason Terry well, they've done pretty well for themselves in the Pros. Miles Simon was an excellent collegiate player, I always hoped for him to become something in the NBA but it never materialized.

[cbaldwinjr]

I hate Kentucky and I'm glad they lost...but really, WHAT A JOB Pitino did getting this team back to the national championship game. All they lost was Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, and Mark Pope...no sweat.

[TheCatFan21]

@cbaldwinjr You're just a UNC fan, looks like. I don't much like the fact that you hate KY. I'm a huge Big Blue fan and the only teams I hate are duke and louisville, basketball-wise. I don't mind UNC, I actually like watching them play sometimes. But oh well, I suppose you are allowed to hate something you don't understand.

[triplekillswitch]

hell ya !

[jbundrick]

Go CATS!!!

[TheOtherView]

What's the capital of Idaho?

I loved the 90's teams.

[abmmwl]

Arizona is the only team ever to beat 3 #1 seeded teams.

[moldown52]

we are trying to get to every Kentucky game from here on out - really dedicated kentucky fans - pls help - BigBlue NCAAChamps ( .) -com

[southernboygonebad]

Bear down 2010!

[cbaldwinjr]

1997 Arizona Wildcats...greatest collection of mulattoes ever lol. JUST kidding...they had Jason Terry too

[TKJ45]

What a lineup for Arizona. U had Mike Bibby one of the most agile guards in NC2 A history along with that shot of his. Jason "The Jet" Terry had lightning speed that catapulted him to the pros, Miles Simon couldn't miss back in the day, dude wuz strokin it.

[linkin49park182]

U OF A BABY!!!!!!!

[soadfan333]

ive been a cat fan sicne i was born since i live in tucson. but sadly, this happened when i was 3 so i dont remember...

[abmmwl]

They are the only ever to beat 3 #1 seeded teams.

[sming01]

@abmmwl thats crazy

[sayhitoarmen]

@abmmwl its gonna happen again

[skipper20061]

@sayhitoarmen hell yeah they are



[obasaz]

Kansas would have beat Syracuse if Wayne Simien played since they only lost by three points.

[WelebaTV]

@abmmwl and they were a 4th seed :D

[seanwhitaker05]

If Derek Anderson didnt injure his knee kentucky wouldve 3peated... thats the only reason they got beat.

[qukarlz]

boo hoo. arizona was the deserving champ they would have kept beating #1 seeds if they could

[JeffThunder]

Simon Says Championship.

[soadfan333]

Lute Olson was a great coach. it was sad to see him go. I live in Tucson AZ and last yr, was hell of a wild seaosn when he left. we luckily got to the playoffs and kept the longest playoff streak going. Hopfully, we can keep on going this yr.

[tobedude01]

U@A U@A U@A U@a

[SFFOOL76]

Im not a UK fan, however I thought Padgett was one of the better clutch shooters I've seen in my lifetime. I thought he was going to be a decent pro.

[jeyjey34]

What's cool about this game is that there were so many NBA players on both teams....Jason Terry, Jamaal Magloire, Nazr Mohammaed, Ron Mercer, and Scott Padgett. Surprisingly, Miles Simon could never quite cut it in the pros.

[pumpy25]

yeah i dont recall did simon get drafted?

[ManUnited013]

i thought his knee got injured, ive been to his camp

[grungyflannel]

yeah 2nd round 98 draft, orlando i think, didnt play very long

[860811404]

The problem is that Arizona beat three number one seeds...unprecedented; including the undisputed number one Kansas, which would have clearly beat Kentucky if they played; non-debatable.

[pumpy25]

riggght

[jcaudill6921]

National championship game FT totals

Arizona 41

Kentucky 17

Miles Simon-17 FTs

Number of UK players to foul out-4

Yeah, that game was 'fair.' Give me a break. You had one player that shot more FTs than the whole opposing team and you still barely won in OT. Zona's title was a fluke that year.

[ukhistorian]

Didn't they have the same guys next year when they got destroyed by Utah?

[jcaudill6921]

Yep, they returned every starter and got blasted by 25 points.

[ukhistorian]

I thought so. Then UK beat Utah.

[Grapes428]

Yes sir, fellow Big Blue fan. Utah with Van Horn, Doleac, and Miller leading the way.

[ukhistorian]

Utah didn't have Van Horn in 98.

[AZSTATEisGAY]

@jcaudill6921 keep crying

[PoppingSanta]

WHOOOOO SWEDEN !!!

[gunloc26]

At the time of this game, Simon was the star for UA, and Mercer for UK. The 2 stars of the National Championship game. Neither had successful NBA careers. I'm not sure if Simon even ever made a NBA roster? I know Mercer did, but his career was short lived. My point is the NBA is a totally different game from the NCAA game. UA's Terry and Bibby, and UK''s Mohammed and Magloire are still around in the NBA after all the yrs. Shows how hard it is to predict which players will last at the next level.

[jcaudill6921]

Mercer wasn't a bust. In his first 5 years in the league, he averaged

15.8

17.0

16.9

19.7

13.9

It was only after he got traded to the Pacers that his career went to crap due to no playing time.

[gunloc26]

Dude, I'm one of the biggest UK fans out there, and probably an even bigger College Basketball fan. I just try to use common freakin' sense in my life. Maybe Mercer didn't get that much playing time with the Pacers because he was second best to those playing ahead of him??? Even as a huge UK fan, Mercer was overrated during his stay at Lexington. Great athlete, good shooter, good rebounder, decent passer, and overall, just a very good College Basketball player...he was mostly hype!!!

[jcaudill6921]

He did dominate in college but he averaged over double digits in the NBA so you can't really be a bust. Disappointing but not a horrible player.

[860811404]

Kansas was the best team that year, clearly better than Kentucky when both teams were fully healthy as Kansas entered the tournament with one loss. Arizona beat the best team in Kansas so the championship is validated.

[Rtany88]

YEa Kentucky wasn't even predicted to be in the championship game, rick pitino just steped it up

[Deuzday]

yeah but i think youre forgetting that Uk was without its best player the whole second half of the year

Uk wouldve clearly beat AZ if he played

pitino just didnt want him to get hurt again even though he was healthy by then

[AZSTATEisGAY]

@Deuzday yeah for a chance for a championship lol. gimme a break

[Deuzday]

@AZSTATEisGAY you're a dumbass who clearly knows nothing if you don't think anderson could have played. it would have been very different if he did. just thank pitino for the title. at least we won it again the next year.

[obasaz]

@Deuzday You could probably say the same thing with Wayne Simien not playing against Syracuse in 2003.

[Deuzday]

@obasaz i wouldn't argue against that. but honestly i don't really care because i'm a UK fan. both are unfortunate situations.

[AntiMTVMovement]

Arizona's confidence boomed after that victory as well as the OT victory and UNC win.

[roynmartin]

Maybe, but don't sell Arizona short. No one knew how good Arizona was until they emerged in the Tournament. That's how it is with young players. Sometimes even they don't know their own potential.

In '98, Arizona was the best team around. But they lost to the Utes in the Elite 8 game. Happens. With hoops, it's not enough to be good. Balls have to bounce your way; injuries averted -- in short, the hoops gods must smile upon you.

[Dylan787879]

not saying arizona didn't deserve their win, because they won fair and square, and nothing can change that now, i'm just saying, kentucky, with derek anderson very well could have won that game.

[oldcat7]

I wonder how it would have gone if Derek Anderson had not been injured...

[neVermorph]

They woulda won 3 national titles in a row

[KamanForever]

Yea, they would have won 3 national titles in a row. Yep!

[cbaldwinjr]

Uhh...they would've still lost

[Deuzday]

how can you say that?

they barely lost in overtime without their best player and youre sayin they still wouldve lost with him

thats just dumb

[cbaldwinjr]

Almost always, the most talent doesn't win a championship. It requires players to know their roles...hence the word TEAM. Tubby Smith won with Heshimu Evans, Cameron Mills and Jeff Shepard because those guys had a role. Coach K lost with Maggette, Brand, Battier, Avery and Langdon but won with lesser talent two years later. Intangibles go a long way...and I see Epps filling his role much better than Derek Anderson. UK didn't have a 'best player' under Pitino except for the teams with Mashburn

[goazcats1]

look at miles balling those fagets up fuck everyone who hates on the AZ wildcats i dont give a fuck alls i knows is bearthefuckdown aight im out!!!!!!

[kucarlz]

best. game. ever. shut the fuck up about duke kentucky '92 already.

[Triviaman99]

My friend is Lute Olsen's grandson!

[obasaz]

Bottom Line was that Kansas was clearly better than Kentucky when both teams were healthy. Arizona beat Kansas and if you're going to bring in NBA lottery picks into this discussion, Mike Bibby and Jason Terry would undeniably and unequivocally destroy Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer in the NBA. A healthy Arizona team in 01 would have beat Duke in 2001. Arenas was still the leading scorer on that team which produced better NBA players than Duke that year.

[R0bbiam]

The Kentucky coulda woulda shoulda poster_hilarious. Zona was the better team and proved it. End of story.

[jcaudill6921]

Kansas was the best team that year so I was surprised to see Zona beat them. Hell, Zona almost lost to College of Charleston in the 2nd round but they came up big.

Kentucky was more talented than Arizona and probably should have won but their inability to make free throws, stop Simon, play Anderson, and the fact that Zona shot 41 free throws sealed their fate.

[LMT247]

Miles Bibby and the Ultra 64

[AZBigworm]

UK fans stop crying and just get over it

[raytrain44]

yup

yall just need to bear down!!! lol

[MCLeland4]

forget the what ifs and just remember the fact that this is a game, and a great achievement for kentucky to follow up their unbelieveable 96' team with a runner up finish. Miles Simon played fantastic as did Mike Bibby and they deserved to win. let it rest

[MrNostalgia09]

Fuck Arizona and their Fans

[1998honda250]

Fuck you, you fuckin faggot mother fucker! youre just mad that your team didnt win. theres no sense in being a hater 12 years after the fact...

[MOONman480]

Favorite game ever

[jellegood]

ya....basketball too.................lol

[sgr4444]

kiss the ring bitch, but im still pissed about 01' and 04'. dook faggots

[slim4242]

WOW there were a lot of nba players in that game damn

[trburns826]

Miles Simon. Man's Game. Bibby, clutch.

Kentucky fan, you can complain about Derek Anderson, but he was hurt most of the year anyway. Plus in the tournament, you get one game. What if he goes 2-17 in the 2nd round, would you get to the title game? It goes both ways.

[Ninety2q]

Miles Simon, Mike Bibby, and Jason Terry. What a backcourt. I hated both teams, but i'll admitt i was on the edge of my seat watching this.

[jumper86]

can't believe anderson had a torn ACL

[terminationfilms]

Yeah congrats to Arizona but if Derek Anderson would not have been injured Kentucky would have won and it would have been 3 championships in a row for kentucky

1996,1997,1998

[tearitupnstartover]

What if.......but if.....maybe....the biggest words in the english language and always the excuse for the loser.

[jellegood]

ya, and my sheep would have let me fuck it harder if it had baaaaaed properly

[terminationfilms]

umm ok if your into fucking sheep thats your buisness man but we were talking about basketball lol

[jellegood]

and no, Derrik Anderson would not have made a difference in that game.

[geeimsobored]

Yeah he would have, dont kid yourself that UK team was loaded.

That being said I was rooting for AZ, Miles Simon just owned the game.

[jcaudill6921]

What? Our best player and NBA lottery pick wouldn't have made a difference? That is retarded. Zona shot 41 free throws to Kentucky's 17 and you still needed OT to win it.

[rawn4203]

I am more concerned with how AZ shoots 41 free throwns to UK's 17....az didnt score a single hoop in the OT........Arizona was hot in the tourney though, they already beat KU, who was stronger than UK even with Anderson.......96 UK though obviously would have smoked this 97 AZ team.

[raytrain44]

oh god...

if if if if if if if if if if if if if if if

you gotta be kidding me...

[stfnvrms88]

there's is no way you can prove that... just like the celtics fans who say they they would have beaten the lakers this past year if they had KG back. There's no foundation for these arguments.

[rud636]

bibby had those blue foams on

[AWOwns]

It's truly a pity that Lute left. He will be missed and the picture of him and the players holding up the championship after this game in the intro video at home games always gets ridiculously loud cheers.

[Yugadesrial]

Man! I so wish we coulda won this one! We would have been only the second team to ever win 3 in a row with 96,97,98 victories! The other of course being UCLA's ridiculous 8 championship streak. I woulda hated being a basketball fan in those days...soooo boring.

[kentuckywildcats5]

It was actually 7 in row!!!!!!!! lol haha

[ajgree6]

tough loss for the cats. i'm a huge cats fan. i went to this final four and stayed at home for '96 and '98. the story of my life...

figures.

[redvsblueownzall]

Eh. As much as a devastating loss that one is, overtime championships are a treat.

[edgarlo]

Who the hell is simon? lol

[AWOwns]

Miles Simon.

[kentuckywildcats5]

hey dillweed  he played for arizona

[AZOSAG]

Kansas was better than Kentucky that year and Arizona beat Kansas.

[kentuckywildcats5]

hey dillweed ur wrong kentucky was the best all 3 years they would have won if their best wasnt hurt

[commandercon]

uk would have won with derek anderson

[mwolverines0924]

ill concur..anderson brought a lot to the floor..coulda been a whole different game