SELECTION SUNDAY: The Cats are in!

Updated 6:50 p.m., Sunday

Say hello to Russ Pennell, the happiest basketball coach in America.

"I will accept your apologies for burying us," Pennell said to the assembled media in his opening remarks at the McKale Center press conference.

OK, I admit it. I was wrong. I thought the unlikely USC and Mississippi State conference tournament wins might've kept UA out of the tournament for the first time in a quarter century. I thought that 19-13 overall record, a 9-10 mark against Pac-10 foes, and a 1-5 record in their last six would keep the Wildcats just outside the bubble.

As it turns out, Arizona made it in by the skin of its teeth.

"I never thought for a second that our team wasn't good enough. I knew we were good enough. I just worried about the math," Pennell said.

The Wildcats had just wrapped up practice that afternoon and had gathered on the third floor of McKale Center to watch the CBS Selection Show. Last year, the Cats had to wait nearly the entire broadcast to find out if they made the field. This year, it took only 11 minutes.

Once everyone caught a glimpse of that familiar red/white/blue A on the television screen, it was sheer pandemonium.

"I was looking down and I just heard the guys go crazy," Pennell said. "Guys were jumping on chairs, on tables, everything. The buzz was so incredible. If I had known we were going to get selected, I would've loved to have some TV cameras there. The jubiliation was just so spontaneous and overwhelming. I'll never forget that moment for as long as I live."

In fact, the celebration went so long that it took Pennell a full five minutes to find out who they played (Utah), when (Friday) and where (Miami).

The UA interim head coach believed that the rollercoaster circumstances had a lot to do with the ecstatic celebration.

Shortly after the news broke, Arizona basketball patriarch Lute Olson phoned Pennell.

"I told Coach O that the streak was someone else's problem now," Pennell said.

With the invitation now a certainty, the Wildcats set their sights on a formidable, experienced foe from the most underrated college hoops country in the nation.

"Utah had a phenomenal year," Pennell said. "They're a well-oiled machine. Luke Nevill is a giant in there, and they have a couple of guys who can really shoot the three."

Now, as the Wildcats prepare for the "indescribable buzz" for NCAA Tournament play, they'll look to shake off that less-than-stellar finish to the season and take advantage of this second life.

"We're not happy just getting picked," Pennell said. "We want to stick around for a while."

Wednesday's Green Valley News will feature a full breakdown of Arizona's first-round match-up, as well as a few other tourney tidbits.

Updated 3:50 p.m., Sunday

It's true, Wildcat fans. The streak will continue.

At 3:11 p.m., just a few minutes into the Selection Show, the CBS crew called Arizona's name and put an end to the speculation, much to the chagrin of the other bubble teams who didn't quite make the cut.

Contrary to what I wrote in today's column, the bubble did not burst. Color me pleasantly surprised. The Selection Committee rewarded Arizona's big wins (the Kansas/Gonzaga/UCLA/Washington/SDSU victories) and seven-game winning streak from earlier this season and gave the Wildcats a 12-seed in the Midwest region for their efforts.

The 1-5 finish to the season? Irrelevant now. Everybody's record starts at 0-0 come Tuesday. First team to six wins hoists the title.

On Friday, the Wildcats will take on the No. 5-seeded Utah Utes, the hard-nosed winners of the Mountain West Conference and one of the nation's most fundamentally sound teams.

The next update will be at roughly 7 p.m., after interim head coach Russ Pennell holds his press conference at McKale Center.

Updated 12:15 p.m., Sunday

You can almost cut the tension with a knife, can't you?

In three hours, all of the speculation and conjecture will come to an end. No more bubble watches. No more wondering.

At 3 p.m. on CBS, the official 2009 NCAA Tournament field will be announced. Will Arizona hear its name called for the 25th consecutive year?

In today's paper, my column explained why I think Arizona will likely be on the outside looking in. A 19-13 overall record and a 1-5 finish to the season simply isn't good enough, if you ask me.

For argument's sake, let's say the Wildcats finished with the same 19-13 mark, but ripped off a 5-1 streak to finish the season. In that case, I believe the conversation unfolds differently. The selection committee prefers to bring in teams playing well at the end of the season, as opposed to backing into the tournament.

Of course, there's no way to know for sure until later this afternoon.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has Arizona listed second on his "First Four Out" section, with Saint Mary's, Creighton, Maryland and Minnesota edging out the Cats. None of those teams exactly set the college hoops world on fire this season, and Arizona's wins over Kansas, Gonzaga, UCLA, Washington and San Diego State are more impressive than the slate of big wins the other bubble teams can claim.

However, most see the Pac-10 as a five-bid league. This wasn't the dominant Pac-10 of years past. With USC surprising everyone by taking home the Pac-10 Tournament title, that might've sealed UA's fate. The Trojans were almost certainly on the outside of the bubble, but they finally found a way to put all that talent together and steal away an at-large berth.

Elsewhere in Cyberspace, CNNSI's Andy Glockner ultimately has Arizona squeaking into the field of 65, thanks to those big non-conference wins. He has the Wildcats listed as a No. 11 seed in the West region.

Jerry Palm at CBSSportsline.com doesn't even have Arizona on his radar. The Wildcats are nowhere to be found in his mock bracket, nor in his "First Four Out."

Rivals.com has Arizona on the outs, but Yahoo's terrific blogger MJD has the Cats claiming one of the final at-large spots, "even though," as he writes, "they have the lowest RPI of the [bubble teams]."

At AOL's Fanhouse, they say that Arizona's 24-year tourney streak "is likely over."

It doesn't appear as if anyone can agree on anything. Check back in during CBS's Selection Show to find out where the Wildcats will be playing, whether it's in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.

Also, check back later this evening, where I'll have interim head coach Russ Pennell's reaction to Selection Sunday.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747