Wildcats out to prove they belong

When news of Arizona’s inclusion in the NCAA Tournament filtered throughout Southern Arizona on Sunday afternoon, there was an unmistakable buzz in the air.

After all the ups, the downs, the tumult and the premature eulogies, the Wildcats (19-13, 9-9 Pac-10) backed their way into a 12-seed, giving themselves the same chance as 64 other teams to take home college basketball’s biggest prize.

No red-and-blue hoops fan wanted to see “the streak” end. For at least one more year, they won’t have to.

However, that news wasn’t so warmly received in other parts of the nation.

Obviously, those attached to Creighton, Saint Mary’s, Penn State and a handful of other “bubble” teams weren’t too excited to see Arizona’s name pop up at 3:11 p.m. west-coast time on the CBS Selection Show.

But the national media has had stronger-than-usual reactions to the Arizona pick. Most pundits are surprised, but a few seem outright offended.

ESPN’s loudest talking head, the one-and-only Dick Vitale, ripped the Arizona pick during a heated back-and-forth with Jay Bilas and Digger Phelps.

Vitale brought up the nice wins against Kansas and Gonzaga, but claimed that the Wildcats’ 9-9 mark in what wasn’t a “vintage Pac-10,” the 1-5 finish to the season and the 13 overall losses should’ve kept them out of the Big Dance in favor of Saint Mary’s.

“I think Santa Claus came early for [Arizona],” Vitale said.

What does interim head coach Russ Pennell have to say to such comments?

“Well, we’re not in the Big East or the ACC, so what can you do?” Pennell said. “You know what? We can’t worry about any of that stuff. We earned our way in.”

Chase Budinger seconded his coach’s outlook. He said he has completely avoided ESPN and all of the talking heads the past few days. He doesn’t want to know what anyone is saying.

“Friday can’t come fast enough,” Nic Wise added.

Yes, the bickering over Arizona’s inclusion is ultimately irrelevant. The Wildcats are in, and they don’t plan on leaving anytime soon — unlike the last two seasons.

Two years ago, Arizona (seeded eighth) fell to Purdue 72-63. Last year, West Virginia got the best of the 10th-seeded Wildcats 75-65.

In fact, since the devastating 90-89 loss to Illinois in the Elite Eight in 2005, the Wildcats have won only one tournament game.

“We can’t be caught looking at the past,” Pennell said. “These kids have had different coaches and different systems the last two years. Plus, those three are much better players this year.”

Those three, of course, are Budinger, Jordan Hill and Wise. The team’s performance against Arizona State on Thursday left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. The trio doesn’t necessarily view this selection as a second chance, but another hard-earned opportunity to show the world what this team is capable of doing when it is firing on all cylinders.

“We think we can beat anyone in the nation when we’re playing well,” Budinger said. “We’re very dangerous when everyone is contributing.”

Arizona opens the tournament as a No. 12 seed against Mountain West Conference kingpins Utah. Anyone who has ever filled out a bracket knows that a 12-seed always beats a five. Always.

Does that mean that the Wildcats have enough firepower to take down the Utes (24-9, 12-4 MWC) — the co-regular season champs and the MWC Tournament titleholders?

Everything Utah does begins and ends with 7-foot-2 Luke Nevill.

The enormous Aussie center averages 17 points and nine boards, while patrolling the lane and altering every shot within his wingspan.

Hill said he has never played anyone Nevill’s size, but it’s hard to believe that Nevill has faced anyone with Hill’s quickness or diverse set of post skills this season.

If the Hill/Nevill post battle is the key match-up, Wise will look to shift the point-guard battle in Arizona’s favor.

The 5-foot-8 junior has proven that he has the ability to take over a game, especially during Arizona’s seven-game winning streak. Senior guards Lawrence Borha and Tyler Kepkay will attempt to keep him bottled up.

While Utah mainly looks to Nevill as its first offensive option, Borha, Shaun Green, Kepay and Carlon Brown each average more than nine points an outing. While Arizona gets nearly three-quarters of its points from the Budinger/Hill/Wise trio, Utah spreads its scoring out a little more, giving the Utes many different offensive looks.

“Utah has a ton of experience and they run their stuff really well,” Pennell said.

Borha and Green, in particular, could pose a threat to Arizona’s zone defense. When the Wildcats suffer defensively, it’s because they’re giving up too many wide-open threes. For proof, look no further than the 83-77 loss to California on March 5, when the Golden Bears hit 16-30 from beyond the arc. Borha and Green each connect on more than 40 percent of their three-point attempts. If Nevill is able to establish post position on Hill and force the Wildcats to double-team, expect the Utes to bomb away from deep.

The Wildcats will hope that their athleticism and quickness can carry them past the Utes. Nevill can’t compete with Hill’s quickness, and none of Utah’s wing players possess Budinger’s or Jamelle Horne’s athleticism. If the Arizona squad that defeated Kansas, Gonzaga, UCLA and Washington shows up, it’s quite possible that the Cats can pull off the upset.

Of course, it must be mentioned that Arizona’s 2-9 road record could come into play, especially on the squad’s longest road trip of the year. It’s a long way from McKale Center to Miami — 1,903 miles, to be exact.

Will the glitz and glamour of the NCAA Tournament — and Miami in general — pose any distractions for these Wildcats?

“It’s just another business trip for us,” Budinger said.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747

Game info

No. 5 Utah versus No. 12 Arizona.

At American Airlines Arena, Miami.

4:10 p.m.

CBS

1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 990-AM (Spanish)

On the net

Check www.gvnews.com throughout Friday afternoon’s game, as Sports Editor Nick Prevenas will be frequently updating his Wildcat Live Blog. If you can’t catch the game live, or if you want Prevenas’ real-time reactions to the UA/Utah game, the Live Blog is the place to be for analysis, commentary and a few dumb jokes.