Lute Olson and Arizona won their first ever NCAA championship with a magical run featuring three victories over No. 1 seeds culminated with an 84-79 overtime win against defending champion Kentucky. Arizona's Miles Simon was named the Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the 12th consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 13 to March 31, 1997 with the Final Four being played in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Arizona No. 4 Seed In Southeast
Lute Olson's Arizona was seeded fourth in the Southeast and came into the tournament with a recent past of disappointments with first round losses in 1992, 1993 and 1995. The Wildcats' quest to their third Final Four started with a 65-57 win over South Alabama in the first round. Arizona beat College of Charleston 73-69 in the second round and then knocked off No. 1 seed Kansas 85-82 to reach the Southeast final, where No. 10 seed Providence was waiting. But Olson's Wildcats needed overtime to beat the Friars 96-92.
Three No. 1s Into Final Four
Joining Arizona into the Final Four were the other three No. 1 seeds: defending champion Kentucky from the West region, the Midwest's top seed Minnesota and North Carolina from the East.
Wildcats Knock Off North Carolina, Kentucky Into Final Again
In the national semifinals, Arizona's freshman guard Mike Bibby did a great job in leading the Wildcats to a 66-58 win over a North Carolina team which featured the likes of Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter. And Rick Pitino's defending champion Kentucky returned to the NCAA final with a 78-69 victory over Minnesota.
Simon Leads Arizona To Title
In the final - a showdown of Wildcats vs Wildcats, the game featured 20 ties and 18 lead changes and went to overtime. Miles Simon poured in 30 points, including making 14 of 17 free throws, in an 84-79 victory. And Mike Bibby added 19 points and nine rebounds for the winners, who shot just 37.9 percent from the field.
Arizona Grabs Historic Third Win Over No. 1 Seed
Lute Olson's team completed the run with its third victory over a No. 1 seed - the first school to accomplish that feat since the expansion of the field to 64 teams. And in beating Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky, Arizona beat three of the winningest programs in NCAA history - the trio had combined for 11 titles and 10 more finals appearances.
Goodbyes For Dean Smith And Rick Pitino
Arizona's victory over North Carolina proved to be the final game of Tar Heel legendary coach Dean Smith, who later retired in October after 36 seasons and an 879-254 record. Shortly after the final, Kentucky coach Rick Pitino left the program to become coach and president of the Boston Celtics of the NBA.
Minnesota Stripped Of Final Four Appearance
Years after the event, the NCAA stripped Minnesota of its Final Four appearance due to academic violations.
