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What Akron Zips basketball fans should know about the University of Arizona Wildcats
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- What Akron Zips basketball fans should know about the University of Arizona Wildcats
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that 2025 will be Arizona's 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, not the 40th.
After winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year in dramatic fashion and earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Akron Zips are poised to play against the University of Arizona in the opening round of 2025 March Madness.
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It'll be UA vs. UA in a showdown of programs separated by roughly 2,000 geographical miles. These two basketball programs have yet to face each other, and now each squad will get an intro to the other on college basketball's biggest stage.
Zips basketball: 'I was telling myself not to wilt': Amani Lyles pushes himself, Akron to NCAA Tournament
So, what should Zips fans know about the other UA?
The Wildcats no doubt have a storied basketball program and enter the tournament as favorites over the Zips, but Akron fans can perhaps point to Arizona's recent March Madness performances as a sign they could be on upset watch.
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Arizona Wildcats no strangers to tough losses in NCAA Tournament play
Mar 16, 2023; Sacramento, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Courtney Ramey (0) reacts following the loss against the Princeton Tigers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
As Wildcats fans can attest, Arizona has made a habit of letting them down when the NCAA Tournament rolls around.
Since the turn of the century, Arizona has taken a loss in the first round of March Madness six times in 20 trips (excluding this year).
Of those six losses, Arizona was the higher seed in four of them.
The most egregious of those L's was also the most recent. Arizona entered the 2023 tournament as the No. 2 seed in their region, but fell to No. 15 seed Princeton in a huge upset that busted brackets and left Wildcats fans shaking their heads.
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In 2018, the No. 4 seed Wildcats were booted from the tourney in a first-round loss to No. 13 seed Buffalo.
In 2016, the No. 6 seed Wildcats fell to No. 11 seed Wichita State in the opening round.
While the rosters obviously differ year to year, Arizona has had a hard time in recent years avoiding first-round upsets. Perhaps Akron will be the next squad adding to that tally.
2025 marks 39 NCAA Tournament appearances for Arizona Wildcats, with 1 championship
Feb 9, 2019; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats retired head coach Lute Olson watches the Arizona Wildcats play the Washington State Cougars at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
With another berth into March Madness in 2025, the Arizona Wildcats mark their 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, championship success has been mostly elusive for the Wildcats in that time, winning just one title back in 1997.
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That team, guided by legendary head coach Lute Olson, beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the championship game thanks largely to their backcourt of Miles Simon (30 points in the title game) and Mike Bibby.
Future NBA champion and Sixth Man of the Year award winner Jason Terry came off the bench for that Wildcats team in the title game, sinking two 3-pointers, dishing out five assists and adding three steals to the box score.
The story of the 'Bear Down' Arizona Athletics battle cry
As the Arizona Wildcats website describes , "University of Arizona Athletics' most enduring tradition is the slogan and battle cry, 'Bear Down.'"
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To summarize, John Byrd "Button" Salmon was installed as the new student body president at UA in the fall of 1926. He was a promising student as a member of "several of the school's honor societies," a popular student-athlete and campus figure.
In October of that year, Salmon and several friends were returning to Tucson from a visit to Phoenix when an automobile crash left Salmon critically injured.
Salmon, just 22 years old at the time, died the morning of Oct. 18. A memorial service was held on campus that reportedly drew thousands of mourners.
As UA's website tells it: "The coach at the time, J.F. 'Pop' McKale, had visited Salmon in the hospital regularly before his death, and later told the squad the young athlete's last message to his teammates was, 'Tell them … tell the team to bear down.'"
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Word spread quickly as the student body adopted the phrase as an enduring rally cry.
Longtime Arizona band director Jack K. Lee wrote the song, "Bear Down, Arizona" during his application for the UA band job, a song that still plays throughout University of Arizona sporting events to this day.
Arizona's Tommy Lloyd coaching era marked by regular season success, playing with pace
Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd during the first half against the Houston Cougars for the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on March 15, 2025.
Since taking over for Sean Miller starting with the 2021-22 season, Tommy Lloyd has amassed a 110-32 record at the helm of the Wildcats (a winning percentage of 77.5%). His teams have claimed a March Madness berth in all four of his seasons thus far.
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The first Arizona hoops team under Lloyd earned a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, but lost to No. 5 seed Houston in the regional semifinal.
The aforementioned 2023 team entered as the No. 2 seed but fell in the first round to Princeton.
Last year's team was also a No. 2 seed, but also lost in the regional semifinal to No. 6 seed Clemson.
Lloyd's Wildcats are hoping for a deeper tournament run this year, but they'll need to simply (or not so simply) avoid another upset first.
Akron Zips hoops coach John Groce praised Lloyd's Wildcats for the pace they play with ahead of their matchup in March Madness.
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"We know they're good, obviously, and I know Tommy Lloyd does a great job of coaching them," Groce said. "I've actually studied them a little bit in the past because I was fascinated with how fast they play and their pace. I know he does a good job."
Caleb Love is the catalyst for the 2024-25 Arizona Wildcats
Mar 15, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) reacts with guard Jaden Bradley (0) against the Houston Cougars during the first half for the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center. William Purnell-Imagn Images
Caleb Love, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the Wildcats leading scorer this season at 16.6 points per game. His success on the court generally leads to team success for Arizona in terms of wins, but Love's streaky shooting could make the Wildcats vulnerable in postseason play.
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Love launches nearly eight 3-pointers per game, but sinks just 32.3% of those attempts. When he catches fire, he's among the most dangerous scoring guards in the country — but Arizona becomes a middling team when he's not making shots.
In games this season where Love made fewer than two 3-pointers, UA was 5-6 overall.
If the Zips can keep Love in check, they have to like their odds of becoming the next team to upset Arizona in tourney play.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: An Akron Zips fan primer for Arizona basketball ahead of March Madness
