Arizona Wildcats overcome San Diego State to move on

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Miller’s Arizona Wildcats are moving on to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. As the number one seed in the West Region it is certainly not a surprise for them to be in the Elite Eight, but after going into the locker room trailing by four to the San Diego State Aztecs it was far from automatic.

Nick Johnson ended the game with 15 points to lead Arizona even though he did not make a field goal until there was only 2:45 left in the game. Johnson scored the last 11 points for his team. Freshman Aaron Gordon also was big for the Wildcats scoring 15 points on seven of nine from the field.

It is the end of a stellar season for Steve Fisher and his Aztecs.  They finished with a record of 31 wins compared to only five losses and a Mountain West regular season championship. Senior guard Xavier Thames did everything he could offensively to keep his team alive, but his 25 points were not enough.

Next up for Arizona is a matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers, who easily moved on past the Baylor Bears earlier tonight. This is a classic one against two regional final that will be played on an extremely high level. Sean Miller will enjoy this win tonight, but have to turn his focus to Wisconsin tomorrow.