NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 NCAA Tournament champions

22) 1997 Arizona Wildcats

Record: 25-9, 11-7 in Pac-10

The 1997 Arizona Wildcats hold several marks that explain their place so low on this list.

For starters, they had only won 19 games prior to the NCAA Tournament, which is easily the lowest of any team on this list. They also didn’t play a conference game against a team that was ranked in the top 20 nationally. 2018-19 isn’t the first season the Pac-10/12 has struggled.

The Wildcats were only 2-8 in true road games, another stat that is the worst among all teams on this list. However, Arizona’s problem was not a factor in the Big Dance and their ability to win close games came to the forefront. Two of their games went into overtime and all six tournament games were decided by eight points or less.

So how did they win it all? They had talent, for starters. Mike Bibby and Jason Terry, longtime NBA stars, headlined their backcourt with a roster that had three other players get drafted in Michael Dickerson, Miles Simon and A. J. Bramlett.

Guard play and defense are the traditional adages of teams that are successful in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona fits that mold to a tee.

How successful? This group beat three No. 1 seeds on their way to the national championship, including both games in the Final Four. They also beat a Kentucky Wildcats team in the title game that won the championship the previous year, and would win again the following year.