No Reason to Be Here?

It was pretty simple, actually. All Arizona had to do in the last seven days was get in a tournament they had no business being in, catch a lucky draw against a squad that couldn't handle the speed or pressure the Wildcats could bring and hope for the only 13-seed upset of the tournament to be their opponent in the second round. Pshhhh. That was simple.

In the second-round meeting against 13th-seeded Cleveland State, the Wildcats did what they've done best all year: rely on the big three and hope the reserve players don't hack the opposition with two seconds left when the game is tied. Oh, and in related news, Jamelle Horne had 15 points.

It has been an interesting couple of days as a Wildcat fan. Since the moment Arizona was announced in the NCAA Tournament for the 25th straight year -- the active record -- people have been questioning the inclusion of Russ Pennell's crew. They weren't good enough. They lost five of their last six in the regular season. They didn't win enough games on the road. They just weren't the right team for the tournament. WHAT ABOUT ST. MARYS?!?!

Friday was point numero uno in their favor. A beatdown of fifth-seeded Utah got the Wildcats into the second round, making the lowly Pac-10 a scrappy 5-1 in the first round. A win in the second round has Arizona in a place that used to be familiar, but hasn't been so much since 2005, when Salim Stoudamire was Doctor Swoosh. The Wildcats are in the Sweet 16, thank you very much. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

In the Sweet 16, Arizona will face the Louisville Cardinals. They are the top seed in the tournament and bring a swagger not seen in Tucson since Luke Walton, Rick Anderson and Jason Gardner were walking between the Social Sciences building and Old Main. The Wildcats have a squad with two lottery picks, a guard that is tougher than his tights allow and a bunch of players that aren't necessarily Arizona-esque.

It doesn't matter. Arizona will probably lose to Louisville. The thing is, the Wildcats weren't even supposed to be here. Arizona 1, Critics 0.