Arizona Chokes Again Only This Time It’s Miami Of Ohio That Dismisses Wildcats Early, 71-62

They came swaggering into Dayton Arena, talking about being on a mission, taking on the world, being reborn, showing they deserved better than a No. 5 seeding in the Midwest Regional.

But the University of Arizona Wildcats were among the first to leave the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, ending a season filled with turmoil and uncertainty, injuries and disruptions, and falling way short of their goals.

Now, after losing to 12th-seeded Miami (Ohio), 71-62, in front of a partisan Miami crowd, the Wildcats once again face those same cruel jokes that seem to haunt coach Lute Olson and his program.

“Here come the jokes again,” Arizona senior guard Reggie Geary said. “First, it was East Tennessee State. Then, Santa Clara. And now Miami of Ohio. This just erases everything we’ve done.”

Geary and three other starters led Arizona to the Final Four last season, but everybody, Geary said, will be talking about the Wildcats bowing out in the first round for the third time in the past four years.

“This one was probably the toughest of the three,” senior point Guard Damon Stoudamire said.

Arizona (23-8) had so many distractions to overcome this time. Junior center Ben Davis started the year ineligible and ended it ineligible, missing the last two games.

Geary suffered a sprained ankle that did more damage, it seemed, to his psyche than anything else.

Junior center Joseph Blair suffered a sprained ankle the final week of the regular season, after playing well for two months.

And Stoudamire was cloaked in controversy, the target of an NCAA investigation the past week.

“Excuses are just a bunch of made-up lies,” said Stoudamire, after finishing his college career with an 18-point, four-assist, fourturnover performance.