Kansas City, Mo — A season of tumult and sorrow has taught second-seeded Arizona to take nothing for granted.
Loren Woods learned not to take his career for granted. Suspended the first six games, the Wildcats' senior center has spent much of the season trying to find his touch.
Richard Jefferson learned not to take rules for granted. The junior forward accepted a free ticket to the NBA Finals and drew a one-game suspension .
Then, in the most painful and important lesson of all, everyone learned not to take their lives and loved ones for granted. Coach Lute Olson's wife, Bobbi, lost her long battle against cancer.
"It was devastating to all of us for a long period," Jefferson said. "We really are like a big family. We've had a lot of ups and downs. Everybody just pulled together. We're together emotionally and physically."
The Wildcats (23-7), with Jefferson and Woods playing well, are favored to beat No. 15 seed Eastern Illinois (21-9) in their Midwest Regional opening-round game today. The Panthers of the Ohio Valley Conference have dangerous shooters in Kyle Hill and Henry Domercant, but appear overmatched almost everywhere, chiefly in their lack of inside size and strength.
If Eastern Illinois does win, however, it will not be because the Wildcats took it for granted.
"It's going to be a tough game," Jefferson said. "In the NCAA, you don't take anybody for granted. They've got players who can put up big numbers."
As Bobbi Olson's life slowly ebbed away last winter, her husband missed five games, putting the team in the hands of his assistants.
They were 3-2.
Since his return, the Wildcats are 13-2. They start the NCAA tournament with 15 wins in their last 17 games and are playing their best ball of the year.
"We knew what was going on for months and months," Jefferson said of his coach's loss. "When she did pass away, it was very devastating."
Without asking for anyone's sympathy, Olson has not tried to hide his feelings.
"We were married 47 years. All of a sudden it's a huge void there," he said. "But I've tried very hard for that not to have any affect on how I do my job. I think the players would indicate that."
In the first game today, No. 7 seed Wake Forest (19-10) takes on No. 10 seed Butler (23-7). The evening games match third-seeded Mississippi (25-7) against No. 14 Iona (22-10) followed by No. 6 seed Notre Dame (19-9) and 11th-seeded Xavier (21-7).
The Wildcats, making their 17th straight NCAA appearance, will be facing an Eastern Illinois team that's making its second trip in its 20 years as a Division I program.
The Panthers are not without weapons. Hill is the NCAA's third-leading scorer with 23.5 points per game while small forward Domercant is fourth in the country averaging 22.9.
There has never been a team that had two players rank among the top five scorers in one season.
Moreover, the Panthers reached the tournament by coming from 21 points behind late in the second half and beating Austin Peay 84-83 in the finals of the OVC tournament.
"It's the first time for all of us to be a part of this," Domercant said. "We were all happy to see our name on the screen. The main thing we were disappointed about is the seed. We felt we're a better team than a No. 15."
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