Arizona is Still Dancin but they're no Cinderella.

When you hear about upsets and Cinderella stories you think of schools like George Mason, Davidson and Valparaiso . This years NCAA Men's Tournament is not that kind of Tournament.

The Sweet 16 consists of four No. 1 seeds, four No. 2 seeds, four No. 3 seeds, two No. 4 seeds, one No. 5 seed and lowest-seeded team remaining is from a university that has made 25 consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Arizona who finished the season with the 62nd best RPI rating and 19-13 record, plays in the PAC-10 Conference that was Ranked 5Th in the country in the RPI rating poll.

The Arizona wildcats haven't really shocked anyone this NCAA Tournament and were picked by most people to win in the first two rounds. They beat Utah by 13 points as a underdog only because of seeding and then defeated Cleveland State in a 71-57 warm up for the real games ahead of them in the Sweet 16.

Arizona did exactly what we expected them to do and what we knew they were capable of doing despite losing 5 of there last 6 games.

So the question is .......Why are we calling them a Cinderella team?

Yes they came into this Tournament as a 12Th seed, Yes they lost 5 of there last 6 games,Yes only because of seeding do they stand among 15 other seeds whom are seeded higher than them.

Those stats are all true, but the fact still remains a team with 25 straight NCAA Tournament Appearances. In the last 8 years the Wildcats have been to 1 Championship game, 2 Elite Eights, 1 Sweet sixteen and been eliminated in the first or second round twice.

How can they be called a Cinderella team?

The true definition in in sports about teams that obtain the Cinderella title is : That a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a Tournament than expected. One that unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect.

When did we ever Scrutinize the Arizona Wildcats? We always knew they had talent, they were good, and could get this far in the tournament IF they played the way there playing now.

With players such as Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise who could we label them a Cinderella team. all 3 players have been scouted heavily by NBA General Mangers and Scouts for this years Draft. Most Cinderella teams don't have one of these guys but only a mid-level player and great system.

Cinderella teams don't have a player who's averaging 18 points and almost 10 rebounds a game like Jordan Hill who many believe will be the 3rd pick in this years draft or Chase Budinger who could have possibly been a late lottery pick in last years draft. Lastly Nic Wise, who has played his best ball of the season these past 2 games scoring a combined 50 points in the first two rounds.

All this talent makes it tough to call Arizona a Cinderella team or a team we need to Glorify with all the articles and media attention. Lets give some media attention to the Davids out there who found ways to win versus the Goliaths in the world because they made the best of their invitations... So thanks for the memorable games Siena, Clevland state and Western Kentucky.

No disrespect to Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin for your contributions to this years NCAA Tournament but we expected you to take part in the memories despite seeding, hence that's why we can't give Arizona the "Cinderella" tag.


If the Wildcats defeat the No. 1 overall seeded Louisville Cardinals in Friday's Sweet 16 Game, then just maybe we can give them a little credit and a respect because we don't have them accomplishing that win but Until then, Arizona is good team with a bad seed But Most Definitely not a Cinderella story.