The tournament officially started last night, and just like every other year, a contender got beat by a mid major. The reason this one feels different is how it happened, and to who it happened. Most people, me included, thought that this was finally the time that Arizona was going to push through. They have the presumably number one pick in the upcoming draft in DeAndre Ayton, they have Lonzo Trier, they have very good role players, and they came into the tournament on fire.

Well, none of that mattered to Buffalo last night. They absolutely throttled Arizona, especially in the second half. Buffalo seemingly could not miss from three in the second half. And Arizona had no answer. I was half watching the game because Michigan was playing at the same time. The Wolverine's game was brutal, boring, long and just all around bad basketball, but Michigan found a way to win. So, I was more interested in scoreboard watching the Arizona game. It was close in the first half too. I believe Buffalo held a halftime lead, but it was only 2 points. I figured that Arizona, with all the talent they have, would cruise in the second half after some adjustments.

That was how the second half kind of started. I kept checking the score and Arizona would go up 2, but Buffalo always had an answer. Then, with about 7 minutes to go, I checked on the game and Buffalo was suddenly up 14. As I said, they could not miss from 3. They were also out hustling and just played a much, much better game overall. Buffalo’s coach completely out coached Sean Miller. And that is where I think the problem with Arizona starts and ends.

Sean Miller is one of the biggest chokers in the tournament every year. Never mind the fact that he has this whole FBI thing going on, because he was basically cleared. This should have lit a fire under him and his players, but clearly it did not. They laid a total egg. No one, not even Ayton, could do anything to stop Buffalo. I feel like Arizona walked onto the court and just expected to win. To me, that is on the coach. He did not have his players ready to play. He expected a win. He didn’t prepare them for a fight. He thought they could just walk onto the court, let Ayton do his thing, and they would easily win. The exact opposite happened. I don’t know, maybe Miller isn’t the guy to bring Arizona back to their glory days of the early 90’s. Every year he has coached there they have been no lower than a 4 or 5 seed, but they always come up short. And the collection of talent they have this year, to get blown out in round one by a 13 seed is rough. Look, I’m not even a fan of Arizona basketball, but I expected them to at least make it to the second weekend. They are just too good.

Now, after last night, it is clear that Ayton is going to the NBA. I would be shocked if Trier didn’t do the same. Then, who will Miller have next year? I don’t know, but I don’t think it will matter. As long as Sean Miller is the head coach there, I think Arizona will continue to choke. He cannot get this team over the hump, and that is a shame. I filled out a good amount of brackets for this tournament, and on most of them I had Arizona, at least, in the Sweet Sixteen. Hell, every year my wife and I fill out brackets, make a bet, and I picked Arizona to win it all. I bought in, and that was my mistake. This has to be one of the bigger upsets in tournament history because of how badly Buffalo beat them. This is also frustrating as a college basketball fan that wanted to see Ayton play in a few more college games before going pro. Unfortunately, that won’t happen, and I blame Sean Miller.

This was disappointing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Arizona decides that he may not be the right person to lead Arizona back to glory. He is one of the biggest chokers, at the head coaching level, in all of college basketball. He really messed up last night, and it could be his undoing. What a disappointment.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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