Even Keel: How Arizona Basketball hopes Mental Toughness will Fuel a Championship Run
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) reacts in the second half against the Utah State Aggies during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images There’s a moment in every basketball game, every season, really, where the whole thing can come apart. A run by the other team.
A cold stretch from the floor. A bad call. A lead that evaporates.
In that moment, a team reveals exactly who it is. I know this from personal experience. It was 1997.
I was a senior at Marcos De Niza High School in Tempe, and we’d scratched and clawed our way to the Arizona state semifinals. We were good. Number one in the state good.
We believed we were good. We’d earned the right to be there. Our opponent was Carl Hayden, and we had no business being afraid of them.
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