Arizona can end long Final Four drought today. Will it finally do it?

SAN JOSE, CA — The harsh Arizona deserts are no stranger to droughts. One has lasted quite a while in Tucson, except it has nothing to do with rainfall. It’s that Final Four drought.

For more than two decades, Tucson residents have been trying to turn on the faucet of basketball success, and while enough falls out to keep the grass from turning brown, it’s waiting for a steady stream to end the dehydration and nourish the garden of winning. Arizona hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2001, and the city is very aware of the crisis. “You hear rumblings of it all the time,” Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka told USA TODAY Sports.

Luckily, the forecast is showing a possible end to the dry spell. A chance of heavy showers of victory could be raining down Saturday, March 28 with Arizona facing Purdue in the Elite Eight. But the Wildcats have been here several times before.

An opportunity to break the spell turns into more heat. “The collective joy it would give our community, it would be more special than just the win by itself,” said Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd . No coach has stacked up wins in their first five seasons like Lloyd, with 147 victories already on his resume.