Remembering Lute Olsen's time with Arizona and 2001 March Madness run

Remembering Lute Olsen's time with Arizona and 2001 March Madness run originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Arizona Wildcats are hoping that their 2026 run to the Final Four is the dawn of a new era.

While Arizona has long been considered the owner of a premiere men's basketball program, annually contending for NCAA Tournament bids as one of the top squads from Big 12 and formerly the Pac-12, the team also hasn't had recent March success to show for it. Prior to 2026, it had been a quarter-century since the Wildcats were a Final Four squad. Deep NCAA Tournament runs used to be somewhat of a norm for Arizona — and that can be attributed to longtime head coach Lute Olson, who led the most successful era in the program's history.

Here's what to know about Olson, his coaching career and Arizona's 2001 squad. MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more Lute Olsen Arizona coaching career Olsen pent a total of 24 years guiding the Wildcats in the most successful era in program history. An inductee into both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Olson had previously coached at Long Beach State and Iowa, including a Final Four appearance with the Hawkeyes.

But from 1983-2007, he was the leader of the team in Tucson. During that span, Arizona won the 1997 national championship, reached three additional Final Fours, captured 11 Pac-10 regular-season titles and four Pac-10 Tournament championships. Olson compiled a 781-280 career record, including 589 wins with the Wildcats, before retiring in 2008.