One of the Worst Collapses in NCAA Tournament History

[Iplayboard]

This game has to rank as one of the worst collapses in tournament history. The Wildcats blew a 15 point lead with 4 minutes to play. They still had a 7 point margin with a minute left, but saw that lead erased in just 21 seconds.

It isn't just that they lost, but how they lost. Errant passes, sloppy dribbling, and lathargic offensive possessions down the stretch. Illinois made several clutch baskets, but they could not have won the game had Arizona played intelligently in the last few minutes. That last possesion was downright awful. A coach should be able to draw up a decent shot after a timeout when a trip to the Final Four is on the line.

[Phoenix1010]

I have to agree with at least the last part. It looked like they didn't even draw up a play. The defense there was not aggressive enough to blame for the lack of any kind of offensive play. It looked like they had no idea what they were doing. I haven't watched enough college B-ball to know if it's the worst collapse ever, and I doubt it matches up to Chris Webber's famous mental mistake, but it was pretty horrible.