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Arizona finally won The Big One.

That’s what I wrote on a sunny autumn afternoon at Arizona Stadium, Nov 28, 2014. It was, in retrospect, the top day of the quarter century, 2000-25, in UA sports.

The No. 12 Wildcats spent 60 tense minutes beating No. 13 Arizona State, 42-35, a game that began with All-American linebacker Scooby Wright sacking/stripping the Sun Devils’ quarterback for what would be a 25-yard touchdown UA gallop just 34 seconds into the game.

The capacity crowd of 56,083 cheered so long, and with such force, that the press box and suites, built in 1989, actually shook on its foundation. I had never experienced such mania at the old stadium across those 25 years.

Three hours later, after a 72-yard touchdown gallop by Nick Wilson and a play-of-the-decade type pass-and-run from Anu Solomon to Samajie Grant, the Wildcats finally wore down the Sun Devils and won the Pac-12 South championship. UA coach Rich Rodriguez held the Territorial Cup trophy over his head and kissed it. The school that never went to the Rose Bowl celebrated into the night. Champions at last.

This summer, the Star has selected All-Quarter Century Teams for local high school teams and for UA softball, football, baseball and basketball teams. It made me ask: What are the 25 top victories at the UA, 2000-25? Here’s my list, starting with the Territorial Cup-kissing game of 2014.

1. Arizona 42, ASU 35, 2014, football

Arizona finished the season ranked No. 19 in the AP poll, the first time it was ranked at season’s end since 1998.

2. Arizona 1, UCLA, 0, 2001, softball

Softball’s two signature franchises staged a game for the ages in the Women’s College World Series championship game, as UA All-American Jennie Finch pitched a shutout over the 59-5 Bruins, perhaps the high point of UA coach Mike Candrea’s historic career.

3. Arizona 500, Texas 406, men’s swimming, 2008

After two decades of building one of the NCAA’s two or three top swimming programs, Frank Busch coached the Wildcats to a landslide victory over the field, outscoring runner-up Texas by 94 points while becoming the first college swimming program to score 500 points in the championship meet.

4. Arizona 3, Alabama 2, women’s golf, 2018

It took an unforgettable eagle putt by the UA’a Bianca Pagdanganan just to get Arizona into the final group of eight teams of NCAA Tournament match play. Two days later, in the most clutch putt in school history, Arizona’s Haley Moore drained an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the championship match to beat the No. 2 Crimson Tide.

5. Arizona, 484, Auburn 348, women’s swimming, 2008

Busch’s remarkable UA swimming program won the ’08 national title by 136 points over runner-up and two-time defending champion Auburn as Lacey Nymeyer and Lara Jackson became multiple NCAA champions.

6. Arizona 4, South Carolina 1, baseball, 2012

Two-time defending national champion South Carolina went to the ninth inning of Game 2 in the championship series tied 1-1. But then the Wildcats, who went 10-0 in postseason action, scored three runs to win their first College World Series since 1986.

7. Arizona 69, UConn, 59, women’s basketball, 2021

At the Final Four in San Antonio, Adia Barnes’ Wildcats stunned the historical bullies from UConn to reach the championship game against Stanford as All-American point guard Aari McDonald scored 26 points.

8. Arizona 87, Illinois 81, men’s basketball, 2001

The UA’s last Elite Eight victory and subsequent trip to the Final Four was a stressful, hand-to-hand combat game in San Antonio in which the Widlcats beat the No. 1-seeded Illini by making 43 of 56 free throws and getting 21 points from Gilbert Arenas.

9. Arizona 5, Tennessee 0, softball, 2007

After five years with just one NCAA championship — then almost unthinkable — the Wildcats used hard-working pitcher Taryne Mowatt’s shutout to beat the Vols and star pitcher Monica Abbott.

10. Arizona 1, ASU 0, baseball, 2012

In what became known as “Walk Off Weekend,� Arizona won the Pac-12 championship by stunning the first-place Sun Devils 1-0 on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field as Robert Refsnyder ran through a stop sign from the third base coach in the bottom of the ninth. Two days later, with the league title on the line, Arizona walked-off the Sun Devils again, 8-7, on Johnny Field’s ninth-inning single.

11. Arizona 56, Northwestern 42, women’s basketball, 2019

Arizona’s rise to Final Four-level basketball began by sweeping six straight games in the WNIT, capped by a victory over Northwestern in which Adia Barnes’ team sold out McKale Center, 14,664, for the only time in history.

12. Arizona 93, Duke 77, men’s basketball, 2011

Trailing the No. 1 seeded Dukies 44-38 at the half of the Sweet 16, Arizona roared to the Elite Eight as center Derrick Williams played his career game with 32 points.

13. Arizona 6, Northwestern 0, softball, 2006

All-American pitcher Alicia Hollowell pitched the Wildcats to a shutout victory in the championship game of the Women’s College World Series with 13 strikeouts.

14. Arizona 31, Oregon 24, football, 2014

The No. 2 Ducks were poised for a game-winning drive to beat the unranked Wildcats in Eugene, but linebacker Scooby Wright sacked Heisman Trophy QB Marcus Mariota in the final 90 seconds and stole the ball as the Wildcats outgained the Ducks 495-446 in the year’s biggest upset.

15. Arizona 79, Oklahoma State 78, men’s basketball, 2005

At the ’05 Sweet 16 in Chicago, Salim Stoudamire swished a shot from the corner with 2.8 seconds remaining to give Arizona its 30th win and a berth in the Elite Eight against No. 1 Illinois.

16. Arizona 5, Oklahoma State 1, baseball, 2016

To reach the championship series of the 2016 College World Series, Arizona beat the Cowboys 5-1 behind pitcher Bobby Dalbec’s 11th win.

17. Arizona 91, Kansas 74, men’s basketball, 2003

Imagine the shock at KU’s historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse when the No. 6 Jayhawks led 44-24 in the first half but were then victimized by No. 1 Arizona’s 55 combined points by Salim Stoudamire and Jason Gardner.

18. Arizona 31, BYU 21,

football, Las Vegas bowl, 2008

In its first winning season in a decade, Arizona routed favored No. 16 BYU to finish 8-5 behind QB Willie Tuitama and TE Rob Gronkowski.

19. Arizona -41, ASU -37, Pac-12 men’s golf championships, 2021

In the UA’s first Pac-12 men’s golf championship since 2004, the Wildcats overcame heavily favored ASU and beat them by four strokes, -41 to -37 under par as Brad Reeves and Trevor Werbylo rose to the occasion.

20. Arizona 78, Duke 73, men’s basketball, 2023

The Wildcats beat the No. 1 Dukies at Cameron Indoor Arena in a made-for-TV special as all five of Tommy Lloyd’s starters scored in double figures.

21. Arizona 38, Oklahoma 24, football, 2023

In Jedd Fisch’s last game as Arizona’s football coach, the Wildcats punished favored Oklahoma to win the Alamo Bowl and finish 10-3, No. 11 in the AP poll.

22. Arizona 73, Stanford 72, women’s basketball, 2020

With just one victory over No. 4 Stanford in 14 years, the Wildcats prevailed at McKale when Aari McDonald scored on a driving layup in the final ticks of overtime.

23. Arizona 4, North Carolina 3, baseball, 2025

In a win-or-go-home showdown with a berth in the College World Series at stake, ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV overcame a 3-1 North Carolina lead on shortstop Mason White’s game-deciding, two-run single.

24. Arizona 2, Oregon 0, women’s soccer, 2004

Forever a bottom-feeder in college soccer, Arizona won the 2004 Pac-10 championship on the last day of the season, beating the Ducks in Eugene to earn a first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and finish 15-6.

25. Arizona 42, Oregon 16, football, 2013

The unranked Wildcats stunned the No. 5 Ducks at Arizona Stadium on a day Ka’Deem Carey rushed 48 times for 206 yards, rattling an Oregon team that was 9-1.