Sean Miller couldn’t get his Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament field, nor could he help his brother do the same with Indiana. But at least the Pac-12 earned three NCAA Tournament bids in exactly the same manner as Miller described last week as a “utopia” scenario — that is, having Oregon win the Pac-12 Tournament, with Washington and ASU gaining at-large bids. The Ducks were given a No. 12 seed — indicating they would not have made the field if they didn’t beat Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament final — while the Huskies earned a No. 9 seed and ASU squeaked into a play-in game for a No. 11 seed. “Maybe if a team like Oregon can get all the way to the (Pac-12) championship. … “ Miller said last Monday. “Utopia would be three teams. I sure hope we could get at least two in, but there’s some other conferences that have a pretty good argument.”<doc-sep>The Heat Index azcentral sports The Arizona Wildcats basketball program won't play in a postseason tournament this season, meaning their offseason has begun. It could be a very long offseason for Sean Miller and his program. Will he be back as the Wildcats coach for an 11th season? Speculation that he could be done as the coach in Tucson intensified after Miller gave an emotional talk to fans after Arizona's regular-season finale loss to ASU. "There’s no place that is more magical than McKale Center," Miller said. "There (are) no fans in the world that are more loyal. It has been an amazing honor to coach at McKale Center for the last 10 years. Thank you for everything." A few days later, Miller said that it wasn't a goodbye. “It certainly wasn’t a goodbye speech. I meant everything that I said," the Arizona coach told the media. "You have to take into consideration the context. I think part of me in that speech is you are overwhelmed by the fact that there is a crowd still in attendance and we lost to our rival, that's a small part of it. "Obviously we finished our season. It's not a successful season by any standards other than to a large extent I think we did about the best that we could ... "It's not like I am pointing fingers to anyone on our team. If anything, I am pointing fingers at myself. "I meant what I said in terms of I can't imagine a fan base treating a coach any better than this fan base has treated our staff and me." The speculation, however, continues for Miller and his program. MORE:Wildcats have a lot on the line in April with Sean Miller subpoenaed to court Miller has been one of the main faces of college basketball's pay-for-play scandal dating back to late last season. Late last month, Yahoo Sports reported that Miller will be subpoenaed in court in April. He has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, which includes Pinnacle High standout Nico Mannion, coming to Tucson next season. The Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe summed up the questions surrounding Miller's future at Arizona: "Miller’s future could be more clear after the federal college basketball bribery trial in April," he wrote. "Miller has reportedly been notified he will be subpoenaed to the trial, in which aspiring agent Christian Dawkins is expected to try to show he was not bribing coaches as much as brokering deals with them. "ESPN reported that Miller was captured on a wiretap talking with Dawkins about paying Deandre Ayton $100,000 to play for Arizona, an allegation both Ayton and Miller have denied. If there is a wiretap of Miller discussing a pay-for-play scheme, it could be played in court and/or Miller could be asked about it on the witness stand. "Dawkins' attorney, Michigan-based Steve Haney, has promised a “street fight” in April, and has vowed to get as many coaches as he can into the courtroom. The attorney said he's fully committed to going to trial and not taking a plea agreement, which could forever seal any evidence involving coaches. 'In the second trial, we’re going to pull back the curtain,' Haney said. "Miller’s attorney, Stephen Thompson, has declined to comment to the Star. He could try to quash the subpoena on grounds it is not relevant. Should that fail, Miller would have two choices: plead the fifth or take the stand. "Conversely, if the trial occurs and there is no evidence or testimony linking Miller to violations, the clouds that have hung over the Arizona program would likely clear for a while. "Miller is under contract through the 2021-22 season, and is scheduled to receive a $100,000 raise next season that would bump his guaranteed pay to $2.9 million plus incentives. If he is fired without cause at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, UA would owe him $3.7 million — 50 percent of his remaining guaranteed pay. Things get murkier if the UA tries to fire him for cause. Miller's contract says he would still be paid his $7.4 million guaranteed salary. The UA maintains he would be paid only through the date of termination, and has said it is confident that precedent in Arizona law would honor that intent." MORE:Sean Miller 'knows how to handle all situations,' ex-Wildcat Allonzo Trier says The Arizona Daily Star's Greg Hansen also shared his thoughts on the uncertainty of Miller's future with the program. "If the UA chooses to separate from Miller — or he from the UA — it would likely include a settlement of such financial significance that it could limit Arizona’s search for a successor. "These transactions carry far more weight than any Pac-12 basketball game. "Every move Miller makes before a scheduled April trial regarding corruption in college basketball will be examined with forensics-type scrutiny. Every time he walks through an airport, fans will wonder: Is he flying to Chicago to meet with his attorney? Is he heading off to some private place where he can decompress and not be recognized? "Is he visiting some place where a potential grad transfer would discuss the possibility of playing for the Wildcats next season? Or meeting with a coach who could fill the vacancy created by the firing of assistant coach Mark Phelps? "Until April’s corruption/FBI trial is complete, Arizona’s basketball future remains in limbo. The speculation begins now." So far, University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins and Athletic Director Dave Heeke have been supportive of Miller publicly. Could that change depending on the trial and the continued speculation surrounding Miller and his program? MORE:Pinnacle's Nico Mannion still set on playing for Arizona Wildcats, father says Other issues for Wildcats Even if Miller does return to Arizona next season, there is a possibility that the coach could face a suspension or that his program could face NCAA sanctions, Pascoe wrote. He added that recruiting restrictions could also be placed on the Wildcats. Pascoe wrote: "The NCAA has been incorporating evidence and testimony from the federal investigation and trials into its own investigations of Arizona and the other schools involved in the federal probe. "Yahoo has reported that the NCAA is already investigating Arizona and several other programs. (The Star filed a public public records request in November seeking any communication from the NCAA involving an investigation. More than two months later, UA said it had no such records.) "Even if the NCAA clears Miller of any direct wrongdoing, he could be penalized under bylaw 11.1.1.1, which says a head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all direct or indirect reports unless he can rebut the presumption of responsibility. All three of Miller’s assistant coaches during the 2016-17 season have been implicated in federal proceedings or found to have broken NCAA rules. MORE:Why Arizona Wildcats' Sean Miller can't shake FBI college basketball scandal "Former assistant coach Book Richardson has pleaded guilty to taking $20,000 in exchange for a promise to steer UA players toward Dawkins for professional representation. Prosecutors said he planned to use $15,000 of it to lure a top recruit to Arizona. "Another ex-UA assistant, Joe Pastnernack, was named during October’s fraud trial. The father of five-star recruit Brian Bowen said he was told Pasternack offered $50,000 in exchange for his son's commitment to the UA. "A third assistant, Mark Phelps, has been twice suspended for breaking NCAA rules. The UA suspended him for two games at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, though it would not say which rule he broke. On Feb. 4, Arizona suspended Phelps indefinitely, with the intent of firing him, for an unspecified rules violation that ESPN said involved the academics of former UA recruit Shareef O’Neal." The Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe contributed to this story. READ MORE Arizona basketball photos:<doc-sep>
Thanks to the Oregon Ducks’ tear through the conference tourney, the Pac-12 will be sending three teams to the NCAA tournament. The Ducks, Arizona State Sun Devils and Washington Huskies all had their names called on Selection Sunday, though none has a particularly easy road based on the seeds they earned. Oregon (23-12) earned a No. 12 seed in the South Region after winning four games in four days in Las Vegas to claim the Pac-12’s automatic bid. The Ducks will take on No. 5 Wisconsin (23-10) on Friday in San Jose, Calif., and if they win that game they’d take on either No. 4 Kansas State or No. 13 UC-Irvine. Regular-season champ Washington (26-8) earned a No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region and a Friday meeting with No. 8 Utah State (28-6) in Columbus, Ohio. The Huskies, who lost four of their last 11 games after a 19-4 start, including the Pac-12 final against Oregon, could face either No. 1 North Carolina or No. 16 Iona in the second round if they get past the Mountain West-champion Aggies. ASU (22-10) is in the NCAA tourney in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1980-81, but like a year ago the Sun Devils have to play in the First Four in order to advance to the main field. ASU takes on St. John’s (21-12) on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner taking on No. 6 Buffalo (31-3) on Friday in Tulsa, Okla. The Arizona Wildcats and UCLA Bruins, the conference’s usual flagships, were not even close to receiving an at-large bid. It is the first time since 2009-10 that neither team reached the NCAA Tournament. The last time Arizona was omitted was the 2011-12 season when it went on to lose to Bucknell in the first round of the NIT. And with ASU getting in, this marks the first time since 1981 that the NCAA tournament will feature the Sun Devils and not the Wildcats.