CINCINNATI " Coach Sean Miller is leaving Xavier and heading to Arizona.
Miller met with his players before making the announcement Monday and said at a news conference that this was one of his toughest decisions.
"I did my best to follow my heart," he said.
Miller said he would not have left except for the tradition and possibility of winning a national championship at Arizona.
Miller led the Musketeers to the Elite Eight last year and received a contract extension through the 2017-18 season. Xavier reached the round of 16 again this season. Miller had a 120-47 record in five seasons at Xavier, guiding the team to the NCAA tournament four times.
The 40-year-old coach wasn't Arizona's first choice to succeed Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. Tim Floyd rejected an offer to stay at Southern California.
Miller signed a 10-year extension with Xavier after the team went 30-7 and reached the regional finals in 2007-08. But the private Cincinnati school apparently could not match the Arizona offer. Arizona reportedly was willing to spend at least $2 million per year.
Miller said he and Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski were still talking about the Xavier job Monday morning in the coach's kitchen. Miller added that he did not decide for sure to take the Arizona job until early afternoon.
"I respect his decision," Bobinski said. "That doesn't make me any less disappointed."
Bobinski said coaches moving from job to job is simply a fact of life.
"If you've got coaches that other people aren't interested in, you've got the wrong coaches," he said. "The reason our coaches are in demand is we're killin' it."
Miller said he wanted to make sure he left Xavier in the right way.
"I cannot say enough good things about this place. It defines who I am to a large degree," Miller said.
He said he was grateful to Xavier for his three years as an assistant and five years as head coach and felt he had made a contribution.
"The legacy will certainly continue," Miller said. "I know this machine will continue to move in a very positive direction."
Bobinski called Miller "a terrific coach, a great friend."
"He has helped bring us to the point where we are poised to be the very best we've ever been in our history," Bobinski said. "We believe we are on the cusp of our greatest basketball ever."
He said he realizes coaching at Xavier can be very different from a large state university.
"We're not for everybody," Bobinski said. "We need to find somebody who knows who we are and what we are all about."
Miller will inherit a program with an elite reputation but short on talent because of its tenuous coaching situation. Olson took a leave of absence in the 2007-08 season but planned to return last fall. Just before the season started, he retired for health reasons.
Russ Pennell took over as interim coach with the understanding that he would not be Olson's permanent replacement. Pennell guided the team to a 21-14 record and the program's 25th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
The Wildcats made a surprising run to the Midwest Regional semifinals before being routed by Louisville. Two prominent players, juniors Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, are expected to leave for the NBA. Junior point guard Nic Wise also may turn pro.
That would leave Miller with a major rebuilding job because the program has essentially missed two recruiting seasons, not counting the current one.
Miller is a close friend and former assistant at North Carolina State to Arizona State coach Herb Sendek. He was lead assistant to Thad Matta for three seasons at Xavier before taking over when Matta left in 2004.
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Associated Press reporter Terry Kinney contributed to this report.