Arizona heads into conference play with a perfect 13-0 record and a firm grip on the No. 1 seed in the West Region, according to the latest Bracketology update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. The Wildcats are projected to open the NCAA Tournament in San Diego against 16-seed Long Island, the Northeast Conference’s automatic qualifier.
While the opening matchup looks favorable on paper, things could get interesting quickly in the second round. Arizona could see either No. 8 seed Saint Mary’s or No. 9 seed UCLA-two teams the Wildcats are already familiar with.
Arizona handled Saint Mary’s in an October exhibition, winning 81-68, and edged UCLA 69-65 in a tightly contested game back in November. Saint Mary’s is currently sitting at 11-2, while UCLA is 10-3, and both have the kind of defensive grit that could challenge Arizona’s high-octane offense.
Looking deeper into the West Region, the Wildcats’ path is anything but a cakewalk. On their side of the bracket, they could potentially run into fourth-seeded Nebraska and fifth-seeded Florida-the reigning national champions.
That’s a pair of teams with tournament pedigree and the kind of physicality that tends to show up in March. Over on the opposite side of the West, Gonzaga holds the No. 2 seed, followed by Illinois at No. 3 and USC at No.
- So while Arizona may be the top dog in the region right now, there’s no shortage of challengers lining up.
Nationally, Michigan sits atop the bracket as the projected No. 1 overall seed in the Midwest. Connecticut leads the East, and Iowa State holds the top spot in the South. The rest of Lunardi’s projected two seeds include Vanderbilt (Midwest), Duke (East), and Purdue (South), rounding out a top-eight that reflects the depth of talent across the country this season.
The latest NET rankings, which the NCAA Selection Committee uses to help determine seeding, have Arizona sitting at No. 4, behind Michigan, Gonzaga, and Duke. Iowa State, Purdue, and Vanderbilt follow closely, with UConn, BYU, and Illinois rounding out the top ten.
Arizona’s résumé is already impressive, and several of their future opponents are also making noise in Bracketology. On their upcoming schedule: third-seeded Houston, fifth-seeded Texas Tech, and ninth-seeded Central Florida in the Midwest Region; fourth-seeded Kansas and eighth-seeded Auburn in the East; third-seeded BYU in the South; and seventh-seeded Baylor in the West.
Conference play begins Saturday with a road trip to Utah, and Arizona won’t face another team currently projected in the NCAA Tournament until January 17, when they travel to face Central Florida. That gives the Wildcats a four-game window to fine-tune their rotation and continue building momentum. After UCF, Arizona returns home for matchups against Cincinnati and West Virginia.
If they can keep the streak alive, Arizona has a legitimate shot at entering their January 26 showdown at BYU with a 20-0 record. That’s no small feat, even with a relatively manageable stretch ahead.
According to KenPom, Arizona’s strength of schedule ranks 88th overall, with their non-conference slate coming in at 98th. That’s not elite, but it’s enough to keep them in the national conversation-especially if they keep stacking wins.
Bottom line: Arizona has put itself in prime position heading into the heart of the season. They’ve got the talent, the depth, and the early résumé. Now comes the challenge of sustaining it through the grind of conference play and into March, where expectations will be sky-high.