NCAA tournament predictions: After huge win, Arizona Wildcats get higher seed

Arizona is one of the hottest teams in college basketball

Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) celebrates the win while Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) leaves the court at the end of overtime at McKale Center. | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

After starting the season 4-5 and dropping off the national radar, the Arizona Wildcats have roared back to life over the past month.

Arizona (14-6, 8-1) has won 10 of its last 11 games, jumped as high as No. 11 in the country in the NCAA NET Rankings and is in a great position to contend for the Big 12 regular season title.

The Wildcats thrilling 86-75 overtime victory over Iowa State on Monday was a huge resume booster. It was their fourth Quadrant 1 win of the season and their first win over a top 10 team this season.

NCAA Tournament Outlook

In the latest NCAA tournament projections from ESPN, Arizona moved up to a No. 5 seed in the West Region.

The Wildcats are slotted to play the winner of Texas vs. UCF in the first round in Seattle. If they win, No. 3 Oregon is predicted to be their second-round opponent.

ESPN predicts Iowa State will be the No. 1 seed in the West, with Gonzaga as the No. 8 seed.

That's a lot of familiarity for Arizona. The Wildcats first three games could be against Big 12 opponent UCF, former Pac-12 foe Oregon and Iowa State.

Big 12 Standings

There's a lot of basketball left to play, and Arizona will have an opportunity to move into a No. 4 seed or higher. The Wildcats have at least six Quad 1 opportunities remaining on their schedule. A Quad 1 game is a home matchup against a top 30 team in the NET Rankings, or a road game against a top 50 team in the NET.

After Saturday's game at rival Arizona State, the Wildcats will have back-to-back Quad 1 games: at No. 36 BYU on Feb. 4 and at home vs. No. 14 Texas Tech on Feb. 8.

Wins in those games would set the table for a showdown with No. 2 Houston (16-3, 8-0) on Feb. 15. Stay tuned.

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• Arizona adds big-time RB in transfer portal