Inside The Wildcats

Where Arizona stands in updated NCAA Tournament Bracketology projections

Selection Sunday is just over a week away
Ben Sherman|
Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1).
Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1). | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

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The Arizona Wildcats are hoping to improve their NCAA Tournament resume over the next week-and-a-half.

Starting with Saturday's game at Kansas, Arizona (20-10, 14-5) could play as many as four Quad 1 games before Selection Sunday on March 16.

The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 10 in the NCAA NET Rankings and are 7-10 in Quad 1 games. Quad 1 games are defined as home games against teams in the top 30 of the NET, and road games against teams in the top 75 of the NET.

The 12-person NCAA Tournament Selection Committee puts a lot of weight on Quad 1 wins, and getting to 10 could vault Arizona into a top-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats finished with nine Quad 1 wins last season and received a No. 2 seed in the tournament.

Latest NCAA Tournament predictions

In the latest March Madness Bracketology projections from Jerry Palm at CBS Sports, Arizona is projected to be a No. 6 seed in the South region. The Wildcats are slotted to play No. 11 VCU in the first round in Denver.

Both NCAA correspondent Andy Katz and ESPN's Joe Lunardi have Arizona as a No. 4 seed. Katz has Arizona as his final No. 4 seed and the No. 16 overall team in the field.

When the Selection Committee revealed its top 16 seeds on Feb. 15, Arizona was the final No. 3 seed and No. 12 overall. It stands to reason the Wildcats have fallen at least four spots since then. They're 3-3 over their last six games, with "good losses" to Houston, BYU and Iowa State.

With a win over Kansas, followed by a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, Arizona should be right back to a No. 3 seed — or higher.

Here are the updated NCAA Tournament field of 68 projections from Katz:

  1. Auburn (1) AQ SEC
  2. Duke (1) AQ ACC
  3. Houston (1) AQ Big 12
  4. Tennessee (1)
  5. Alabama (2)
  6. Florida (2)
  7. Michigan State (2) AQ Big Ten
  8. Iowa State (2)
  9. St. John’s (3) AQ Big East
  10. Wisconsin (3)
  11. Texas Tech (3)
  12. Purdue (3)
  13. Kentucky (4)
  14. Texas A&M (4)
  15. Michigan (4)
  16. Arizona (4)
  17. Clemson (5)
  18. Missouri (5)
  19. Louisville (5)
  20. Maryland (5)
  21. Marquette (6)
  22. Oregon (6)
  23. Saint Mary’s (6) AQ WCC
  24. UCLA (6)
  25. Mississippi State (7)
  26. Ole Miss (7)
  27. Illinois (7)
  28. Kansas (7)
  29. Memphis (8) AQ American
  30. BYU (8)
  31. Gonzaga (8)
  32. Vanderbilt (8)
  33. Creighton (9)
  34. New Mexico (9) AQ MWC
  35. UConn (9)
  36. Utah State (9)
  37. Georgia (10)
  38. Baylor (10)
  39. West Virginia (10)
  40. Indiana (10)
  41. VCU (11) AQ A10
  42. Ohio State (11)
  43. San Diego State (11)
  44. Drake (11) AQ MVC
  45. North Carolina (11)
  46. Arkansas (11)
  47. Nebraska (12)
  48. UC San Diego (12) AQ Big West
  49. McNeese (12) AQ Southland
  50. Yale (12) AQ Ivy
  51. High Point (13) AQ Big South
  52. Akron (13) AQ MAC
  53. Chattanooga (13) AQ Southern
  54. Lipscomb (13) AQ ASUN
  55. Utah Valley (14) AQ WAC
  56. Jacksonville State (14) AQ CUSA
  57. Northern Colorado (14) AQ Big Sky
  58. Towson (14) AQ CAA
  59. South Alabama (15) AQ Sun Belt
  60. Robert Morris (15) AQ Horizon
  61. Central Connecticut (15) AQ Northeast
  62. Norfolk State (15) AQ MEAC
  63. Bryant (16) AQ America East
  64. Nebraska-Omaha (16) AQ Summit
  65. Southern (16) AQ SWAC
  66. Quinnipiac (16) AQ MAAC
  67. Southeast Missouri State (16) AQ OVC
  68. Bucknell (16) AQ Patriot 

More Arizona & Big 12 Analysis

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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.

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