Who will play the Arizona Wildcats first in the NCAA tournament? Who might they play that are either a No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the Round of 32?
The NCAA tournament selection committee will announce the field of 68 teams at 3 p.m., Tucson time. The Wildcats will likely play at San Diego starting Friday as the No. 1 seed in the West Regional.
Despite yesterday’s 75-71 loss to UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament title game, Arizona remains No. 1 in the RPI ratings listed at NCAA.com. Therefore, a No. 1 seed is a given for what will be the sixth time in program history.
Arizona last was a No. 1 seed in 2003. That team, led by Jason Gardner and Luke Walton lost in the Elite Eight to Kansas. The only No. 1-seeded team to make the Final Four was in 1988, when Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr and Co. lost to Oklahoma in the national semifinals. Arizona has yet to advance to the championship game as a No. 1 seed.
The Wildcats (30-4) will aim to be the first with March Madness starting this week.
Live chat: March Madness, Sunday at 4 p.m.: Have questions about the NCAA Tournament and your brackets? Jon Wi… http://t.co/ZWYvaUaeth
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) March 16, 2014
WHO WILL ARIZONA PLAY IN POTENTIALLY FIRST TWO ROUNDS?
A look at possible opponents in the first two rounds based on seeding projections by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and CBS’s Jerry Palm:
Potential No. 16 seeds
(would play Arizona in Round of 64)
| RPI | Team | Rec |
|---|---|---|
| No. 153 | Wofford | 20-12 |
| No. 166 | Weber State | 17-11 |
| No. 191 | Mount St. Mary's | 16-16 |
| No. 197 | Coastal Carolina | 21-12 |
| No. 213 | Albany | 17-14 |
| No. 232 | Cal Poly | 11-19 |
| No. 256 | Texas Southern | 17-14 |
Potential No. 8 or 9 seeds
(would play Arizona in Round of 32)
| RPI | Team | Rec |
|---|---|---|
| No. 17 | Massachusetts | 24-7 |
| No. 30 | George Washington | 23-7 |
| No. 31 | Texas | 23-9 |
| No. 36 | Memphis | 23-9 |
| No. 40 | Pittsburgh | 24-8 |
| No. 43 | St. Joseph's | 23-9 |
| No. 45 | Oklahoma State | 21-12 |
| No. 50 | Kansas State | 20-12 |
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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