Arizona winning at Houston and Arizona State losing at Oklahoma State on Saturday clinched fourth place in the Big XII for the Wildcats and a first-round bye in the conference tournament next week. Arizona will play the winner of fifth-seeded Arizona State and 12th-seed BYU on Thursday at 7 AM Mountain Standard Time.
Arizona State and BYU play at 7 AM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday in the first round of theBig XII Tournament at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Arizona won two out of three games versus at Arizona State and BYU this season. The Cougars and Sun Devils play the opening game of the 2025 Big XII Tournament.
Arizona won the final two games at Houston to end a four-game losing streak. The Wildcats went from contending to host a regional to being on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. Arizona is up to 37th in the NCAA RPI after winning its last two games. The Wildcats are seventh among Big XII teams in the RPI.
Clinching the bye was critical, as it allows Arizona to set up the pitching rotation and be the home team in at least its first game on Thursday. Arizona began the season with losses to Mississippi, Clemson and Louisville at Globe Life Park in the Shriners Children's College Showdown.
Cincinnati will play Texas Tech, with the winner playing West Virginia in the other half of the top part of the bracket Arizona is in. Arizona swept Cincinnati this season, lost two out of three at Texas Tech and went 2-1 at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are the top seed in the Big XII Tournament, Cincinnati is eighth and Texas Tech is ninth.
Second seeded Kansas will play the winner of seventh seed Oklahoma State and 10th seed Baylor in the third quarterfinal on Thursday. TCU is the third seed and plays the winner of sixth seed Kansas State and 11th seed Houston in the fourth quarterfinal on Thursday.
Arizona played everyone in the Big XII this season except Central Florida and Kansas State. Arizona beat Kansas 5-0 at Hi-Corbett Field on March 18 in a non-conference game. Central Florida and Utah did not qualify for the Big XII Tournament as the 13th- and 14th-placed teams in the conference.
Arizona's first game in the Big XII Tournament and their semifinal if they win on Thursday will be streamed on ESPN+. The Big XII Tournament Championship Game is at 6 p.m. on ESPNU and streamed on ESPN+. The bottom half of the bracket other than the semifinals will be on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.