Arizona is projected as the second overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament in the latest ESPN Bracketology. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has Michigan as the projected top overall seed. Arizona is the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 and Michigan leads the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Lunardi projects Arizona as the top seed in the West Region. Arizona is projected to play Northeast Conference champion and automatic qualifier, 16th-seeded Long Island, in the first round in San Diego. If Arizona beats LIU, Lunardi projects the Wildcats to play eighth-seed SMU or ninth-seeded Indiana in the second round,
Arkansas is the projected fourth seed and Texas Tech the five seed in the West by Lunardi. The Razorbacks or Red Raiders would project as the likely West Regional Semifinal opponent for Arizona in San Jose. Purdue is the projected second seed and Louisville the third seed in the West by Lunardi.
Other teams of note projected to be in the West by Lunardi are sixth seed Auburn, seventh seed Georgia and tenth seed and Arizona, Big XII rival Oklahoma State. Arizona hosts Oklahoma State on February 7 and Texas Tech on February 14.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) December 16, 2025
Arizona is one of five Big XII teams that are a top-four seed in ESPN Bracketology. Lunardi currently has Kansas as the fourth seed in the Midwest, Iowa State as the top seed and BYU as the second seed in the South and Houston as the fourth seed in the East.
Lunardi has 10 teams in his field from the Big XII. That ties the Big 10 for the most teams in ESPN Bracketology. Other Big XII teams Lunardi projects in Bracketology are Arizona State, Baylor and Central Florida. Lunardi projects the Sun Devils, Bears and Knights to play in the First Four in Dayton.
Among key Arizona non-conference opponents, Lunardi has Connecticut as the second seed in the East, Florida as the fifth seed in the Midwest, UCLA as the 10th seed in the South and Alabama as the third seed in the East.