Arizona remained a sixth seed in the updated ESPN Bracketogy posted by Joe Lunardi on Tuesday. Lunardi kept Arizona third despite their 70-54 loss at Texas Tech on Saturday. The loss ended a seven-game Arizona losing streak. Arizona has another opportunity to earn a key road win on Tuesday night at Oklahoma State.
Lunardi has Arizona as the sixth seed in the South Regional against the winner of the First Four game between 11th seeds Nebraska and Pittsburgh. Arizona is projected to play in Wichita, Kansas. Lundari projects the Arizona versus Nebraska-Pittsburgh winner to play whoever emerges victorious between Kentucky and Northern Colorado.
The South Regional will be played in Atlanta in 2025. Arizona has been a sixth seed twice in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona beat Belmont and Harvard before losing to Ohio State in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Wichita State knocked Arizona out of the 2016 NCAA Tournament after winning their first four game.
Lunardi projects Purdue as the second seed in the South versus 15th seed Cleveland State in Milwaukee with the winner playing either seventh seed Missouri or 10th seed North Carolina. Whoever emerges from the Wichita pod Arizona is projected to be in would play the winner from that Milwaukee pod.
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Two-time defending National Champion Connecticut, Louisville and West Virginia are the other projected sixth seeds by Lunardi. Arizona won at West Virginia earlier this month and lost to the Mountaineers at the Battle 4 Atlantis in November. Louisville beat West Virginia in the semifinals at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Arizona is currently eighth in the ESPN Basketball Power Index. The BPI projects Arizona with the 30th most difficult remaining schedule nationally and 13th overall. Arizona is 38th in strength of record and is 3-6 versus teams in the BPI top 50. The Wildcats are 15th in the NCAA Net Ratings.
Arizona is also 3-6 versus quadrant one opponents which versus opponents between first and 30th in the NetRatings at home, up to 50th on a neutral court and 75th on the road. Only two of Arizona's remaining road games are not versus quad-one opponents. Oklahoma State on Tuesday and Kansas State on February 11 are quad two road games.