PANTHERS' AMAZING RUSH SETS UP AFC BOWL RUN FOR THE WIN! DEFENSE CRACKS DOWN ON OPPONENT'S FINAL CHANCE!
Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) reacts after defeating the Houston Cougars during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images PHOENIX – After running through the Big 12 Tournament as impressively as they navigated the conference regular season, the Arizona Wildcats got their just reward on Selection Sunday: the West Region’s No. 1 seed in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Wildcats will face off against 16-seed Long Island on Friday in San Diego. The selection committee made the Wildcats the second overall seed, behind only Duke, which won the ACC Tournament. Expectations are high for a team that rolled through the nation’s second-hardest schedule with a 32-2 record, but coach Tommy Lloyd said it’s business as usual as the program chases its first Final Four since 2001, and its first national championship since 1997.
“Everything’s the same,” Lloyd said in a news conference after the selection show. “We’re not doing anything different this week. We’re not going to practice any different this week.
” Arizona will start its NCAA Tournament in a familiar place. In his first season and tournament appearance as Arizona’s head coach in 2021-22, Lloyd led the Wildcats to a 2-0 start in San Diego, knocking off No. 16 seed Wright State and winning in overtime against No.
9 seed TCU before an upset loss in the Sweet 16 to No. 5 seed Houston. Arizona’s accolades this season speak for themselves: Big 12 regular season and tournament champions, Jaden Bradley’s Big 12 Player of the Year award, Tommy Lloyd’s Big 12 Coach of the Year award, Tobe Awaka’s Big 12 Sixth Man Award and multiple first-team All-Big 12 players.
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