Arizona entered last year’s NCAA tournament as one of the few favorites to win a national title. A year later, the Wildcats look like much less of a threat.
We’ve talked at length about why the Wildcats might not be the biggest threat to Kentucky and other title hopefuls, but there is no doubt that a No. 1 seed would help Sean Miller’s cause.
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Right now, Arizona needs a bit of help from the likes of Duke, Virginia, Villanova and Gonzaga. All four currently sit ahead of the Wildcats–with Wisconsin in that group as well–and look to be the prime contestants for the other three top seeds outside of Kentucky. With Duke and Virginia needing to navigate the ACC tournament, one could fall out of the conversation.
Villanova looks to be the heavy favorite to sweep the Big East regular season and tournament while Gonzaga’s RPI numbers will tell us a lot about how the selection committee views this tournament.
Still, Arizona has to do its part as well. Beating Utah in Salt Lake City would give the Wildcats a marquee road win that their resume certainly needs to be considered for one of the four top seeds. They would then need the right bricks to pave their path to the Pac-12 Tournament title, and a third meeting with the Utes in the finale (not to mention a win).
A No. 1 seed certainly looks like a long shot at this point, but with Championship Week right around the corner, it’s reasonable to expect a bit of mayhem.
