Can the Arizona Wildcats get wild in March?

When the Pac-12 looks nothing like its old self, who will miss who more? Will the Pac-12 miss Arizona? Or will Arizona miss the Pac-12? After all, since the 1985-86 season, the Wildcats have won the conference regular season title, the Pac-12 tournament or both 19 different times – or exactly 50 percent of the time. In the last 11 years, that’s happened six times, including four seasons in which Arizona was crowned champ for both the regular season and the tournament. In other words, Arizona has been a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-12.

In the last year of the Pac-12 as we know it, that’s not going to change. Like clockwork, the Wildcats were the preseason choice to win the conference, and now, in the AP’s most recent poll, Arizona – currently ranked 4^th – is the only Pac-12 school within the nation’s top-25.

Translation: Arizona should once again win the Pac-12 and be seeded highly heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Keep in mind, too, that Arizona has already spent two weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation. It was only a recent loss to Purdue, now ranked No. 1, that bumped the Wildcats down to No. 4. There’s no reason that Arizona can’t enter March Madness as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Barring injuries, the ‘Cats are that good.

With last year’s shocking first-round exit, courtesy of 15-seed Princeton, fresh on the mind of everyone associated with Arizona men’s hoops, the Wildcats should be dialed in and ready for a revenge tour. Behind seven-footer Oumar Ballow – a watch list finalist the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award (for the nation’s best center) and CBS’s Pac-12 Conference Preseason Player of the Year – the Wildcats are one of the best rebounding and defensive teams in America. The addition of Caleb Love, who transferred in as the leading scorer for North Carolina, will likely negate the loss of Azuolas Tubelis, who split for the NBA after leading Arizona in scoring a year ago. Senior forward Keshad Johnson has emerged as a force as well, currently leading the ‘Cats in rebounding and averaging just under 14 points per game (right behind Love’s 15.8), which is a significant step up from his 7.7 a year ago. 

In Arizona’s final season in the Pac-12, their last dance before joining the Big 12 and duking it out with Kansas for conference supremacy, expect the Wildcats to run roughshod over the competition. Arizona’s preconference schedule was one of the toughest in America, which should have them more than prepared to beat the likes of USC, UCLA, Colorado and Utah.

But winning the Pac-12 is ultimately not the prize Arizona is eyeing this season. Can they win it all? There’s no reason they can’t.

Hoops Harlan’s Pick: Arizona Wildcats to win 2023-24 National Championship +1000

Could there be a better way for Arizona to announce its presence to the Big 12 than winning a national title? Better yet, what if they could do it by beating Kansas in the national championship game? Of course, there’s a lot that has to happen for that exact scenario to unfold, but if Arizona (No. 4) and Kansas (No. 2) were to somehow wind up on opposite sides of the bracket, it’s really not inconceivable. And what a story it would be! When looking at college hoops futures, both Arizona and Kansas sit at +1000 to win it all; the only team ahead of them is top-ranked Purdue (+800). Anytime you can get a national powerhouse basketball program at +1000 to win it all, it’s worth the gamble – especially if it’s this year’s Arizona team, which boasts top level talent, plenty of depth and a conference that allows a clear path to a high seed in the tournament.