After crushing Baylor, Arizona jumps in updated NCAA basketball rankings

The Wildcats are all alone in first place in the Big 12
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates after the Baylor Bears foul him during the first half at McKale Center.
Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates after the Baylor Bears foul him during the first half at McKale Center. / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Arizona Wildcats put the rest of the Big 12 — and college basketball — on notice Tuesday night with a resounding 81-70 victory over Baylor.

The Wildcats led 42-19 at halftime and 65-42 with 7 minutes to play. The Bears hit some shots late to make the game look much closer than it was. But make no mistake — Arizona put on a dominant performance against a team that came in ranked No. 20 in the country in the NCAA NET Rankings.

And it was a team effort. The Wildcats had 21 assists on 29 made field goals. Seven different players scored at least 8 points, with sophomore 7-footer Henri Veesaar leading the way off the bench with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

Arizona Makes Jump In NET Rankings

Arizona (11-5, 5-0) has now won seven consecutive games and sits all alone in first place in the Big 12. It was their third Quad 1 victory of the season and moved them even higher in the updated NCAA NET Rankings.

The Wildcats jumped from No. 16 to No. 13 in the rankings — well inside the top-four seed line for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

The team just behind them in the rankings, No. 14 Marquette, is currently projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team just ahead of them, No. 12 Kentucky, is projected as a No. 3 seed.

Arizona is the fourth highest-ranked Big 12 team in the NET, behind No. 3 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 6 Kansas. The Wildcats hit the road to play No. 21 Texas Tech on Saturday — another Quad 1 win opportunity.

A Quad 1 game is a home matchup against a top 30 team in the NET, or a road game against a top 50 team in the NET. The NCAA NET Rankings are used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. A top-16 ranking in the NET typically correlates with a No. 4 seed or higher in the NCAA Tournament.

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