Arizona in the Final Four? Experts make surprising March Madness picks
As one college basketball expert said recently, "anything is on the table" for the Arizona Wildcats in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
After starting the season 4-5, the Wildcats won 13 of their next 14 games, running out to an 11-1 start in their first season in the Big 12. Then the schedule got really tough, and Arizona went 5-6 over its final 11 games, including last-second losses to Kansas State and BYU — and two close losses to Houston.
The Wildcats (22-12) played the fourth-toughest schedule in the country according to KenPom and finished No. 12 in the final NCAA NET Rankings. Some experts think they're a Final Four contender, while others think they could flame out in the second round.
Arizona, the No. 4 seed in the East, faces No. 13 Akron in the first round on Friday in Seattle. A victory would pit them against the winner of No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty in the second round on Sunday. If they advance to the Sweet 16, the Wildcats would likely get a rematch with No. 1 Duke.
ESPN's March Madness predictions
ESPN released its expert predictions for the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, and Duke and Florida are the clear favorites to win the national championship.
Somewhat surprisingly, Arizona also got some votes. Five ESPN college basketball analysts picked Arizona to reach the Final Four — Roxy Bernstein, Corey Williams, Jerod Haase, Kris Budden and Phil Martelli. And one — Williams — picked the Wildcats to win the national championship.
Bernstein, Williams, Haase and Budden are very familair with head coach Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats. Bernstein was a longtime play-by-play announcer for the Pac-12 Network and called many of Arizona's games this season in the Big 12. Williams is a former Arizona player and is obviously a little biased.
The picks from Haase and Budden are the most compelling of the group. Haase coached against Lloyd from 2021 to 2024 when he was the head coach at Stanford. He knows as much about Arizona's players and Lloyd's system as anyone, and he obviously likes what he sees. Budden was the sideline reporter at the Big 12 Tournament and saw Arizona most recently, including their impressive wins over Kansas and Texas Tech.
If the Wildcats get to the Sweet 16 — and a healthy Cooper Flagg and Duke are waiting — they are one of the few teams that can match up with Flagg. Trey Townsend, Tobe Awaka and Carter Bryant — to name a few — are long, versatile defenders who can defend the perimeter and the paint against the multi-skilled 6-foot-9 Duke freshman.
We'll see how it plays out, but at least a few experts think Arizona has a chance to get to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
More Arizona & Big 12 Analysis
-029877d49238355bd3388a94f90e3c72.jpg "Ben Sherman")
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his 27-year journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. A basketball junkie, March Madness is his favorite time of the year.