Arizona makes leap in national college basketball power rankings

After beating Iowa State 86-75 in overtime on national television, the Arizona Wildcats (14-6, 8-1) are officially in the conversation as one of the country's best college basketball teams.
Still unranked in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls, the Wildcats' win over the Cyclones initially bumped them up to No. 11 in the NCAA NET Rankings.
Arizona has since settled in at No. 14 in the NET, which the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament.
Arizona's NCAA Tournament Seed
The Wildcats are currently projected to be anywhere from a No. 5 seed to a No. 8 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
In ESPN's updated Bracketology projections, Joe Lunardi has Arizona slotted as a No. 5 seed in the West Region.
In CBS Sports' latest Bracketology predictions, Jerry Palm has the Wildcats as a No. 7 seed in the East Region.
EvanMiya.com has Arizona ranked No. 32 in the country and slotted as a No. 6 to No. 8 seed based on its NCAA tournament resume.
Arizona Moves Into National Power Rankings
In ESPN's latest college basketball power rankings, released Thursday, Arizona moved in at No. 20 in the country — which is an indication that the Wildcats will be ranked in next week's AP Top 25 Poll.
Michigan and UConn dropped out of ESPN's rankings, and Arizona and Vanderbilt moved in.
Here's what Jeff Borzello wrote about Arizona:
"Arizona has quietly been playing some of the best basketball in the country over the past six weeks. Between losing to UCLA on Dec. 14 and Monday's thrilling overtime win over Iowa State, Arizona had the ninth-best adjusted efficiency margin in the sport."
Borzello has Arizona ranked ahead of Oregon, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt.
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday against rival Arizona State before hitting the road for a huge road game at BYU on Tuesday.