Updated NCAA Tournament Bracketology: Arizona could get Duke rematch
There's a lot of season left, but the Arizona Wildcats (10-5, 4-0) have played themselves back into the NCAA Tournament.
Winners of six consecutive games, the Wildcats have gone from a bubble team to a No. 7 or No. 8 seed over the past three weeks.
With at least 10 Quad 1 opportunities left on its schedule, Arizona could easily move up to a No. 4 seed or higher.
Arizona's NET Ranking
The Wildcats are ranked No. 16 in the NCAA NET Rankings, which are used as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
With wins over No. 19 Texas Tech and No. 20 Baylor this week, Arizona could easily jump another four or five spots. Both wins would be Quad 1 victories, which the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee values when it comes time to seed the tournament. A Quad 1 game is a home matchup against a top 30 team in the NET Rankings, or a road game against a top 50 team in the NET.
Arizona entered the week with a 2-5 record in Quad 1 games. They could realistically end the regular season with seven or eight Quad 1 wins.
Arizona vs. Duke Rematch?
In Jerry Palm's latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology update, he has Arizona slotted as a No. 8 seed in the East Region. The Wildcats are projected to play No. 9 seed Saint Mary's in the first round.
The winner of that game would potentially get projected No. 1 seed Duke in the second round — in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Wildcats struggled against Duke in their matchup on Nov. 22, losing 69-55 at home. Caleb Love, in particular, had a rough game, shooting 1-of-9 from the 3-point line and finishing with just 8 points.
Arizona is a different team now, and I'm sure Love and his teammates would relish another crack at Cooper Flagg and Duke. We'll see how it plays out over the next two months.