Wildcats draw No. 1 seed in West, look ahead to LIU

Arizona hopes to make a deep tourney run, but the Sharks stand in their way in the first round

TUCSON, Ariz. (KYMA) - The bracket is set, and the Arizona Wildcats are heading into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.

Arizona earned the top seed in the West Region of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament after a dominant 32-2 season that ended with a Big 12 Conference championship.

The Wildcats secured the title with a 79-74 win over the Houston Cougars Saturday.

This marks the eighth time in program history Arizona has earned a top spot in the tournament and the second time under head coach Tommy Lloyd.

The Wildcats will open tournament play against the No. 16 seed Long Island Sharks. The Sharks enter the matchup with a 24-10 record after winning their conference tournament, earning their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite consistent regular-season success, Arizona has struggled to make deep runs in recent years.

The program has not advanced past the Sweet 16 since its Elite Eight appearance in 2015 and has not reached the Final Four in 25 years.

The Wildcats will look to change that this year as they begin their tournament run Friday in San Diego, with tipoff scheduled for 10:35 a.m. local time.