Arizona vs. Oregon: Former Pac-12 rivals meet again in NCAA Tournament second round

SEATTLE (KYMA, KECY) - When Arizona decided to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 nearly two years ago, the conference was already on life support.

Once Oregon followed UCLA, USC, and Washington to the Big Ten, the writing was on the wall, leaving the Wildcats with little choice but to find a new home.

The two programs played three more times before officially parting ways, with Arizona sweeping the regular-season series before Oregon got the last laugh in the Pac-12 Tournament. At the time, that battle in Las Vegas felt like a fitting farewell. Turns out, the reunion didn't take long.

Fourth-seeded Arizona and fifth-seeded Oregon will clash once again Sunday at 6:40 p.m. MT at Climate Pledge Arena, this time with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will likely face No. 1 seed Duke on Thursday in Newark, New Jersey.

"It's a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament because it's a team that you're used to being a conference rival," Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. "Usually, you wouldn't see that until later in the NCAA Tournament. But it's a great thing. Anytime you're in the tournament, whoever you're playing next, you're excited."

This marks the 94th all-time meeting between the schools, with Arizona holding a 55-38 edge. However, only six of those matchups have taken place outside of Tucson or Eugene, all in conference tournament play.

Oregon won the most recent one, knocking off Arizona 67-59 in last year's Pac-12 semifinals en route to a tournament title and an NCAA Tournament bid.

"I looked it up; in the last 14 years, we played 27 times," Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. "It was always a game that we looked forward to. A lot of years, we were battling for position in the league for the NCAA Tournament."

Arizona and Oregon are two of just three former Pac-12 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament, along with UCLA. The conference is guaranteed at least one team in the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight tournament, but making a deep run has been difficult.

Since 2017, only three Pac-12 schools have reached the Elite Eight, with UCLA’s 2021 Final Four appearance standing as the league's only deep run in that span.

Now, an old rivalry takes center stage in a new setting, with a familiar foe standing between Arizona and its first Sweet 16 trip under Lloyd.