UOFA BASKETBALL

Arizona basketball placed as No. 2 seed on latest ‘Bracketology’ by ESPN’s Lunardi

Feb 4, 2023, 9:40 AM | Updated: 9:59 am

The latest edition of ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi’s March Madness “Bracketology” and first of February placed No. 5 Arizona basketball in a No. 2 seed against UNC Asheville in the Las Vegas region.

Arizona State was listed as a “Next Four Out” squad on the bubble on Friday.

No. 1 Purdue, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Alabama and No. 8 Kansas were placed in the top seeds of each region.

The Wildcats are 20-3 and on a five-game winning streak with back-to-back blowout victories over Washington and Oregon, respectively. The Ducks were the last team to defeat Arizona, and Tommy Lloyd’s squad responded on Thursday night led by Azuolas Tubelis’ 40 points.

Among the five wins was a 58-52 victory over then-No. 5 UCLA, Arizona’s marquee triumph thus far.

ASU snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday against Oregon State. The Sun Devils were 15-3 before the skid and sit at 16-7.

There remains opportunity to climb back into the fold, but Bobby Hurley’s bunch cannot afford another tumble.

“Happy for the guys, feel good for them because they’ve had a great season and they could get this out of their system and get back on the winning track,” Hurley said Thursday.

Both teams are back in action at home Saturday night.

Arizona hosts Oregon State, a team it defeated 86-74 on Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m.

ASU looks for its second win of the year against Oregon at 8 p.m. on ESPN 620 AM and 98.7 FM HD-2.

UofA Basketball

Henri Veesaar #13 of the Arizona Wildcats...

Kevin Zimmerman

‘He’s a pro:’ Center Henri Veesaar emerges as Arizona finds its defensive footing

It took a convoluted path for the Arizona Wildcats to get here with redshirt sophomore center Henri Veesaar.

1 day ago

Head coach Tommy Lloyd of the Arizona Wildcats watches the action during the second half against th...

David Veenstra

Arizona basketball beats Baylor to continue winning streak, undefeated conference record

Arizona men’s basketball continued its winning streak and undefeated Big 12 record by beating Baylor, 81-70 on Tuesday for the program's seventh-straight win.

2 days ago

Caleb Love #1, Henri Veesaar #13, and Trey Townsend #4 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrate in the sec...

Arizona Sports

Arizona hoops sniffing AP top 25 again with 4-0 start in Big 12

The Arizona Wildcats remain with No. 2 Iowa State and No. 10 Houston as Big 12 teams that remain undefeated through four conference games.

3 days ago

Arizona G Caleb Love...

Associated Press

Arizona extends win streak, leads UCF wire-to-wire

Caleb Love scored 16 points with four 3s, and Arizona beat UCF on Saturday night to extend its win streak to six games, including four Big 12 games.

5 days ago

Arizona...

Associated Press

KJ Lewis leads Arizona to road win over ranked West Virginia

KJ Lewis scored a career-high 21 points and Arizona beat No. 21 West Virginia 75-56 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight win.

9 days ago

Arizona G Caleb Love...

Associated Press

Arizona fends off 19-point Cincinnati comeback, improves to 2-0 in Big 12 play

Jaden Bradley had 15 points, including two free throws that helped Arizona clinch a 72-67 win over No. 16 Cincinnati on Saturday.

12 days ago

Arizona basketball placed as No. 2 seed on latest ‘Bracketology’ by ESPN’s Lunardi