As we move toward March Madness, it’s good to take inventory of every team that has realistic expectations of running through the bracket. Are six straight wins to end the season within the range of outcomes for Arizona?
Arizona Wildcats March Madness Profile
This is a storied program that has had high-end talent with regularity, but it’s meant more for regular season success than anything in terms of postseason victories.
There’s nothing wrong with reaching the Sweet 16 in three of the past four years, but it’s been more than a decade since this school advanced beyond that, a disappointing resume given that this is the fifth year in a row in which they’ve held an AP ranking inside the top 10 at some point.
The stars are again aligned for the Wildcats to be one of the last teams playing this season. Will they cash in?
Entering the season, they were 13th in the AP poll and, as expected, have scoring depth. Having four players average in double figures is one thing, but having the points distributed between two frontcourt and two backcourt players is optimal when it comes to trying to run the March Madness table with six straight wins.
Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are everything we wanted them to be as pedigree adds in this recruiting class, and with no shortage of tight game moments against elite competition, this is a team that is very much battle-tested entering the postseason.
Shooting Concerns Could Derail Arizona’s Run
If this team is going to fall, the shooting metrics will likely be high up on the list of reasons as to why it happened. We saw them fall in Phog in a game in which they generated just eight points from the free-throw line and again on Saturday in a contest in which they went just 4-of-16 from three-point range.
Variance is a part of the game this time of year, and we can’t outrun it. Arizona’s combination of 2P% offense and defense makes them one of the highest-floor teams in the nation, and that should be just as appealing as their ceiling that also grades out as elite.
Can the Wildcats End Their Championship Drought?
Tim Duncan was the first overall pick following the last time Arizona cut down the nets. No one feels bad for a blue-blood program like this that churns out NBA players with regularity, but this has to be considered a drought, one that has a real chance at ending on April 6 in Indianapolis.