It's been a season to remember for Arizona.
For the seventh time in program history, the Wildcats (31-3) will enter the NCAA Tournament as No. 1 seed, while also putting their first-year head coach in the history books.
In his first year at Arizona, head coach Tommy Lloyd becomes just the third coach in NCAA history to earn a No. 1 seed in his debut season at the helm of a Division I program.
Now, fresh off a Pac-12 tournament championship, Arizona is at the top of the South Region bracket and will face on Friday in San Diego, the winner of the Wednesday night's 16th-seed Wright State and Bryant's First Four game.
The Wildcats are at +650 odds to win the national championship, according to DraftKings. Those are the second-best odds, just behind Gonzaga (+350).
An offensive juggernaut, the Wildcats lead the Pac-12 and are third in the country in scoring average at 84.6 points per game, led by sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin's 17.4 points per outing. Mathurin is also shooting more than 37% from 3-point land.
However, Arizona has played the last two games without starting point guard Kerr Kriisa, who has been hobbled by a right ankle injury he suffered in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Kriisa averages 10.1 points per game and five assists.
Getting Kriisa back healthy will be key for the Wildcats as they look to make it out of San Antonio's South Region, where teams like No. 2 Villanova (+2200), No. 3 Tennessee (+2200) and No. 4 Illinois (+4000) might have something to say about that.
FrontPageBets breaks down what you need to know about the South Region.
Most interesting game
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago (Friday, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
The Buckeyes (19-11) were one of nine Big Ten teams to make the tournament, the most of any conference. Starting the season strong with wins over Duke and ranked Wisconsin, Ohio State has lost four of its last five games. Led by E.J. Liddell's 19.6 points and 7.9 rebound per game average, the Buckeyes are a tough team that finished fifth in the stacked Big Ten. The Ramblers (25-7) won the Missouri Valley Conference championship to stamp their ticket to the Big Dance. And they're no stranger to the bright lights and big stage. In 2018, Loyola Chicago advanced to the Final Four as an 11-seed. The Ramblers eventually lost to Michigan, but stole our hearts, along with Sister Jean, who is now 102 and still attending games. With a stingy defense holding opponents to under 62 points per game, and an offense that is averaging 73.8 ... and with Sister Jean on the sidelines ... don't ever count the Ramblers out.
Overseeded
No. 11 Michigan
The Wolverines (17-14) eked into the tournament as one of the nine Big Ten teams to get in, holding the worst overall record of any team in the South Region. As the 11th seed, they will face No. 6 Colorado State (25-5) on Thursday in Indianapolis in the first round. Michigan's strength of schedule, which was fifth toughest in the country, and key wins against tournament teams like Iowa, Michigan State, Rutgers and Indiana surely helped. But after head coach Juwan Howard was suspended for the final five games of the regular season for throwing a punch at the end of the Wisconsin game and their just-above-.500 record, was there not a better mid-major team more deserving? We can think of a few.
Underseeded
No. 3 Tennessee
The Volunteers (26-7), who won the SEC tournament championship just hours before Sunday's Selection Show, should have been a No. 2 seed. Instead, they're a No. 3 seed that will face No. 14 Longwood (26-6) on Thursday in Indianapolis in the first round. Much like football, the top SEC basketball teams beat up on each other all year, making it really a four-team, up-for-grabs league championship between Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky and Arkansas. For the Vols to come away with the tournament title - after Auburn won the regular season - says something about their talent and toughness. Are they better than the region's second seed Villanova? Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out in the Sweet 16, if both teams advance that far. But Tennessee's strength of schedule and record in the SEC, including beating Auburn and Kentucky, which both earned No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, makes this one a head-scratcher.
Upset special
No. 12 UAB
Facing No. 5 Houston (29-5) in that always intriguing 5-12 matchup, don't sleep on UAB (27-7). The Blazers won the Conference USA championship by averaging 88 points over their three tournament wins, including a triple-overtime victory against Middle Tennessee State in the semifinals. Led by junior guard Jordan Walker, who averaged 31 points in the CUSA tournament, and 20.4 points for the season, UAB is a lot to handle.
Final Four pick
No. 1 Arizona
The Wildcats are just too good and got a good draw, especially in the first two rounds. Whoever comes out of the bottom of the bracket - Villanova or Tennessee - could give Arizona trouble in the Region finals. But in a historic season, the Wildcats keep it going.
FrontPageBets breaks down the NCAA Tournament's East Region
FrontPageBets breaks down the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region
FrontPageBets breaks down the NCAA Tournament's West Region
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