Oregon's Rikuu Nishida, right, just beats the throw to Arizona first baseman Kiko Romero, reaching on a Wildcat error in the third inning of their game in the final of the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale on May 27, 2023.

The Arizona Wildcats have done it — their late-season surge has nudged them into the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona (33-24) snuck into the field of 64, which was revealed Monday morning. The Wildcats are headed to the Fayetteville Regional, hosted by No. 3 seed Arkansas.

The Wildcats will face Big 12 Tournament champion TCU (37-22) on Friday.

Arizona was part of the last bracket to be revealed and made it into the NCAA Tournament ahead of Arizona State and USC — both of whom finished ahead of the Wildcats in the regular-season Pac-12 standings.

The UA was one of five Pac-12 teams to make the field. The others: No. 8 national seed Stanford, Pac-12 Tournament champion Oregon, Oregon State and Washington.

We'll have more on this developing story later today.

Coach Chip Hale said during his postgame address that Arizona deserves to make the NCAA Tournament. Will the selection committee see it the same way? (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)


Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter: @michaeljlev