Curious as to how far the Arizona Wildcats would have gone in the NCAA Tournament and who wouldโve won the title?
Lucky for you, weโve got those answers.
Starting today, we’ll take a round-by-round look at what would have happened during this year’s March Madness using an online simulator — the aptly named WhatIfSports.com — that takes into account each team’s roster and statistics during the 2019-20 college basketball season.
We used the bracket (and seedings) provided by ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi. The Arizona Wildcats were a No. 7 seed, playing 10th-seeded Texas Tech in Sacramento.
So settle in, grab your popcorn, bracket and a sharpie. Weโve got some basketball to play โ errr, simulate. Today, weโre starting with the round of 64. Upsets are inย bold:
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Midwest Region
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Siena (Omaha): Kansas wins 88-70
No. 8 Houston vs. No. 9 Marquette (Omaha):ย Marquette wins 78-73
No. 5 Auburn vs. No. 12 Liberty (Sacramento): Auburn wins 68-52
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 North Texas (Sacramento):ย North Texas wins 87-78 in overtimeย
No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 East Tennessee State (Greensboro):ย East Tennessee State wins 84-81
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Belmont (Greensboro): Duke wins 70-53
No. 7 Providence vs. No. 10 Arizona State (St. Louis): Providence wins 69-63
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 North Dakota St. (St. Louis): Kentucky wins 83-70
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East Region
No. 1 Dayton vs. No. 16 Boston University (Cleveland): Dayton wins 79-57
No. 8 Colorado vs. No. 9 Florida (Cleveland):ย Florida wins 70-67
No. 5 Butler vs. No. 12 Richmond (Greensboro):ย Richmond wins 81-76
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Akron (Greensboro): Maryland 84-77
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 UCLA (Albany):ย UCLA wins 73-72
No. 3 Villanova vs. No. 14 Hofstra (Albany): Villanova wins 87-76
No. 7 West Virginia vs. No. 10 Utah State (Tampa Bay):ย Utah State wins 80-71
No. 2 Florida State vs. No. 15 Northern Kentucky (Tampa Bay): Florida State wins 65-50
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South Region
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 16 Winthrop (Omaha): Baylor wins 84-52
No. 8 Saint Maryโs vs. No. 9 Rutgers (Omaha):ย Rutgers wins 73-68
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin (Tampa Bay): Ohio State wins 83-74
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Vermont (Tampa Bay): Louisville wins 73-59
No. 6 Virginia vs. No. 11 Cincinnati (Cleveland):ย Cincinnati wins 64-59
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 Bradley (Cleveland): Michigan State wins 88-72
No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 USC (St. Louis): Illinois wins 69-68
No. 2 Creighton vs. No. 15 Little Rock (St. Louis): Creighton wins 87-57
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West Region
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 16 North Carolina Central (Spokane): Gonzaga wins 85-65
No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (Spokane):ย Oklahoma wins 78-72
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 Yale (Spokane):ย Yale wins 86-80
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 13 New Mexico St. (Spokane): Oregon wins 73-63
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Indiana (Albany): BYU wins 75-68
No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington (Albany): Seton Hall wins 59-53
No. 7 Arizona vs. No. 10 Texas Tech (Sacramento): Arizona wins 77-74 in overtime
No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 15 UC Irvine (Sacramento): San Diego State wins 79-62
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WhatIfSports.com simulates the Wildcats
Arizona forward Zeke Nnaji, left, and guard Dylan Smith, right, were playing at the top of their games when the season was called due to the coronavirus. Could the Cats have made a run in March?
Nnajiโs double-double leads Arizonaโs comeback win over Texas Tech in OT
Zeke Nnaji has been the staple of Arizonaโs offense this season and it continued in the NCAA Tournament. And it shouldnโt come as a surprise either, that the Cats needed overtime to pull out a March Madness win.
Down by as many as 13 in the second half, the Wildcats roared back to tie the game at 65-65 with under a minute left on a Nnaji jumper from the left corner. The freshman did have a chance to hit a game-winner on the next possession, but his shot from just outside the paint was no good.
The Wildcats scored the first five points of overtime, as Dylan Smith made one of two free throws, Nnaji hit a turnaround jumper from the right side and Nico Mannion hit two free throws of his own.
Up 73-67 with under two minutes to go, UA unraveled in crunch time and allowed the Red Raiders to rattle off a 7-0 run to go up by one with under 30 seconds left. The Wildcats then came up clutch thanks to an unlikely hero.
Smith drove to the basket and caught a no-look pass from Josh Green to sink a go-ahead layup with 21 seconds remaining. Stone Gettings forced a steal on the next possession and Smith was fouled going up for a shot. The senior made both of his free throws to put the Cats up by 3 with 10 seconds left.
Texas Techโs Jahmiโus Ramsey attempted a corner 3-pointer for the tie but it clanked off the rim and the Wildcats won 77-74.
Arizonaโs freshmen trio of Nnaji, Green and Mannion were a key part of the win as it looked like they were all starting to peak at the right time. Nnajiโs 16-point, 13-rebound effort steadied the Cats the whole night, especially late in the game, as 12 of his 16 came in the second half and OT.
Mannion embraced the bright lights of March, finishing with 23 points and 7 assists, hitting 7 of 12 field goals and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. The talented point guard came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, scoring UAโs first five points of the game and 15 in the first half. Mannionโs showmanship was on full display in the second half where he tallied five assists in the second half and OT.
Green had a quieter 13-point night but his nine points in the second half played a pivotal role in UAโs memorable comeback.
As a team, the Cats shot 27 of 67 (40.3%), connecting on 7 of 23 (30.4%) from deep and 16 of 25 (64%) free throws.
The Red Raiders were led by sophomore guard Kyler Edwards, who scored a team-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including knocking down 4 3-pointers. Arizona limited the TTU offense to just 26 of 70 (37.1%) from the field.
Up next for the Wildcats: A round-of-32 matchup against No. 2 seed San Diego State. See Mondayโs Star for the (simulated) results.
