Arizona Wildcats guard Shaina Pellington (1) jumps in the air after hitting the drum following Arizona's 72-67 win over UNVL in round one of the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament hosted at McKale Center, in Tucson, Ariz. on March 19, 2022.

Selection Sunday for the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament isn’t until March 12. Arizona — and Tucson, for that matter — appear to have reason to watch that announcement quite closely again this year.

The women’s basketball selection committed released it second (and final) early reveal of the NCAA bracket, were the tournament to start today. Arizona is in the top 16, replacing North Carolina in this reveal. Translation: if the tournament started today, the Wildcats would host early rounds at McKale Center.

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Being the 15th-overall seed, however, would mean Arizona would be in the second Greenville, South Carolina, regional. That regional includes top seed Indiana, No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Notre Dame and Arizona. 

Along with Indiana, the second overall seed in the projection, No. 1 South Carolina — the Gamecocks currently at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the 35th consecutive week — would also be a No. 1 seed, as well as Pac-12 programs Stanford and Utah, which jumped up to the top line in this reveal; the Utes, who lost by 10 to Arizona a week ago Friday in Tucson, replaced UConn as a 1-seed.

The NCAA has been doing in-season reveals for women's basketball since 2015 to give teams an early idea of where they could end up in the bracket.

Arizona women's basketball coach Adia Barnes discusses senior the Wildcats' 61-42 win over Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 — Arizona's second win over a Top 25 team at McKale Center in three days. Video by Aidan Wohl, Special to the Arizona Daily Star

Arizona women's basketball seniors Cate Reese and Shaina Pellington discuss senior day at McKale Center and the Wildcats' 61-42 win over Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 — Arizona's second win over a Top 25 team at McKale Center in three days. Video by Aidan Wohl, Special to the Arizona Daily Star


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