Arizona boasts a storied history as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Arizona Wildcats clinched their 37th spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament by defeating UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament title game on Saturday night.

The Wildcats, with a record of 28-6 overall and 14-6 in conference play, have clinched the second seed in the South Region. They are set to face Ivy League champions Princeton in the opening round on Thursday afternoon.

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Arizona will play their 25th game as a second seed in the Round of 64 in Sacramento against the Tigers. This milestone comes since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

The oddsmakers in the Arizona sportsbook are showing strong confidence in the Tommy Lloyd-coached team, with the Wildcats being favored at -1200 odds and a 14.5 point spread over the Tigers.

Arizona is currently tied with UCLA for the fifth spot on the BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona odds board at +1200, trailing behind Houston (+550), Kansas (+800), Alabama (+800), and Purdue (+1100).

Yengols.com, a leading resource for news on Arizona sports betting apps, chose to look back at the Wildcats’ performance as a No. 2 seed in recent years.

Wildcats’ Win-Loss Record as No. 2 Seed Since 1985

2023

• This Thursday, we will be going head-to-head against the 15th seed Princeton in Sacramento.

2017: 2-1 overall 

• Beat the 15th seed N. Dakota (100-82) in the Round of 64.
• Beat 7th seed St. Mary’s (69-60) in the Round of 32.
• Lost to 11th seed Xavier (73-71) in the Sweet 16.

2015: 3-1 overall 

• Beat the 15th seed Texas Southern by a score of 93-72 in the Round of 64.
• Beat Ohio State, the 10th seed, 73-58 in the Round of 32.
• Beat Xavier, the 6th seed, with a final score of 68-60 in the Sweet 16.
• Lost to Wisconsin, the top-seeded team, by a score of 78-65 in the Elite 8.

2001: 5-1 overall  

• Beat the 15th seed E. Illinois (101-76) in the Round of 64.
• Beat the 10th seed Butler by a score of 73-52 in the Round of 32.
• Beat the 3rd seeded Ole Miss (66-56) in the Sweet 16.
• Beat the number one seeded Illinois team in the Elite 8, winning with a score of 87-81.
• Beat Michigan State, the top seed, with a final score of 80-61 in the Final Four.
• Lost to the number one seed Duke (82-72) in the NCAA Championship.

1994: 4-1 overall  

• Won against 15 seed Loyola MD with a score of 81-55 in the Round of 64.
• Beat 7 seed UVA by a score of 71-58 in the Round of 32.
• Beat the No. 3 seed Louisville (82-70) in the Sweet 16 round.
• Beat the top-seeded Missouri team (92-72) in the Elite 8.
• Lost to the number one ranked Arkansas team (91-82) in the Final Four.

1993: 0-1 overall 

• Defeated in the Round of 64 by the 15th seed Santa Clara with a score of 64-61.

1991: 2-1 overall 

• In the Round of 64, we emerged victorious over the 15th seed, St. Francis PA, with a final score of 93-80.
• Beat the 10th seed BYU with a score of 76-61 in the Round of 32.
• Lost to Seton Hall, the 3 seed, by a score of 84-69 in the Sweet 16.

1990: 1-1 overall 

• Beat the 15th seed South Florida (79-67) in the Round of 64.
• Lost to the 7th-seeded Alabama team with a final score of 77-55 in the Round of 32.

Overall W-L record

• The score was 17-7, marking the eighth occurrence in 2023.

Visit yengols.com to discover the best Arizona sports betting deals for wagering on this year’s NCAA basketball tournament.

Comparing Wildcats to Their Predecessors

Arizona has been a strong contender as the second seed in previous tournaments, making it to the Sweet 16 in five out of their last seven appearances.

With the exception of Arizona’s memorable loss to Steve Nash and the Santa Clara Broncos in the 1993 tournament and a defeat to Alabama in the second round in 1990, all of the teams made it to the second weekend of the Big Dance.

Two teams made it to the Final Four and national championship game in 1994 and 2001. The team from 2001 put up a strong fight against Duke but ended up losing 82-72.

The 2001 team holds the distinction of being the most recent in school history to reach the Final Four, making it the fourth Wildcats squad to achieve this feat.