No. 2 Arizona Earns No. 1 Seed in West Region

Wildcats to face Long Island University in opening round

Mar. 15, 2026 at 10:34pm

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The No. 2 Arizona Wildcats have earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The Wildcats, who won the Big 12 regular season and tournament championships, will face Long Island University in the opening round in San Diego. The West Region also includes No. 2 seed Purdue, as well as Gonzaga, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.

Why it matters

Arizona is looking to make its first Final Four appearance since 2001, and the Wildcats have the talent and resume to potentially end that drought. They have beaten 15 ranked opponents this season, including wins over No. 7 Iowa State and No. 5 Houston in the Big 12 tournament.

The details

Arizona (32-2) has a balanced roster with seven different leading scorers and a physical defense. The Wildcats opened the season by knocking off reigning national champion Florida and continued to take down ranked opponents all year. Long Island University earned an automatic bid by winning the Northeast Conference tournament.

  • The NCAA Tournament begins on Friday, March 21, 2026.
  • Arizona and Long Island University will play their opening round game on Friday, March 21, 2026 in San Diego.

The players

Arizona Wildcats

The No. 2 team in the country and the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Tommy Lloyd

The head coach of the Arizona Wildcats, who led the team to the Big 12 regular season and tournament championships.

Long Island University

The Northeast Conference tournament champion, who earned an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

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What they’re saying

“They're just resilient, you know? And they just have this unbreakable spirit. These guys do an amazing job of figuring it out in tough moments.”

— Tommy Lloyd, Head Coach, Arizona Wildcats (washingtonpost.com)

What’s next

The winner of the Arizona-Long Island University game will advance to face the winner of the Purdue-Wisconsin matchup in the second round.

The takeaway

Arizona has proven itself as one of the top teams in the country this season, and the Wildcats' combination of talent, experience, and resilience makes them a formidable No. 1 seed in the West Region. However, they will have to navigate a challenging path to the Final Four, with potential matchups against Purdue, Gonzaga, and Arkansas.