Arizona 'Built for' March Madness, Says Expert, Highlighting Big 12 Surge

College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla believes Arizona and the Big 12 conference have the talent to make deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 9:06am

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College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla believes the Arizona Wildcats and the Big 12 conference are primed for success in this year's NCAA Tournament. Fraschilla cites Arizona's experienced roster, balanced scoring, and strong point guard play as reasons they have a good chance to win the national championship. He also highlights the overall strength of the Big 12, which he says is the second-best basketball conference behind the NBA, with three potential Final Four teams in Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State.

Why it matters

The Big 12's resurgence as a basketball powerhouse comes after the conference weathered the storm of conference realignment, adding new members and securing a media rights extension. This positions the Big 12 well for the future, both in terms of its ability to attract top talent and its earning potential when the next media rights deal is negotiated.

The details

Fraschilla, an ESPN color commentator who has covered the Big 12 for 20 years, believes Arizona is as complete a team as there is in college basketball. The Wildcats have three strong post players and an elite point guard in Jaden Bradley. They also feature dynamic freshman guard Brayden Burries, the team's leading scorer. Fraschilla dismisses concerns about Arizona's March Madness struggles in recent years, saying the current team is focused on the task at hand and not distracted by past failures.

  • The Big 12 earned eight NCAA Tournament bids this season.
  • The Big 12's 'Big Monday' games, featuring Fraschilla and Jon Sciambi, saw a doubling of the TV audience this season to an average of 1.7 million viewers.

The players

Fran Fraschilla

ESPN's veteran college basketball color commentator and a former coach who has covered the Big 12 for 20 years.

Jaden Bradley

Arizona's starting point guard, who Fraschilla calls 'as good of a leader at point guard as any team in the country.'

Brayden Burries

Arizona's dynamic freshman guard who is the team's leading scorer.

Tommy Lloyd

The head coach of the Arizona Wildcats.

Brett Yormark

The commissioner of the Big 12 conference.

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What they’re saying

“They play like they're in a cocoon, so I'm not sure how much of the noise they hear.”

— Fran Fraschilla, ESPN Analyst

“The league came out much stronger on the basketball side than anybody would have realized.”

— Fran Fraschilla, ESPN Analyst

“The Big 12 is the second-best basketball league in America behind the NBA.”

— Brett Yormark, Big 12 Commissioner

What’s next

The Big 12 will look to cash in on its basketball success when its media rights deal comes up for renewal in 2030.

The takeaway

The Big 12's ability to withstand conference realignment and emerge as a basketball powerhouse, led by a strong Arizona team, demonstrates the conference's resilience and bright future in the sport.