Arizona Wildcats
Record: 30-4
Head coach: Sean Miller (5th season)
Season summary: When fully healthy this year, the Wildcats were undefeated, starting the season on a 21-0 roll. But after losing third-leading scorer Brandon Ashley to a season-ending foot injury, Arizona limped to the regular season finish line with a 9-4 record. So despite knocking off both Duke and Michigan earlier in the year, the Wildcats are currently at their most vulnerable. Regardless, the squad boasts weapons in freshman Aaron Gordon (12.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG), Nick Johnson (16.2 PPG), and Kaleb Tarczewski (10.1 PPG). More impressively, the team has the best defensive rating in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted statistics and hold the top spot overall in the KenPom rankings. Translation: the Wildcats hold their opponents to 38.1 percent shooting from the floor. Offensively Arizona is more ordinary (ranking 35th in KenPom), shooting an unexceptional 35.6 percent from long range. Full squad or not, this team is a tough matchup for anyone and is fully deserving of a No. 1 seed.
How they make a run: The Wildcat defense continues to lock down everyone in its path, and Gordon and Johnson provide sufficient offense to keep Arizona ahead of the competition and on to Arlington.
How they falter: Facing tougher competition than the top-heavy Pac-12 schedule it faced during the season, Arizona struggles and shoots poorly, potentially against Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State in the Round of 32.
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