The Arizona Wildcats know when they will play in the NIVC. They just don’t know who.
The field and schedule for the NIVC were announced a few hours after the NCAA selection committee unveiled its tournament bracket. Arizona will be one of eight host teams and one of three teams that get first-round byes.
The Wildcats will host Pacific (18-12, 8-10 WCC) and Weber State (14-15, 10-6 Big Sky). The region will kick off on Friday, Dec. 6 at noon when Pacific and Weber State play. The winner of that match will take on Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. MST.
If the Wildcats advance out of the second round, they could face a familiar foe. Former Pac-12 opponent Washington State (16-11, 11-7 WCC) is in the region slated to meet the winner of Arizona’s region in the third round.
Arizona last played in the NIVC in the fall of 2021. Like this year, former Arizona head coach Dave Rubio had several young players on his team and he wanted to get more practice and development time. In contrast, he chose to skip it in 2022 despite the Wildcats being eligible. Current head coach Rita Stubbs mentioned the young players as a major reason for accepting the NIVC bid this year.
Triple Crown Sports, which also runs the WNIT, has operated the NIVC for the past seven years. All matches are played on campus locations. Teams bid on the right to host before each round. The biggest challenge for teams is having their facilities available since most share with men’s and women’s basketball.
Arizona will announce ticket information “soon” according to its press release. Locations for the third and fourth rounds will be announced by Triple Crown Sports after the second round.
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics