The Arizona Wildcats finished in third place in their first season in the Big 12 Conference, up a few spots from where they were predicted to be back in October. But after starting 11-1 in league play, the UA lost five of eight down the stretch.
And not surprisingly, that has tempered the postseason expectations of Arizona fans.
The UA opens Big 12 Tournament play at 6:30 p.m. PT Thursday in the quarterfinals against Kansas, the team it lost to in the regular-season finale on Saturday. Earlier this week we asked Wildcat Nation how far they should their team would go, and the results are quite mixed.
In fact nearly, two-thirds of voters don’t think Arizona (20-11) will win more than once in Kansas City, with quite a few thinking it will be a one-and-done scenario.
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Arizona was +700 to win the tournament, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, while regular season champion Houston was +100.
The Wildcats went 7-1 in the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas under Tommy Lloyd, winning the tourney titles in 2022 and 2023 before losing in the semifinals last season.