The Pac-12 women’s basketball bubble did not burst on Sunday for the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona was viewed as a bubble team through Selection Sunday, right up until the moment when the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament field was revealed. Arizona was going to be one of the last four teams in or one of the first four teams out. The Wildcats were near the cut line, and they were sweating along with other bubble teams across the country.
Then came the big moment: Arizona’s name came up as part of a First Four matchup with the Auburn Tigers. Arizona got into the very back end of the field of 68. The Wildcats got in mostly because they won on the road at Stanford, a huge victory with immense value that moved the needle just enough to get into the bracket. However, USC also helped Arizona make the field. The Trojans didn’t lose to the Wildcats, but they did struggle with them twice in under 10 days just before Selection Sunday. USC beat Arizona by one basket (two points in Tucson, three points in Las Vegas) on two separate occasions. Arizona didn’t get the huge win it hoped for, but by playing USC close in two different games, Arizona showed it could compete with the best in college basketball. When USC then beat UCLA and Stanford to win the Pac-12 Tournament, those near misses by Arizona looked better by comparison.
The selection committee recognized as much. The Pac-12 was rewarded for its quality with a seventh selection to the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Arizona joins USC, Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State, Colorado, and Utah to give the Pac-12 a large group of teams in March Madness.
Arizona’s First Four game versus Auburn is Thursday, March 21, at 4 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN2.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.