Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats enter the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.
The Wildcats have been toward the top of the rankings all season long, and the only two losses came against Kansas and Texas Tech in back-to-back games by a combined seven points.
Arizona is a common pick to make the Final Four and win the national title, and the path for them in the West Region sets up pretty well with Purdue, Gonzaga and Arkansas as the 2-4 seeds.
Ahead of Arizona's Round of 64 game against No. 16 seed Long Island Brooklyn, ESPN's Jeff Borzello polled scouts and coaches about the big flaw and weakness for the No. 1 seed.
Here is what they said about Arizona.
"They rank last in the Big 12 in 3-point attempt rate and percentage of points from 3-pointers, slotting in at No. 332 overall with just 5.9 3-pointers made per game," Borzello wrote.
One Big 12 coach agreed with that take.
"That's the biggest thing," one Big 12 coach said. "Let them take and make as many 3s as possible. You eliminate the paint stuff, but now you've got to rebound the missed shots. Long shots means longer rebounds and they're coming off higher."
Can Arizona Win the Title?
Arizona has plenty of signature wins, including victories over Florida, UCLA, UConn, Auburn, Alabama, San Diego State, TCU, BYU (twice), Kansas, Iowa State (twice) and Houston (twice).
Arizona has four players who averaged double figures in points in the regular season, and another two players who average north of 9.5 PPG.
Brayden Burries leads the way with 16 PPG and 5.0 rebounds, and Koa Peat has returned from his injury in dominant fashion.
However, there's one stat to note: There has been no national champion from the western part of the US since 1998.
Can Arizona change that? There is a lot of excitement for this year's team.
Related: ESPN Analyst Predicts NCAA Tournament West Region
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Mar 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.