Arizona Wildcats: A Look at Their March Madness History

Have fans of the Arizona Wildcats enjoyed the last several years of March Madness? A comprehensive look at the Wildcats' year-by-year performances in the NCAA Tournament reveals periods of excitement and disappointment. Since 2014, the Arizona Wildcats have been a consistent presence in the NCAA Tournament, showcasing both promise and heartbreak. Let's delve into their journey, examining their appearances, records, and key moments that have defined their March Madness experience.

Arizona's NCAA Tournament Appearances Since 2014

Since 2014, the Arizona Wildcats have made 9 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Their most recent appearance was in 2025. In those years, the team played 23 games, with an overall record of 14 wins and 9 losses. Throughout this period, their highest seed was 1, and their lowest seed was 6. Their best finish was the Elite Eight.

NCAA Tournament Record (since 2014)

2025

Seed: 4
Overall record: 2-1
How far they went: Sweet 16
Who they beat: No. 13 Akron, No. 5 Oregon
Who they lost to: No. 1 Duke, 100-93

In 2025, as a No. 4 seed, Arizona defeated No. 13 Akron and No. 5 Oregon, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. However, their journey ended with a loss to No. 1 Duke, with a score of 100-93.

2024

Seed: 2
Overall record: 2-1
How far they went: Sweet 16
Who they beat: No. 15 Long Beach State, No. 7 Dayton
Who they lost to: No. 6 Clemson, 77-72

Last season, Arizona started its tournament run with a convincing win against Long Beach State. The Wildcats were led by Kylan Boswell who scored 20 points. All five starters for Arizona scored in double figures. It shot 41.7 percent on the day while also hitting 13 threes. The one thing that stands out for the Wildcats that they did not excel in was the rebounding margin. Long Beach State out rebounded Arizona 50-47. After the Long Beach State victory, Arizona would take on Dayton in the second round. Ultimately, the Wildcats would prevail behind a strong performance from Caleb Love. Love scored 19 points, while future NBA players Keshad Johnson and Pelle Larsson scored 13 each. The Wildcats shot better in the second round game, shooting 52.8 percent. The one thing that Arizona did not do well in this game was take care of the ball. There were 15 turnovers committed by the Wildcats. While Arizona had a 17 point lead at one point in the game, Dayton was able to cut it down to three with just under 12 minutes left. The Wildcats would use spurts of runs to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In its second Sweet Sixteen appearance under Lloyd, the Wildcats poor shooting from three would doom them. Shooting 5-18 from the field, Love went 0-9 from behind the arch. Overall Arizona shot 5-28 from three. The inability to hit threes was one of the reasons that the Wildcats fell. While they were able to tie it and take the lead at certain points in the game, Arizona was never ever to take full control of the game, as it did all season. This would be Arizona’s second Sweet Sixteen loss in three seasons. Yet another early exit for the Wildcats.

2023

Seed: 2
Overall record: 0-1
How far they went: First Round
Who they lost to: No. 15 Princeton, 59-55

It was a day where everything that could go wrong for Arizona did in almost every facet of the game. While the big men played well, it was the guards that would disappear. Combined the guards went 9-27 from the field and 1-14 from three. When it came to the final five minutes of the game, Arizona could not find the bottom of the net. The Wildcats were also out rebounded 38-37. It was a season where Arizona would play down to their opponents and it did that. Safe to say this was a season low in scoring. The loss was Arizona’s fifteenth first round exit in its 33 tournament appearances.

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2022

Seed: 1
Overall record: 2-1
How far they went: Sweet 16
Who they beat: No. 16 Wright State, No. 9 TCU
Who they lost to: No. 5 Houston, 72-60

In Lloyd’s first tournament game, Arizona was expected to take care of business. It did so with a convincing win behind a Chrisitan Koloko 17-13 double-double. Bennedict Mathurin led the team with 18, while Dalen Terry had 16. Overall Arizona shot 55 percent from the field, hitting 11 from behind the arch. The only flaw for the Wildcats, is the fact that they let Wright State get to the line 19 times. Nonetheless, Arizona would move onto the second round. It took a legendary performance from Mathurin to help Arizona spring into the Sweet Sixteen. Scoring 30, Mathurin had highlight after highlight. The game tying shot was a near logo three. While a game-sealing three in OT from Mathurin bounced high off the rim, it was Koloko who jammed it home to seal it. Koloko would finish another double-double, scoring 28 with 12 rebounds. The flaw for the Wildcats was the fact that they shot 18.5 percent from three, only hitting five in total. Arizona was also out rebounded 48-44, allowing 14 of them to go to Eddie Lampkin Jr. No other player, outside of Mathurin or Koloko, scored more than 6 points. However, it did not prevent Arizona from advancing to San Antonio for a Sweet Sixteen game. All season long, the Wildcats relied on their offense to win them games. However, they ran into a defensively sound Houston team, and as a result of that the Wildcats were sent home. Terry finished the game as the leading scorer for Arizona with 17, going 6-9 on the day. All other players, outside of Larsson, shot below 50 percent. Overall Arizona shot 33.3 percent, while hitting 7 threes. The Wildcats never led in the game, always clawing close but never taking control. Of the 14 turnovers committed by Arizona, the Cougars would get 24 points from those turnovers.

2018

Seed: 4
Overall record: 0-1
How far they went: First Round
Who they lost to: No. 13 Buffalo, 89-68

2017

Seed: 2
Overall record: 2-1
How far they went: Sweet 16
Who they beat: No. 15 North Dakota, No. 7 Saint Mary's (CA)
Who they lost to: No. 11 Xavier, 73-71

2016

Seed: 6
Overall record: 0-1
How far they went: First Round
Who they lost to: No. 11 Wichita State, 65-55

2015

Seed: 2
Overall record: 3-1
How far they went: Elite Eight
Who they beat: No. 15 Texas Southern, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 6 Xavier
Who they lost to: No. 1 Wisconsin, 85-78

2014

Seed: 1
Overall record: 3-1
How far they went: Elite Eight
Who they beat: No. 16 Weber State, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 4 San Diego State
Who they lost to: No. 1 Wisconsin, 64-63

Historical Context and Tournament Expansion

The NCAA tournament started in 1939 and the number of teams invited to participate has expanded a number of times over the years. Between 1939 and 1950 the tournament had only eight teams, and then between 1951 and 1974 the tournament varied between 16 teams and 25 teams. The National Invitation Tournament, meanwhile, began in 1938 with only 6 teams. In 1941 the tournament was expanded to include 8 teams, in 1949 the tournament was again expanded to 12 teams, then 14 teams in 1965, 16 teams in 1968, 24 teams in 1979, 32 teams in 1980, and 40 teams from 2002 through 2006.

Notable Tournament Games

1988: The Wildcats had a strong showing, defeating Cornell (90-50), Seton Hall (84-55), Iowa (99-79), and North Carolina (70-52) before losing to Oklahoma (86-78) in the Final Four.
1991: Arizona beat St. Francis, Pa.
1994: The team defeated Loyola, Md. (81-55), Virginia (71-58), Louisville (82-70), and Missouri (92-72) before falling to Arkansas (91-82) in the Final Four.
1997: Arizona's remarkable run included victories over South Alabama (65-57), College of Charleston (73-69), Kansas (85-82), Providence (96-92, OT), and North Carolina (66-58), culminating in a championship win against Kentucky (84-79, OT).
2001: The Wildcats beat Eastern Illinois (101-76), Butler (73-52), Mississippi (66-56), Illinois (87-81), and Michigan State (80-61) before losing to Duke (82-72) in the National Championship game.

The Underdog Story: 15 Seeds vs. 2 Seeds

The NCAA tournament is known for its upsets, and one of the most exciting is when a No. 15 seed defeats a No. 2 seed. Princeton became the 11th No. 15 seed to defeat a No. 2. It marked the third year in a row a 15 downed a 2, as Saint Peter's took down Kentucky in 2022 and Oral Roberts upset Ohio State in 2021. That marked the first time in NCAA tournament history a No. 15 beat a No. 2 in three consecutive tournaments - though it also did happen three times across two years thanks to two wins by No. 15 seeds in 2012.

Here's a list of No. 15 seeds that have upset No. 2 seeds in NCAA tournament history:

Princeton
Saint Peter's
Oral Roberts
Middle Tennessee
Florida Gulf Coast
Norfolk State
Lehigh
Hampton
Coppin State
Santa Clara
Richmond

Louisiana Monroe and Belmont own the most No. 2 losses with two. 2012 is the only tournament where two No. 15 seeds won twice. On the same night (Friday), No. Four No. 15 seeds advanced to the Sweet 16, starting with Florida Gulf Coast in 2013. One 15 seed reached the Elite Eight, as Saint Peter's topped No. 2 Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State and No.

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Close Calls and Near Upsets

Winthrop vs. Tennessee (2006): Winthrop, a 15 seed, nearly shocked No. 2 Tennessee.
Belmont vs. Duke: Belmont led Duke by one with two minutes to play, but the Blue Devils ultimately pulled out the win, 71-70.
Robert Morris vs. Villanova (2010): It took overtime for Villanova to defeat Robert Morris. Robert Morris led Villanova by six at halftime and held the Wildcats to 22 points in the opening 20 minutes.

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