Grand Canyon, the champions of the WAC, and Arizona, the runner-up in the Big 12, are headed to the NCAA Tournament. Here’s what you need to know.
PHOENIX — March Madness has arrived!
One of the best times of the year for sports fans is finally here, as the 68-team bracket for the 2025 NCAA Tournament was revealed on Sunday, and it featured two teams from Arizona: the Arizona Wildcats and the Grand Canyon Lopes.
Below, we’ll break down each of their first round matchups.
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats (22-12, 14-6 Big 12 Conference) were given a No. 4 seed in the East region by the selection committee after finishing in third place in the Big 12 during the regular season and then as the runner-up in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, where they lost to Houston, 72-64, in the championship game on Saturday.
The Wildcats will face No. 13 seed Akron in Seattle on March 21 in the first round. The Zips (28-6, 17-1 Mid-American Conference) are in the tournament for the second straight season and are the back-to-back reigning champions of the WAC. The Zips won both the regular season and tournament championships in the MAC this season. The Zips are coming into the NCAA Tournament hot, as they have won 21 of their past 22 games. However, in six previous trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Zips have never advanced past the first round.
If Arizona wins its first round game, they will advance to play either No. 5 seed Oregon or No. 12 seed Liberty in the Round of 32.
This will be the 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Arizona and the fourth in a row. Arizona has advanced past the first round 22 times, made it to the Sweet 16 20 times, the Elite Eight 11 times, the Final Four four times, the National Championship Game twice and have won one national title (1997).
Grand Canyon Lopes
The Lopes (26-7, 13-3 Western Athletic Conference) were given a No. 13 seed in the West region by the selection committee. The Lopes finished the regular season in second place in the WAC but ran the table in Las Vegas, winning the WAC Tournament for the third year in a row. By winning the WAC Tournament, the Lopes earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Lopes will take on No. 4 seed Maryland in Seattle on March 21 in the first round. The Terrapins (25-8, 14-6 Big Ten Conference) finished in second place in the Big Ten during the regular season and lost in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. Maryland will be making their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history (one appearance from 1988 was vacated by the NCAA). The Terrapins have a strong history in the tournament, with their best finish coming in 2002 when Maryland won the national championship.
Maryland was the third-highest-scoring team in the Big Ten this season (81.7 points per game) and had the second-best scoring defense in the conference, only giving up 67 points per game.
If GCU wins its first round game, the Lopes will advance to play either No. 5 seed Memphis or No. 12 seed Colorado State in the Round of 32.
This will be the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for GCU since moving up to Division I in 2013. The Lopes have only advanced past the first round once. That happened last season when the 12th-seeded Lopes upset No. 5 seed St. Mary’s (CA), 75-66, before losing to No. 4 seed Alabama, 72-61, in the Round of 32.
To see and print out this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket, click here.
The NCAA Tournament will begin with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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