NCAA Tournament: Texas Southern draws No.15 Seed; Plays PAC-12 Champion Arizona in West Region

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TUCSON, Arizona – The automatic qualifier from the Pac-12 Conference by way of Saturday’s Pac-12 Tournament championship, the Arizona men’s basketball program has garnered the No. 2 seed in the West Region from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

The Wildcats will face Texas Southern on Thursday in second-round action at Portland. With a win, UA would move on to face the winner of the second-round matchup between VCU and Ohio State.

Winner of its 14th Pac-12 regular-season title and fifth Pac-12 Tournament crown, Arizona is a top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000 and 2001. UA is 12-5 (.706) all-time as a No. 2 seed, including a run to the 2001 national final.

Making its 32nd NCAA Tournament appearance, Arizona is 51-30 (.630) all-time in the tournament with 16 Sweet 16 appearances, 10 Elite Eight runs, four Final Fours and the 1997 national championship to its credit. The Wildcats are making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years under head coach Sean Miller, who has led UA to three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights.

Texas Southern is 22-12 overall after winning its second-straight SWAC Tournament title. The Tigers went 16-2 in SWAC play to claim the league’s regular-season championship. They are led by Madarious Gibbs, the SWAC Player of the Year who averages 14.2 points and 4.3 assists per game.

Arizona and Texas Southern have never met in men’s basketball.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS