ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi continues to have Arizona as the third seed in the South Regional in his updated 2026 NCAA Tournament projections published on Tuesday. Arizona was also a three seed in the South Regional in the previous bracketology update by Lunardi. Arizona is projected to play South Dakota State in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in San Diego. Lunardi projects South Dakota State to be the automatic qualifier from the Summit League as the Conference Tournament Champion. In addition to Arizona and Houston, Lunardi also projects Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State and Kansas to earn NCAA Tournament berths.