There are good losses, then there are really good losses.

Arizona’s 62-58 loss to Houston on Saturday falls into the latter category.

It was a frustrating game for the Wildcats, who led by five at halftime and by seven with nine minutes to play, but it did not hurt them in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. In fact, it might have helped them.

NCAA NET Rankings update

Houston (21-4, 13-1) came into the game ranked No. 3 in NCAA NET Rankings and No. 8 in the first NCAA Tournament Selection Committee rankings of the 2024-25 season, which were released Saturday morning.

The Cougars have not budged from their No. 3 NET ranking for several weeks, and that’s probably where they’ll finish the season. No. 1 Auburn (23-2, 11-1) solidified its top ranking with a 94-85 win over Alabama on Saturday and is now 14-2 in Quad 1 games. No. 2 Duke (22-3, 14-1) also appears locked into its ranking with six games to play.

The rest of the top 10 teams in the NET are jostling for position — and higher seeds in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Because of Houston’s high ranking, Arizona jumped one spot in the NET Rankings after its loss to the Cougars. The Wildcats are now No. 9 in the NET, one spot ahead of No. 10 Gonzaga.

NCAA Tournament seed

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses the NET Rankings as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament — and it showed in their first tournament seed projections.

Arizona was ranked No. 12 in the committee’s rankings, just two spots off its NET ranking. The Wildcats were given a No. 3 seed in the East Region, which is in line with what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has been predicting in his Bracketology updates.

Arizona has a chance to move even higher in the NET with a road win over Baylor on Monday. It’s a Quad 1 opportunity for the Wildcats, who are currently 7-7 in Quad 1 games. The NCAA defines Quad 1 games as home games against a top 30 team in the NET, or road games against a top 50 team in the NET. Baylor is currently ranked No. 28 in the NET.

With three weeks left in the regular season, the Wildcats have at least three Quad 1 opportunities remaining. Stay tuned.

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