The hurricane season has been ravaging the southeastern part of the country for the last two weeks. The death and destruction in places like North Carolina are the major concern. On a much less important note, the storms are also disrupting the college sports scene.
Arizona may be across the country from the storms, but the Wildcats soccer team is being impacted this week. They were supposed to play UCF in Orlando on Oct. 10, but Hurricane Milton has become a Category 5 storm and is headed for Florida. The match will now be played at the Carl Lewis International Complex at the University of Houston at 5 p.m. MST on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The match is important for Arizona (8-3-2, 3-2-1) and other Big 12 teams when it comes to seeding for the Big 12 Tournament. Standings are determined by points per match with three points for wins and one point for draws.
The Wildcats are currently in fifth, just 0.50 behind Colorado and 1.00 behind league-leading Texas Tech and West Virginia. Arizona has the same number of points per match as BYU but just defeated the Cougars for the head-to-head advantage.
Meanwhile, the Knights (3-3-4. 1-2-2) are trying to maintain their position as one of the 12 teams that make the conference tournament. They occupy the 12th and final position right now.
The Wildcats are looking for as many wins as possible to strengthen their resumes both for the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. Getting into the top four means getting a bye in the opening round of the league tournament. For a team picked 10th in the coaches preseason poll, it’s not a bad place to be in with five matches to play.
The NCAA Tournament will use the RPI as its primary ranking tool. Arizona has been slowly climbing in that system. It shot up the rankings by 10 places with last Friday’s win over BYU.
The Wildcats are ranked 31st in the RPI after the conclusion of last weekend’s games around the country. They are the fourth-ranked Big 12 team in the NCAA’s ranking system. That puts them well within the reach of an at-large bid. They have not made the tournament since 2019.
It is important for Arizona to win its final five matches. UCF is currently 125 in the RPI. The Wildcats will play at Houston against the RPI’s No. 142 team on Oct. 13. They return home to host No. 97 Kansas on Oct. 17 and No. 213 Kansas State on Oct. 20. The regular season wraps up at No. 113 Arizona State on Oct. 25.
A team’s record counts for about 50 percent of the RPI. The average of their opponents’ records accounts for roughly 40 percent of the RPI. The records of opponents’ opponents accounts for about 10 percent. An explanation for that can be found on soccer bracketologist Chris Thomas’ website.
With the records of opponents and opponents’ opponents counting slightly more than Arizona’s record, wins will be critical over the final 18 days of conference play. Draws or losses against these teams could keep the Wildcats from sending their fifth-year seniors to the first NCAA Tournament of their careers. It’s the last chance for that group of three.
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics
