Just a couple of weeks ago, Arizona State’s spot in the NCAA Tournament was a given, as the team was in contention for the Big 12 regulars season championship. Being swept in the final regular season series by Oklahoma State, followed by a first-round Big 12 tournament loss to BYU, placed the Sun Devils in the always uncomfortable bubble team position. It was an uncharacteristic slide for a program that never lost more than two consecutive games all year.

At 9:24 a.m. today, the white knuckles in Tempe were replaced by a sigh of relief as ASU (35-22), officially one of the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament, was selected in the field of 64 playing in the Westwood region with host UCLA (42-16), as well as Fresno State (31-27) and UC Irvine (41-15) who Arizona State will meet on Friday May 30. For a Sun Devil team with an RPI of 49, which ranked among its conference foes, one can argue that between an easy road travel and a regional that is more comfortable than others out West, Arizona State can feel fortunate beyond just making the postseason.

This marks the first time Sun Devil skipper Willie Bloomquist has his team in the NCAA Tournament during his Tempe tenure. Today was an anxious time for the Big 12 in general, as Oklahoma State and Kansas State were also in the last four in group of teams elated to hear their name called.

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