Betting odds say Wildcats are championship contenders in March Madness

• And FanDuel lists the Cats as the favorite to reach the Final Four from the West region — which would have them playing on college basketball's biggest stage here in the Valley.
• UofA plays its first-round game against 15-seed Long Beach State today at 11am.

Between the lines: Arizona is the third highest scoring team in college basketball this season.

• They have Pac-12 Player of the Year Caleb Love, who scores 18.1 points per game.
• They give up a lot of points to opponents, but their scoring differential of 15.6 points per game is fifth best in the NCAA.

Meanwhile, 12-seed Grand Canyon University is a popular pick in some quarters to upset 5-seed Saint Mary's in the first round.

• Keep an eye on Lopes star Tyon Grant-Foster, who's one of the country's top scorers at 19.8 per game.
• GCU plays Friday at 7:05pm.

What they're saying: The Cats can make it to the Final Four, The Athletic wrote, but it depends on their guard duo of Love and Kylan Boswell.

• The team in general, and Love in particular, can be erratic.