No. 1 Seed Arizona Wildcats Dominate Long Island University Sharks In 1st Round Of NCAA Tournament
When a No. 1 seed tips off against a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, everyone in the arena knows the likely outcome. The only real questions are how long the underdog can keep the illusion alive and whether the heavy favorite will show any signs of March jitters.
For the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats, the answers were “about three minutes” and “absolutely not.” Delighting a sea of red-clad fans at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Arizona came out of the gates looking less like a basketball team and more like a runaway freight train. The Wildcats absolutely demolished the Long Island Sharks 92-58 on Friday afternoon, proving exactly why they are heavily favored to make a deep run into the Final Four this April.
If anyone thought the Big 12 champions were going to coast through the opening round, Head Coach Tommy Lloyd’s squad quickly put those thoughts to bed.
The Freshman Phenom Steals the Show
Coming into this matchup, Long Island Head Coach Rod Strickland might have looked at the scouting report and thought, Hey, they aren’t a great three-point shooting team. That sentiment aged about as well as milk in the desert sun.
Arizona, a team that averaged fewer than six made three-pointers a game during the regular season, suddenly turned into the Golden State Warriors. They jumped out to a blistering 12-2 lead, fueled by back-to-back triples from senior Jaden Bradley and freshman sensation Brayden Burries.
Speaking of Burries, the potential NBA lottery pick was an absolute menace on the hardwood. He poured in a game-high 18 points, connecting on four of his five three-point attempts in the first half alone. By the time the halftime buzzer mercifully sounded for the Sharks, Arizona was sitting comfortably on a 53-29 lead for their largest halftime margin in an NCAA Tournament game since 1998.
Dominating the Paint and the Glass
While the early three-point barrage broke Long Island’s spirit, the physical dominance inside broke their back. Arizona didn’t just win the rebounding battle; they bullied the Sharks off the glass, finishing with a comical +21 rebounding margin (52-31).
When they weren’t grabbing boards, they were throwing block parties. The Wildcats swatted away 10 shots, the third-most in school history for a single game.
The most terrifying part for the rest of the college basketball landscape? Arizona is doing this with freshmen. Koa Peat muscled his way to 15 points, while Ivan Kharchenkov carved out his own slice of history. Kharchenkov racked up 14 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, becoming just the fifth freshman in the history of the program to log a double-double in the “Big Dance.”
A Brief Hiccup, Then Back To Business
Was it a flawless 40 minutes of basketball? Not quite. When you are up by 32 points, human nature tends to kick in. Midway through the second half, Arizona got a little sloppy, suffering through a six-minute offensive drought that included a handful of careless turnovers. The Sharks managed a quick six-point run to cut the lead to 22.
But great teams don’t panic; they just flip the switch back on. Arizona responded with a ruthless 11-0 run, slamming the door shut with a series of transition buckets and emphatic dunks that sent the San Diego crowd into a frenzy. Long Island’s Mason Porter-Brown (15 points) and Greg Gordon (12 points) fought valiantly, but they simply didn’t have the size or the firepower to hang with a legitimate title contender.
What This Means For Arizona Moving Forward
With this blowout victory, Arizona extends its winning streak to 10 games, a run that includes a dominant sweep through the Big 12 Tournament. They are playing with the swagger of a team that expects to cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
Tommy Lloyd, who boasts a staggering 144-35 record in his five seasons at the helm, knows the pressure is on. He has yet to guide the Wildcats past the Sweet 16, but this roster feels different. They have elite guard play, a punishing frontcourt, and a freshman class that is playing years beyond its age.
“It’s a business trip,” Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso noted before the game. “We don’t take anyone lightly.” Next up on the itinerary for this business trip? A second-round clash against the winner of the Villanova and Utah State game. If Arizona plays with this level of intensity, pace, and sheer physical force, whoever advances from that matchup is going to be in for a long night.
