SAN DIEGO – After an eventful start in the tournament for No. 1 seeds, Arizona left no doubt about its top-seeded pedigree.
Outsized, outrebounded and outclassed.
It’s what the Wildcats have done to their opponents game in and game out this season, and it continued Friday, dominating No. 16 seed Long Island University from the jump and winning 92-58 to advance to the round of 32 at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Duke eked out a six-point win against No. 16 seed Siena on Thursday in a game where the Blue Devils only led for eight and a half minutes. Michigan was up by just four against No. 16 seed Howard at halftime before surging in the second half.
The Wildcats had the game in hand by the first media timeout. Arizona raced out to a 12-2 lead in the first three minutes thanks to strong interior defense and a couple of 3-point makes.
“These games are never easy,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “You never take them for granted.”
Physicality on the inside was a trend throughout the game, with Arizona forcing its style of play onto LIU. The Sharks play a similar brand of basketball, forcing teams inside while imposing their own will in the paint on the offensive end.
But the matching of styles didn’t play out well for the Sharks.
The Wildcats’ size pushed LIU out to the 3-point line a lot more than the Sharks are used to doing. Before this game, LIU averaged about 16.5 attempts from 3-point range. The Wildcats made them attempt 27. While they shoot a fairly efficient 36% from beyond the arc, the length of Arizona forced LIU into a lot of tough looks, limiting them to just under 30% in this matchup.
The difficulties didn’t stop there for LIU. The Sharks’ identity revolves around their ability inside, feasting in the paint. Arizona held them to just 26 points in the paint. LIU’s lack of size and Arizona’s abundance of it stifled any inside game for the Sharks, both offensively and defensively.
Meanwhile, Arizona used its size to feast in the paint, cashing in 50 paint points while drawing a lot of fouls, allowing for 33 free-throw attempts.
Arizona also shot the ball extremely well, both inside (53%) and beyond the arc (46%).
In LIU’s Thursday press conference, both coach Rod Strickland and his players mentioned the Wildcats’ struggles from beyond the arc.
“Not a great 3-point shooting team,” Strickland said. “So they kind of compensate by doing a lot of other things.”
That sentiment didn’t exactly play out for the Sharks.
Arizona came out firing, shooting 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first half with Brayden Burries finding his stroke, making four of those six. Burries had a game-high 18 points, building off a strong performance in the Big 12 Championship.
Along with Burries, freshmen Ivan Kharchenkov and Koa Peat led the way for the Wildcats. In their first-ever games played in the NCAA Tournament, the three freshmen showcased maturity and poise.
“But I played in a lot of big games,” Peat said. “I feel like I’m pretty seized for the moment and just ready to play in those big games.”
Peat, a four-time high school state champion, had 15 points and seven rebounds. To go along with his 14 points, Kharchenkov led the way in rebounds, securing 10, tying his career high in an Arizona uniform.
“I don’t look at them as freshmen,” Lloyd said. “I just look at them as very good basketball players. These guys, they have high IQs, they have great character and obviously they’re talented basketball players.”
Regardless of the loss, LIU and Strickland have rebuilt the program, going from three wins in 2022-23 to 24 this season. Strickland has instilled a culture in which he can take pride.
“I’m super proud of what we’ve accomplished, as a group, my staff, but more importantly, these players,” Strickland said. “This is a moment, a lifetime moment. They’re going to always remember this.”
For the Wildcats, their journey isn’t over. They’ll look to Sunday and a West Region matchup with No. 9 seed Utah State in the round of 32. Utah State beat Villanova, 86-76, on Friday.
“Our guys know where we’re at,” Lloyd said. “And they know where we want to go. And they know what our purpose is.”
Be the first to comment