By: Jesus Garcia, Contributor
Freshman guard Brayden Burries was amongst four Arizona scorers with double-digit points as the Wildcats cruised past an overmatched Sharks squad.
The 1-seed Arizona Wildcats left no doubt in their first round game of the 2026 NCAA tournament, as they cruised past 16-seed Long Island University 92-58 at Viejas Arena.
With San Diego State playing host to first and second round games of college basketball’s premier postseason tournament, the Arizona Wildcats had the advantage of taking a short trip from Tucson.
The Wildcats (32-2, 16-2 Big 12) arrived into today’s matchup having swept the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament championships. Led by guards Brayden Burries and Big 12 Most Outstanding Player Jaden Bradley, they were overwhelming favorites to win today. However, all stats and records are thrown out of the window with the NCAA tournament being an entirely different animal.
On the flip side, the Long Island University Sharks (24-10, 15-3 Northeast) beat Mercyhurst University to clinch their conference’s auto bid. Despite being massive underdogs, head coach Rod Strickland had shown belief in his team during yesterday’s press conference.
“You’ve got to go in with the mindset that you’re going to win, I just think if you come in doubting yourself, you’re going to already put yourself back,” Strickland said. I think we’re confident enough and we know that we’re going to come in and do what we’ve got to do and follow the scouting report and come in and perform.”
Although the Sharks did not let the seed number next to their name diminish their hopes, the Wildcats scored the first basket of the game and never trailed thereafter. Head coach Tommy Lloyd expressed the importance of not playing down to its opponent after seeing two 1-seeds get involved in dogfights yesterday,
“I don’t think playing down to the competition is something that ever enters my mind … I have a lot of respect for our opponents, and I make sure our players do as well,” Lloyd said. “You can’t get emotionally caught up if the game is close at half or anything like that.”
Fortunately for Lloyd and the Wildcats, the game was never close. Arizona jumped out to a 15-4 lead, courtesy of three three-pointers before the first media timeout. Two of them came from freshman guard Brayden Burries, who just last week had shot 0-7 from the field against Iowa State. Burries’ mindset is what allowed him to bounce back performances, starting against Houston and now in the first round game.
“Just taking one game at a time, being where your feet is,” Burries said. “And don’t look too far ahead, don’t look too far back, just stay in the present.”
Arizona did not put the brake on the gas pedal, as their lead widened to 20 with a little over six minutes left in the first half. Although the opponent was evidently outmatched, one key aspect of the game was the balanced scoring the ‘Cats had. Four players, led by Burries’ 18 points, scored in double figures. Three of the four – Burries, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Koa Peat – are freshmen who Lloyd has the utmost trust.
“ Honestly I don’t look at them as freshmen, you know what I mean? I just look at them as
really good basketball players, “ Lloyd said. “I don’t think it matters what year you are in school … I would have been more surprised had they come out and been a little bit nervous today than play the way they did.”
The Wildcats closed the half with a 53-29 lead, and their domination continued into the second half despite the game’s tempo slowing down. While they had a lead of at least 22 the rest of the way, Lloyd insisted that his team played the game as if it was coming down to the wire.
“Just encouraging them and understanding, you know, you’ve got to break the game into smaller segments, and when you’re on the court, honestly, you shouldn’t even worry what the score is,” Lloyd said. “You should be playing possession by possession and honoring that aspect of the game, not worrying about what the overall score is.”
As for the Sharks, their season comes to an end, but they know they have a lot to be proud of. Their NEC banner will go up on their arena, and coach Strickland’s turnaround from a three win season in 2022/23 to an NCAA tournament appearance is a tremendous accomplishment for a mid-major school.
“Going from three wins to 24 wins … it was a personal growth and a personal challenge to be able to conquer something else,” Strickland said. “I’m proud of that and still growing, still looking forward to the next chapter, still looking forward to next year.”
Meanwhile, Arizona will prepare for its next challenge, as they will meet the Utah State Aggies on Mar. 22 for a spot in next week’s Sweet 16.