SAN DIEGO — — While a few different No. 1 seeds received examined by their first-round matchups in traditional March Madness vogue this week, Arizona began its title quest with a breezy, businesslike win.
Brayden Burries hit 4 3-pointers whereas scoring 18 factors, Koa Peat added 15 factors and Arizona opened its NCAA Tournament run with a 92-58 victory over Long Island on Friday.
Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 factors and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and match champion Wildcats (33-2), who rapidly confirmed why they’re the match’s second general seed behind Duke.
But sooner or later after the Blue Devils barely won a thriller over Siena and Howard hung with top-seeded Michigan into the second half, the Wildcats earned a cushty victory exactly as a result of they did not consider it as a mismatch.
“I don’t think playing down to the competition is something that ever enters my mind,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd stated. “I have a lot of respect for our opponents, and I make sure our players do as well. I told our guys, these 1-16 games, you just don’t know. Obviously, the objective is to win the game. You can’t get emotionally caught up if the game is close at half or anything like that.”
This one wasn’t.
Pushing the tempo on offense and stifling the Sharks with protection, Arizona went up by double digits within the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 within the first half whereas delighting the hundreds of followers who crammed Viejas Arena with purple. Nobody needed to play greater than 28 minutes, which ought to profit the Wildcats down the highway.
“Coach talked about punching them first, hitting them first, and it felt like a home game out there,” stated Big 12 participant of the 12 months Jaden Bradley, who scored solely seven factors. “The fans brought the energy, so we appreciate that, and defensively we started getting stops.”
Arizona will return Sunday to face Utah State within the West Region bracket.
Mason Porter-Brown scored 15 factors and Greg Gordon had 12 for the Sharks (24-11), who completed their fourth season underneath coach Rod Strickland. Long Island has surged from a three-win season in Strickland’s debut to win the NEC regular-season and match titles this spring while building a national profile for the Brooklyn college.
“That team is predicted to win the tournament, so we knew it was going to be tough,” Strickland stated. “I think the lights might have hit us a little bit in the beginning. I thought we played a really competitive second half.”
The Sharks simply did not have sufficient to hold with the deep, gifted Wildcats, who clearly have a shot to win the primary title for any staff from the Western U.S. since Arizona gained its solely nationwide crown in 1997.
Arizona’s famed offensive balance was in good tune, with six gamers scoring at the least eight factors. Burries wanted simply 10 photographs to guide Arizona, which hit 57% of its photographs within the first half and maintained that success charge till the ultimate minutes.
Even 11 missed free throws didn’t sluggish the Wildcats’ roll. Arizona dedicated solely three fouls within the first half, and LIU did not shoot a free throw till the second half.
LIU’s final basket of the night time was particular for the Sharks and their followers, who all erupted in cheers when Eddie Munyak banked in a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left.
Munyak teared up on the courtroom after scoring his first collegiate factors together with his mother and father, girlfriend and AAU coach within the crowd. The 6-foot-1 Long Island native stated he walked on at LIU and redshirted final season earlier than getting a scholarship this 12 months, however he had performed in only one sport all season — and did not contact the ball — earlier than he received to make a lifetime reminiscence in San Diego.
“Emotion came out of me, which is kind of hard to see from a guy like me, really a guy with no emotion,” Munyak stated with a smile. “That was amazing. I’m still — I feel like I’m floating right now. … I dedicate my life to basketball. I’ve been through a lot. Injuries, off-the-floor stuff. It’s the greatest.”
The Wildcats made the Sweet Sixteen in three of Lloyd’s first 4 seasons, however have by no means gone farther.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
