3 BOLD Observations After Arizona's First Round Win Over LIU
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The No. 1-seeded (West Region) Arizona Wildcats are now moving on to the second round of the NCAA National Tournament after routing the LIU Sharks 92-58 in San Diego. The Wildcats now await the winners of Villanova and Utah State for the chance to advance even further into the tournament.
Arizona's 92-58 win over the Sharks was the largest margin of victory in a tournament game since 1998.
(1) ARIZONA CRUISES 😼
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
The Wildcats take care of business against (16) LIU with a 92-58 win to dance into the Round of 32 🪩 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/ouoh7eNF5Q
Arizona took an early 10-point lead in the first half and never let go of it, outplaying LIU on the perimeter and dominating in the paint to cruise to the easy victory. The Sharks showed resilience in the loss, but in the end, it was the Wildcats who came out on top.
Before Arizona takes the court for the second-round game against the Aggies/Villanova, let's take a look at several observations we saw after Arizona's convincing win.
Wildcats defense too strong
The Wildcats showcased the strong, smothering style of defense that is arguably the 4th best in the NCAA against the Sharks, allowing a minimal amount of easy buckets and protecting the perimeter, which may have been the Sharks' biggest shot at upsetting Arizona.
Not only was the defense aggressive, but it was mostly clean as LIU shot just 10 free throws and made six of them. The Wildcats also kept the shooting of LIU at bay, forcing them to shoot just 32% from the field.
Arizona's prowess near the rim kept LIU from being able to make any offensive rebounds, coming down with just 12 while the Wildcats came down with 36 defensive rebounds and blocked 10 shots.
Size was too much for LIU
Early on in the first round game, LIU did a solid job in combating the size and strength of Arizona, but as the minutes started ticking by, the Sharks started to get worn down.
The Wildcats' physicality in the paint was too much to handle for LIU, and it was not able to guard near the rim as strongly as it did at the beginning of the game. While the three-four guard system of the Sharks is a quick one, it was a clear weakness that Arizona exploited.
Mo sees all 👀pic.twitter.com/VYfjqt8bUg
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 20, 2026
By the end of the game, the Wildcats outscored the Sharks by a score of 50-26 and outrebounded them 52-31.
Perimeter shooting coming alive
While a good portion of the offense came in the paint for the Wildcats, it was the perimeter shooting that truly allowed them to run away with the game from the first half on. While going 6-for-13 from 3-point range may not seem like a lot, it did a ton of damage and showed that Arizona is unstoppable when on a roll.
A combined 47 points on 55% shooting from this special trio of freshmen in their NCAA Tournament debut. pic.twitter.com/OYbNMAptxV
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 20, 2026
Brayden Burries was especially exceptional from beyond 3-point range, going 4-for-5 and 6-for-10 on the way to a team-high 18 points scored. If that trend continues, the Wildcats will be a dangerous team moving forward into the National Tournament.
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.