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Inside The Wildcats

Arizona Plays and Stats That Defined Win Over Long Island

Wildcats cruise past Sharks in opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Caleb Meadows|
Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

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Arizona Wildcats

Arizona has defeated Long Island in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats did what they were supposed to do and put down the Sharks 92-58. Unlike other No. 1 versus No. 16 seed matchups this weekend, this one was never close.

The Wildcats proved why they are a No. 1 seed, and that the argument of them being the overall No. 1 seed was completely justified. The Sharks got outclassed in just about every category, and their Cinderella story ended before it could get started.

Here are some plays and key stats that led to the Wildcats' win over the Sharks.

Points in the Paint

The Wildcats absolutely dominated the Sharks, as they were so much bigger and stronger than their opponent. This was very noticeable when it came to the paint area, which is where the Wildcats did most of their damage.

Koa Peat was a man amongst boys down low, as he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Motiejus Krivas controlled the paint with nine points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.

The Wildcats outscored the Sharks 50-26 in the paint. It was too easy for the No. 1 seed, as the Sharks never stood a chance. The size and strength of this Wildcat team were too much for the Sharks to handle.

Peat Opening Dunk 

Peat opened up the game, making a statement. On the Wildcats first possession, he caught the ball down low, missed a layup, then bullied his way for the offensive rebound and threw down a hard slam for two.

This showed what kind of game it was going to be and set the tone for the Wildcats moving forward.

Controlled the Glass

To go along with the points in the paint, the rebounding ability from the Wildcats led to a lot of those points in the paint. Tobe Awaka, Peat, and Krivas were simply bigger and stronger than the Sharks.

The Wildcats' big man trio combined for 22 rebounds. They outrebounded the Sharks as a team 52-31.

Burries Logo 3-pointer

Brayden Burries showed why he is a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He led his team with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. This Burries sequence, which led to a deep 3-pointer, summed up the game for the Sharks.

Bradley Block Into Three-Pointer

Jaden Bradley showed why he is the Big 12 Player of the Year. His dominance was on display on both sides of the ball. He recorded three steals and a key block, which led to his lone 3-pointer on the other end.

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Caleb Meadows
CALEB MEADOWS

Caleb Meadows is a contributor to the UNC Tar Heels. He previously covered Louisville sports and WWE for FanSided. Meadows also covered local sports in Oklahoma while attending Oklahoma State, where he earned a degree in sports communications. Follow him on X, at @CalebMeadows25."