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Inside The Wildcats

Social Media Reacts to Arizona’s Round of 64 Game Against Long Island

The Wildcats looked to advance to the Round of 32 with a win
Justin Backer|
Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots against LIU Sharks forward Jamal Fuller (33) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots against LIU Sharks forward Jamal Fuller (33) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Arizona Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats kicked off their NCAA Tournament run with a matchup against the 16th seed Long Island Sharks on Friday. 

Entering with an impressive 32-2 record that also includes a sweep of the Big 12 regular season, and conference tournament titles, the Wildcats looked to take care of business against the Sharks, and advance to the Round of 32. 

Social media was buzzing all afternoon as one of the top seeds in the tournament played its first game in the Round of 64.

Social Media’s Thoughts

“Arizona looks pretty good.

Wildcats up 12-2 and Rod Strickland can't wait for the media timeout.”

“Arizona looks so cool calm and ready for this”

“Yea Arizona is going to dominate everyone”

“In yesterday's presser LIU Forward Jamal Fuller started out by saying Arizona was not a good shooting team. Kinda feel like he's having a true FAFO moment right now lol.”

“Brayden is out of the gate HOT, making his first three threes ☄️”

“Arizona 34-18 at the U8 MTO. Malachi Davis had a great block on the 7'3" Krivas, and the refs blew the call. All ball. That is the way it has been going for LIU. LIU is shooting 30% while Arizona is 60% from the field. #LIUMBB #NECMBB”

“Arizona up 16 already when the opposing team is 4-8 from three, twelve minutes into the game is crazy. Even if they were on pace to go 26-26 from three they’d still be projected to lose by double digits”

“The first comment a player on LIU made when asked about Arizona is that they couldn't shoot.

Arizona is 6-9 from three in the first half.”

“Cats by 27.”

“Halftime: Arizona 53, LIU 29.”

“What a pass 😮‍💨

#MarchMadness @ArizonaMBB”

“Arizona leads 67-43 with 11:24 left”

“Kept wondering if there would be a lull, and we're there. Bit of a drop in intensity/energy/focus. Once up 61-29, Arizona now up 67-43. That's a 14-6 stretch for LIU. TV timeout comes at a good time.”

“2H 6:46 | Arizona 76, LIU 45

Sharks were starting to chip away in the second half, but a quick 9-0 run by the Wildcats has them up by 31.

@AZBandCatSports”

“2H 3:37 | Arizona 82, LIU 49

Sharks can't hang with the Wildcats' physicality down the stretch and are just 1 of their last 12 from the field.

@AZBandCatSports”

“Arizona has brought in the reserves after the U4 timeout

Calm and easy win as they begin their national championship quest”

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Justin Backer
JUSTIN BACKER

Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.