Bryce James Reacts to Girlfriend Sadie Johnson’s Clue About NCAA Tournament Absence

The No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team faces the No. 2-seeded Purdue Boilermakers squad in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 28.

This is a showdown between two of the country's top teams, and it appears to be an evenly-matched game that will likely come down to which team's biggest stars perform the best on the big stage. However, the biggest star on Arizona's roster, in terms of name value, isn't going to see the court on Saturday.

Arizona Wildcats guard Bryce James (6) | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Wildcats freshman guard Bryce James is the son of NBA legend and arguable GOAT LeBron James. Therefore, the spotlight is on him more than just about any other player his age.

And while Bryce would appear to have a bright future at Arizona ahead of him, the reality is that he redshirted his freshman year and didn't see any playing time. Therefore, while he would appear to be a key piece of the Wildcats' locker room chemistry, his impact will be limited throughout this season's NCAA Tournament run.

Bryce James’ Girlfriend Sadie Johnson’s NCAA Tournament Absence Explained by San Diego Post

Bryce James is still winning off the court. Not only is he raking in NIL money, but he's in a relationship with his girlfriend, Sadie Johnson.

It's unclear how long these two have been dating, but recent social media activity. But they have been together since at least the summer of 2024, and recent social media activity suggests that they're still going strong at this point.

Many girlfriends of top college players are supporting their men at the NCAA Tournament right now. However, Johnson isn't present during Arizona's run to the Elite Eight.

This was made clear by an Instagram post Johnson made on March 27. She was shown sitting at a restaurant with the location set as San Diego, California. The post was captioned, "sooo it’s not my bday🙈," which appears to be a reference to an espresso martini she has that had 'Happy Birthday Sadie' written on it.

It would seem that Bryce isn't upset about his girlfriend not being there to see his team play. This is conveyed by a comment he made on Johnson's post, which read, "Overy fine😍".

Perhaps Johnson will made the trip to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, if Arizona makes it there. Or perhaps she'll wait until Bryce becomes a part of Arizona's rotation before she begins to attend games.