Arizona's Depth Shines in 92-58 Thrashing of Long Island University

[WILD]

Arizona's Depth Shines in 92-58 Thrashing of Long Island University

The Arizona Wildcats opened their NCAA Tournament run with a statement performance, blowing out Long Island University 92-58 in the first round of the West Region on Friday. As the No. 1 seed, Arizona led wire-to-wire and built a commanding 53-29 halftime edge at Viejas Arena in San Diego, never giving the No. 16 seed Sharks a chance to breathe. Brayden Burries caught fire early, dropping 18 points on the strength of four made threes, while Koa Peat added 15 points and Ivan Kharchenkov chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats' balance was on full display, with 10 players scoring and the bench contributing 29 points in a total team effort that pushed their record to 33-2.
Arizona's size and physicality overwhelmed LIU from start to finish, scoring 50 points in the paint and grabbing a 52-31 rebounding advantage that included 22 second-chance points. The Wildcats shot 57.6 percent from the field in the opening half and held the Sharks to a miserable 32.4 percent overall while forcing 15 turnovers. Motiejus Krivas anchored the defense with four blocks, and the Wildcats' depth shone through even on a quiet night for Jaden Bradley. It was the kind of dominant, low-drama win you'd expect from a top seed with championship aspirations, leaving no doubt that this group is locked in.

Up next on Sunday in San Diego, Arizona will face No. 9 seed Utah State in the second round with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. After handling business so efficiently against LIU, the Wildcats will look to carry that momentum forward against a dangerous Aggies squad that just punched its own ticket. If Arizona keeps rolling like this, they're positioning themselves perfectly for another deep March run.

[mvpreed2]

The 1st round of the NCAA Tournament is in the books!
On this edition of "What Reed Sees: LIU Edition"

Pros
A 12-2 run before the first timeout of the game? Damn Arizona! (+)

Nice to see Arizona knocking down shots from deep. Burries was 4/5. Kharchenkov was 1/1. 15pts from deep? (++)

Cons
Even though it is only 4pts? I am not satisfied that both of their FGs came as easy lay-ups! (-)

This is the third game that Bradley has been called for that damn arm-bar foul! Cut that **** out! (-)

Comments
I cannot lie. I am not expecting to have many negatives to say about this game. Arizona BETTER win big!

At this rate, I am wondering if Arizona is going to score 100pts?

Watching Krivas pass out of the post like that? It makes me wish he returns next season and is a focal point of the offense with so many freshmen/newcomers being called on to contribute.

If I were connected to Porter-Brown, I would be trying to use that Arizona footage for my highlight reel when I am trying to get an offer from club teams overseas. 

Conclusion
It is hard to have much to say about a game where you have been up by more than 15pts all game, and maintained a +25pt lead the entire 2nd half.

Next Up: Utah State
#BearDown

[KansasCityCats]

For a 10:35am start, this team came out and immediately threw punches.

Consistency and hustle from every Arizona player.

During the one "lull" in the second half, LIU displayed their talent. The Sharks won their conference for a reason and had a nice season, but couldn't compete with the best team in the NCAA field.