Arizona Men's Basketball Faces LIU in NCAA Tournament Opener

Top-seeded Wildcats open as heavy favorites in Friday morning matchup

Mar. 16, 2026 at 1:21am

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The No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats will take on the No. 16 seed Long Island University (LIU) Sharks in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday morning. The game will tip off at 10:35 a.m. PST and will be televised on TNT.

Why it matters

Arizona enters the tournament as one of the top teams in the country and is expected to make a deep run. However, No. 16 seeds have pulled off historic upsets before, so LIU will be looking to play the role of Cinderella and pull off the massive upset.

The details

Arizona has opened as a 29.5-point favorite over LIU, which would be the largest spread for an Arizona NCAA Tournament game since at least 1996. The over/under for the game is set at 152.5 points. If Arizona advances, they will face the winner of the No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State matchup in the Round of 32.

  • The Arizona vs. LIU game will tip off at 10:35 a.m. PST on Friday, March 21, 2026.
  • The Villanova vs. Utah State game will tip off approximately at 1:10 p.m. PT on Friday, March 21, 2026.
  • The Round of 32 tip-off times will be announced on Friday night.

The players

Arizona Wildcats

The No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats are one of the top teams in the country and are expected to make a deep run in the tournament.

Long Island University (LIU) Sharks

The No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the LIU Sharks will be looking to pull off a historic upset over the heavily favored Wildcats.

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What’s next

The winner of the Arizona vs. LIU game will face the winner of the Villanova vs. Utah State game in the Round of 32 on Sunday, March 23, 2026.

The takeaway

This matchup features a clear David vs. Goliath scenario, with the top-seeded Wildcats heavily favored over the underdog Sharks. However, March Madness is known for its unpredictability, so LIU will be looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.