Arizona Wildcats take on LIU Sharks in March Madness Round 1

Top-seeded Arizona looks to advance past No. 16 seed LIU in NCAA Tournament opener

Mar. 20, 2026 at 6:50am

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The top-ranked Arizona Wildcats will face off against the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Arizona, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, is making its fifth straight tournament appearance under head coach Tommy Lloyd. LIU, the No. 16 seed, earned an automatic bid by winning the Northeast Conference tournament championship in Rod Strickland's fourth season as head coach.

Why it matters

This matchup pits a perennial March Madness power in Arizona against an underdog LIU squad making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since becoming the Sharks. While Arizona is heavily favored, LIU will look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history and advance to the second round.

The details

Arizona is led by junior guard Brayden Burries, who tops the team in scoring and steals. LIU is paced by a trio of standouts in Jamal Fuller, Greg Gordon, and Malachi Davis. The Wildcats are making their 35th NCAA Tournament appearance and won the national title in 1997. This is LIU's eighth trip to the Big Dance in program history, with the last coming in 2018 as the Blackbirds.

  • The game will tip off at 1:35 p.m. ET on Friday, March 20, 2026.
  • Arizona last made the Elite Eight in 2015.
  • LIU's last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2018.

The players

Tommy Lloyd

Head coach of the Arizona Wildcats, in his fifth season leading the program.

Brayden Burries

Junior guard for Arizona, the team's leading scorer and steals leader.

Rod Strickland

Head coach of the LIU Sharks, in his fourth season leading the program.

Jamal Fuller

Senior guard for LIU, one of the team's top offensive contributors.

Greg Gordon

Junior forward for LIU, another key player in the Sharks' offense.

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What they’re saying

“We must be ready for a tough battle against a scrappy LIU team. They earned their way here and will be hungry to pull off the upset.”

— Tommy Lloyd, Head Coach, Arizona Wildcats

“This is a dream come true for our program to be in the NCAA Tournament. We're going to leave it all on the floor against Arizona.”

— Rod Strickland, Head Coach, LIU Sharks

What’s next

The winner of the Arizona-LIU matchup will advance to face the winner of the game between No. 8 seed San Diego State and No. 9 seed West Virginia in the second round on Sunday, March 22.

The takeaway

This first-round clash pits a perennial March Madness power in Arizona against an LIU squad making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly a decade. While the Wildcats are heavily favored, the Sharks will look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history and advance to the second round.