The Arizona Wildcats begin their quest for the Final Four against the No. 16 seed, Long Island University Sharks. This contest is taking place today at 1:35 p.m. ET in San Diego, California, and is a Round of 64 matchup. Arizona enters this game on a nine-game winning streak, while Long Island has won five straight.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is -30.5 with the game’s over/under sitting at 150.5 points. Check out my best bet for today’s No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup between Arizona and Long Island.
Long Island University vs. Arizona (1:35 p.m. ET)
As expected in a 16 vs. 1 matchup, on KenPom, Arizona is ranked No. 2 while Long Island is No. 215. Long Island’s offensive rating is 239th, while its defensive rating is 187th. The Wildcats have the third-best defensive rating and fourth-best offensive rating in the country.
Arizona enters this tournament with the best team of the Tommy Lloyd era. They have five players averaging double-digit points per game, with Tobe Awaka leading the team in rebounds at 9.5. Brayden Burries (15.9 PPG) and Koa Peat (13.6 PPG) are Arizona’s star freshman duo and are their top two scorers. The Wildcats average 86.1 points per game, 12 more than Long Island, while only allowing 68.8 points.
Long Island beat Mercyhurst to win the Northeast Conference Championship and is 13-2 in its previous 15 contests. Jamal Fuller is their leading scorer and averages 16.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks, and one steal per game.
This season, Arizona has faced seven lower-level teams: Utah Tech, Northern Arizona, Denver, Norfolk State, Abilene Christian, Bethune-Cookman, and South Dakota State. In those games, Arizona has dominated, winning by at least 29 points in sex of seven. During Arizona’s current winning streak, they have only two 20-plus-point wins, because six of their last nine victories have been against ranked opponents. Tommy Lloyd has led Arizona to the Sweet Sixteen in three of his first four seasons in Tucson, but this year, they are poised to make a deeper run. Even though they don’t have the greatest opponent in their first matchup, Arizona will show up and prove once again that they are the best team in college basketball.
