The top-seeded Arizona opened the NCAA Tournament with a decisive 92–58 win over No. 16 Long Island, taking control early and never letting up.

The Wildcats (33–2) built a double-digit lead within minutes and extended it throughout, marking their largest NCAA Tournament victory margin since 1998. Freshman Brayden Burries led the way with 18 points, while Koa Peat added 15 and Ivan Kharchenkov recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds, becoming one of the few freshmen in program history to post a tournament double-double.

Arizona shot 53.3% from the field and held Long Island (24–11) to 32.4%, dominating inside with a 50–26 advantage in the paint and finishing plus-21 on the boards. The Wildcats also recorded 10 blocks in a strong defensive showing.

Leading 53–29 at halftime, Arizona pushed the margin past 30 early in the second half. A brief scoring drought allowed Long Island to cut into the lead, but the Wildcats quickly responded with an 11–0 run to put the game out of reach.

Arizona’s only inconsistency came at the free-throw line, where the team shot 22 of 33. Long Island, meanwhile, went 6 of 10 from the stripe but struggled to keep pace offensively despite brief success from beyond the arc.

With the win, Arizona advances to the second round, where it will face the winner of the matchup between No. 8 Villanova and No. 9 Utah State.