Arizona got off to a great start, led Long Island 53-29 at halftime and buried the Sharks in a 92-58 NCAA Tournament first-round win on Friday. The Wildcats advance to a second-round game on Sunday against the winner between Utah State and Villanova.
Arizona continued to have great balance as Brayden Burries led four Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Koa Peat had 15 points and seven rebounds, Ivan Kharchenov finished with 14 points and 10 boards and Tobe Awaka scored 11 with eight off the backboards.
Arizona began the game with a 15-4 lead and never trailed. The Wildcats had their biggest lead at 38 points late in the game. Tommy Lloyd emptied his bench late with Dwayne Aristode playing with Addison Arnold, Sven Djompo, Sidi Gueye and Evan Nelson.
Iowa State was led by Mason Porter Brown with 15 points off the bench. Greg Gordon scored 12 points and Jamal Fuller 11 as the other Sharks in double figures. Arizona held Long Island to 32.4 percent from the field and eight of 27 on three-point attempts.
The Wildcats were efficient offensively, making 53.3 percent of its shots from the field on 16 assists and made six of their 13 three-point attempts. Arizona won the game with its dominance inside. The Wildcats outscored the Sharks 50-25 in the paint. had a 52-31 rebounding edge and 10 blocks.
Arizona won its 10th consecutive game after it lost two in a row in February. The Wildcats improved to 33-2 and are two wins away from tying the program record for victories in a season. Arizona was 35-3 in 1988 when they advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Gametimes for Sunday will be announced on Friday night at the conclusion of the first round. Kansas against California-Baptist and St. John's against Northern Iowa in the East Region are the other games in San Diego on Friday.