SAN DIEGO — The top-seed Arizona Wildcats opened their NCAA Tournament run with a commanding, wire-to-wire 92–58 win over No. 16 seed LIU on Friday morning at Viejas Arena, using a dominant first half and overwhelming depth to move into Sunday's second round, where the Wildcats will face No. 9 seed Utah State.

Arizona (33–2) set the tone immediately, racing out to a 12–2 start behind the trio of Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov and Jaden Bradley, and never looked back. The Wildcats shot 57.6% in the opening half, hit 6 of 10 from three and built a 53–29 lead at the break.

Freshman guard Brayden Burries powered Arizona's early surge with 18 points, including a scorching 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, repeatedly punishing LIU's defensive rotations. Kharchenkov was equally impactful, finishing with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Peat added 15 points and seven rebounds, asserting control in the paint.

For Kharchenkov, it is just his second double-double season with the other coming in the regular season opener against Florida on Nov. 3, 2025.

Center Motiejus Krivas anchored the interior with nine points, seven boards and four blocks, and Arizona's depth overwhelmed the Sharks—10 Wildcats scored, and the bench contributed 29 points.

Arizona dominated inside with 50 points in the paint and held LIU to just 32.4% shooting overall. The Wildcats also controlled the glass (52–31) and scored 22 second-chance points.

Bradley added seven points, five rebounds and four steals, expertly steering the offense while applying defensive pressure that forced LIU into 15 turnovers.

Arizona's largest lead reached 38 points late in the second half before Tommy Lloyd emptied the bench.

With the convincing opening-round win, the Wildcats move on to face No. 9 seed Utah State on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16. The Aggies advanced with their own first-round victory over Villanova.