NCAA Tournament notebook: Arizona freshmen ace first postseason test
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats goes after the ball during the second half against the Long Island University Sharks in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images SAN DIEGO—It had been 26 years since Arizona had three freshmen in the starting lineup of an NCAA Tournament game.
That trio ( Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner and Luke Walton ) formed the corp of the 2001 squad that would make it to the national championship, the last time the Wildcats reached the final weekend of the tourney. There will be no second go-around with this group. At least two, if not all three, will be gone when this season ends, and so far they’re making the most of what figures to be their lone NCAA Tournament experience.
Brayden Burries , Ivan Kharchenkov and Koa Peat combined for 47 points in the 92-58 win over No. 16 seed Long Island. Include in Dwayne Aristode and Sidi Gueye and freshmen contributed 55 points, 28 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks.
“I don’t look at them as freshmen, I just look at them as really good basketball players,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “These guys, they have high IQs, they have great character and obviously they’re talented basketball players. And they put the work in.
So when you have that combination of elements, I don’t think it matters what year you are in school. And I would have been more surprised had they come out and been a little bit nervous today than play the way they did. ” While Arenas had 16 in that 2000 first round win over Jackson State, Gardner and Walton would each score only three and as a group those freshmen were 7 of 24 from the field.
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