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The race to an NCAA championship continues on March 26 with several teams tipping off in the Sweet 16 . Tommy Lloyd's Arizona Wildcats (34-2) will square off against the Arkansas Razorbacks (28-8) at 6:45 p.m. at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
It will mark the 22nd appearance in the Sweet 16 for Arizona, which has advanced to this round in four of Lloyd's five seasons. He is the third coach in NCAA history to make the Sweet 16 in four of his first five seasons as head coach, joining Steve Lavin, who did so at UCLA, and Steve Fisher, who accomplished that at Michigan.
Arkansas leads the all-time series with Arizona, 6-2, but the Wildcats won the most recent meeting in 1995. The Razorbacks beat Arizona twice in the postseason — in the 1994 Final Four and in the 1949 district playoff.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup.
Arizona, which won both the Big 12 regular season title and the tournament title, advanced with a 92-58 first-round win over Long Island University and a 78-66 victory over Utah State.
Arkansas defeated Hawaii 97-78 and High Point 94-88. The Razorbacks finished tied for second in the SEC in the regular season with Alabama and behind Florida. Arkansas lost the SEC championship game to Vanderbilt 86-75.
Brayden Burries, freshman, guard, Arizona: Burries garnered Honorable Mention All-American accolades from USBWA and AP. He has scored 576 points this season, tied for third-most by a freshman in Arizona history (Ayton - 704; Bayless - 592). In the two tournament games, Burries has scored 34 points and snagged 14 rebounds. He is 11-for-17 from the field, including a 7-for-8 from long distance.
Jaden Bradley, senior, guard, Arizona: Bradley was named the Player of the Year in the Big 12, which says a lot. While his scoring average of 13.3 ppg looks rather pedestrian, he has a knack for knocking down clutch shots. Look no further than the semifinal Big 12 tournament win over Iowa State when he hit a game-winner at the buzzer. He is in his third year at the school after starting his career at Alabama.
Darius Acuff Jr., freshman, guard, Arkansas: The 6-foot-3 standout was named SEC Player of the Year. He has scored a combined 60 points in the two NCAA Tournament games. He also had 30 in the SEC tournament championship game against Vanderbilt. On the season, he is averaging 23.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.54 assists, and shooting 48.6% from the field.
Maleek Thomas, freshman, guard, Arkansas: The 6-foot-5 guard has been the backcourt complement to Acuff. He averages 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and shoots 43.4% fron the field and 85% from the line. In two tournament games, he has scored 40 points with nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. His season best of 30 points came against Missouri.
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona (fifth year, 146-35): Lloyd, 51, was named head coach April 14, 2021. He was an assistant coach at Gonzaga for 22 seasons before taking over in Tucson. His head coaching career got off to a record-breaking start, compiling a 61-11 mark in his first two years, setting an NCAA record for most wins by a coach in their first two seasons. His 88-20 mark through three seasons was the second-most wins in NCAA history for a coach in his first three seasons, and the most by a coach in a power conference. Lloyd is also the first power conference coach to win his conference tournament in his first two seasons after capturing the 2022 and 2023 Pac-12 Tournament titles in Las Vegas.
John Calipari, Arkansas (second year, 50-22, 905-285 overall in 34 years). With the overtime win at Missouri in the regular-season finale, Calipari recorded his 900th on-court win as head coach at an NCAADivision I program. With three wins in the SEC Tournament and reaching the Sweet 16, he sits at 905 career wins for fourth on the career list. The other four coaches to have at least 900 on-court wins as head coaches while at NCAA Division I programs: Mike Krzyzewski (1,202); Jim Boeheim (1,116); Rick Pitino (913), and Roy Williams (903).
Arizona 78, Arkansas 71: Few teams have played the level of competition Arizona has faced throughout the season, so the Wildcats are battle-tested. The team also has physical and mental toughness that some of its teams in the past have lacked. Lloyd's squad is versatile and has shown the ability to win with various styles of play, although the rugged inside game is its strength.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona, Arkansas NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament scouting report
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It will mark the 22nd appearance in the Sweet 16 for Arizona, which has advanced to this round in four of Lloyd's five seasons. He is the third coach in NCAA history to make the Sweet 16 in four of his first five seasons as head coach, joining Steve Lavin, who did so at UCLA, and Steve Fisher, who accomplished that at Michigan.
Arkansas leads the all-time series with Arizona, 6-2, but the Wildcats won the most recent meeting in 1995. The Razorbacks beat Arizona twice in the postseason — in the 1994 Final Four and in the 1949 district playoff.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup.
How they got there
Arizona, which won both the Big 12 regular season title and the tournament title, advanced with a 92-58 first-round win over Long Island University and a 78-66 victory over Utah State.
Arkansas defeated Hawaii 97-78 and High Point 94-88. The Razorbacks finished tied for second in the SEC in the regular season with Alabama and behind Florida. Arkansas lost the SEC championship game to Vanderbilt 86-75.
Key players
Brayden Burries, freshman, guard, Arizona: Burries garnered Honorable Mention All-American accolades from USBWA and AP. He has scored 576 points this season, tied for third-most by a freshman in Arizona history (Ayton - 704; Bayless - 592). In the two tournament games, Burries has scored 34 points and snagged 14 rebounds. He is 11-for-17 from the field, including a 7-for-8 from long distance.
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Jaden Bradley, senior, guard, Arizona: Bradley was named the Player of the Year in the Big 12, which says a lot. While his scoring average of 13.3 ppg looks rather pedestrian, he has a knack for knocking down clutch shots. Look no further than the semifinal Big 12 tournament win over Iowa State when he hit a game-winner at the buzzer. He is in his third year at the school after starting his career at Alabama.
Darius Acuff Jr., freshman, guard, Arkansas: The 6-foot-3 standout was named SEC Player of the Year. He has scored a combined 60 points in the two NCAA Tournament games. He also had 30 in the SEC tournament championship game against Vanderbilt. On the season, he is averaging 23.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.54 assists, and shooting 48.6% from the field.
Maleek Thomas, freshman, guard, Arkansas: The 6-foot-5 guard has been the backcourt complement to Acuff. He averages 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists and shoots 43.4% fron the field and 85% from the line. In two tournament games, he has scored 40 points with nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals. His season best of 30 points came against Missouri.
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Coaches
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona (fifth year, 146-35): Lloyd, 51, was named head coach April 14, 2021. He was an assistant coach at Gonzaga for 22 seasons before taking over in Tucson. His head coaching career got off to a record-breaking start, compiling a 61-11 mark in his first two years, setting an NCAA record for most wins by a coach in their first two seasons. His 88-20 mark through three seasons was the second-most wins in NCAA history for a coach in his first three seasons, and the most by a coach in a power conference. Lloyd is also the first power conference coach to win his conference tournament in his first two seasons after capturing the 2022 and 2023 Pac-12 Tournament titles in Las Vegas.
John Calipari, Arkansas (second year, 50-22, 905-285 overall in 34 years). With the overtime win at Missouri in the regular-season finale, Calipari recorded his 900th on-court win as head coach at an NCAADivision I program. With three wins in the SEC Tournament and reaching the Sweet 16, he sits at 905 career wins for fourth on the career list. The other four coaches to have at least 900 on-court wins as head coaches while at NCAA Division I programs: Mike Krzyzewski (1,202); Jim Boeheim (1,116); Rick Pitino (913), and Roy Williams (903).
Who will win and why
Arizona 78, Arkansas 71: Few teams have played the level of competition Arizona has faced throughout the season, so the Wildcats are battle-tested. The team also has physical and mental toughness that some of its teams in the past have lacked. Lloyd's squad is versatile and has shown the ability to win with various styles of play, although the rugged inside game is its strength.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona, Arkansas NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament scouting report
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