SEATTLE—Arizona has always prided itself on being a team that can run, but after a full season of physical play in the Big 12 Conference it had become accustomed to a slightly less accelerated pace. Akron wanted to push the pedal to the ground, though, and for a little while the Wildcats looked uncomfortable playing that fast.
But once the UA got its under control, Akron had no chance.
The 4th-seeded Wildcats shot over 50 percent in both halves, made nearly twice as many 3-pointers as their opponents and absolutely dominated on the boards in a 93-65 win over the 13th-seeded Zips in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening at Climate Pledge Arena.
Arizona (23-12) will face 5th-seeded Oregon, which beat No. 12 Liberty, in Sunday’s second round, in a battle of former Pac-12 rivals.
Jaden Bradley scored 19, Trey Townsend had 16, Carter Bryant 12 and both KJ Lewis and Caleb Love each added 10 for the Wildcats, who will play Sunday against either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 Liberty. Arizona shot 56.5 percent, going 12 of 25 from 3, and outrebounded Akron 53-22 with 15 offensive rebounds leading to 18 points.
The 12 3-pointers were the most for the UA in an NCAA Tournament game in school history, while the 53 rebounds were 3rd-most and most since 1998.
Akron (28-7) shot just 33.3 percent and made only 7 of 25 3-point attempts. The Zips were outscored 48-20 in the points, though they turned 16 Arizona turnovers—most since the loss at Kansas State in early February—into 13 points. Twelve of those turnovers were in the first half, keeping the game close for the first 20 minutes.
Arizona led 41-31 at halftime thanks to 54.5 percent shooting, but the turnovers and an 0 for 5 performance at the line kept it from being a bigger margin. But the first three minutes of the second half saw the Wildcats extend the lead to 50-33 thanks to three points apiece from Bradley, Townsend and Anthony Dell’Orso.
It was a 20-point lead less than five minutes past the break, after which the UA kept it at 16 or higher the rest of the way and 20-plus the final 9:28. It turned it over just once in the first 15-plus minutes of the second half, taking away Akron’s best chance to get back in it.
Arizona began the game with its best Akron impression, draining three 3-pointers in the first 1:49 for a quick 9-0 lead and a timeout called by Zips coach John Groce. The Wildcats didn’t attempt a 2-pointer for nearly the first three minutes, while Akron didn’t make a triple for more than six minutes.
The turnover issues started not long after the hot start, with the UA giving it up three times in just over 90 seconds, which allowed Akron to tie it at 11.
The Zips made their first open 3 midway through the first half, getting within 19-16, but then Arizona scored six in a row and maintained at least a 2-score lead the rest of the period. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 33-22 on a Love floater and built a 12-point lead late in the first half on a Bradley jumper.