Wildcats vs Sharks: A Coach's Reunion

0:00On March 16th, Arizona's top-seated Wildcats face a unique challenge in the NCAA tournament against the 16th-seated Long Island Sharks on Friday. The matchup brings together Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and Sharks coach Rod Strickland, who once dazzled Lloyd as a Portland Trail Blazers point guard. During his high school days in the early 1990s, Strickland, a former All-American from DePaul, spent time with the Blazers after their back-to-back NBA finals runs. Now in his four-season at L.I.U., he's led the Sharks to the tournament by dominating the Northeast Conference, winning both the regular season and tournament titles with a 24-10 record. Lloyd remembers watching Strickland slice through defenses and still respects his long coaching path, from Kentucky affiliations to the G-League, Ignite. For Lloyd, it's a fun full-circle moment against a program with tournament history under its old L.I.U. Brooklyn name. Both teams grind inside, leaning on two-point shots over threes, with similar low volume

1:02from beyond the arc, around 16 attempts per game. L.I.U. plays at a steady pace, averaging 74 points, but struggles with free throws at 66.8% turnovers and rebounding, against bigger foes like Arizona. The Sharks rely on guards like Jamal Fuller at 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, plus Malachi Davis scoring 14.4. As 29.5 point underdogs in San Diego, they'll bring their energetic fins up fanchant, setting the stage for an intriguing, first round clash.