For the first time since 2022, San Diego State is hosting the first and second rounds of March Madness at Viejas Arena. The early slate consisted of a highly anticipated matchup between viral sensation LIU (16) and the mighty University of Arizona (1), as well as an unpredictable battle between Villanova (8) and Utah State (9).

Game 1: Arizona 92 LIU 58

The first game of the day was an absolute demolition. Arizona put on an electric display of physicality and tenacity to exasperate LIU throughout the entire match, earning themselves a blowout 92-58 victory.

The Wildcats were the unsurprising favorite coming into the game and certainly lived up to that billing. They outrebounded the Sharks at an astronomical level, while also maintaining a steady pace of play.

“We work on our rebound instincts every single day,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd of Arizona. “We want our rebounding mentality to be more based on instincts than habits or techniques. It’s something we value and work on every single day.”

The biggest factor that led to Arizona coming out victorious was forcing LIU to stray away from their style of play, forcing them to shoot more outside shots than they were comfortable with. On the other hand, Arizona was making more than 50% of their threes, allowing them to pull away pretty comfortably.

“Yeah, I think their game plan was just to close out short and force us to shoot 3’s and hopefully they rebound it,” said freshman Brayden Burries. “Today we made our shots and the game was in our favor.”

LIU has no reason to hang their heads too low with the success that their season brought. The NEC champs returned to the tournament for the first time since 2018. Just three years ago, they only won three games and in that short span, they have returned their program to glory.

“Going from 3 wins to 24 wins – I think I’ve done a lot in my basketball career – it was a personal growth and a personal challenge to be able to conquer something else,” said LIU head coach and basketball hall of famer Rod Strickland.

Arizona, on the other hand, showed everyone that they are a national championship favorite. A tremendous team effort resulted in all five starters obtaining five or more rebounds, with senior Tobe Awaka racking up 8 more of his own off the bench. As a team, the Wildcats obtained 52 rebounds, 21 more than the Sharks.

Despite the loss, LIU had three players finish in double figures: Jamal Fuller (11), Greg Gordon (12) and Mason Porter-Brown (15). Likewise, Arizona had numerous double-digit scorers, with Brayden Burries (18), Koa Peat (15), Ivan Kharchenkov (14) and Tobe Awaka (11), three of the four being freshmen.

When asked about the sense of readiness his freshmen players had heading into the tournament, Coach Lloyd had a confident answer.

“I don’t look at them as freshmen. I just look at them as really good basketball players. These guys, they have really high IQ, they have great character, and they’re talented basketball players,” he said.

The individual highlight performance in this game would have to go to Burries, who, along with his 18 points, finished with 5 rebounds, banging four threes along the way.

Game 2: Utah State 86 Villanova 76

The second game of the day, between Villanova (8) and Utah State (9), was the most absolute representation of March Madness.

The Wildcats and Aggies gave the fans of college basketball what they wanted to see with an explosively energetic back-and-forth showdown on national television. Ultimately, the tight-knit battle ended with Utah State pulling away for a 86-76 victory.

“They stayed the course and we kept chopping that lead down. I give our guys a lot of credit,” said Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun.

The first half consisted of clean basketball play, with the team that played the least clean basketball down at halftime. Utah State only racked up 5 turnovers, but trailed 39-37 at halftime because Villanova scored off those turnovers and managed just 1 of their own on offense.

“It was kind of an up and down game,” said Calhoun. “We didn’t value the possessions…that was very uncharacteristic of us.”

Early in the second half, the Wildcats started where they left off, going on a 9-1 run to take a ten-point lead. That lead would only stay put for a short stint as Utah State roared back within three minutes to tie the game at 54 apiece.

In a specific stretch, it was a back-and-forth battle between two players, Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay, who finished with 25 points on 50% shooting, and Utah State’s Mason Falslev. Falslev scored 6 straight and Lindsay scored 5 straight to keep the game in its seesaw fashion.

“I think we took enough 3’s and for me personally, I just got going early,” said Lindsay. “My teammates found me. I found an open slot in the distance and I just let it fly.”

Eventually, after a couple of miscues by Villanova on offense and Utah State capitalizing on them, the Aggies slowly began to pull away. Before you knew it, the game had come to a close with Utah State earning a double-digit victory over the Big East foe.

“All you got to do is keep battling,” said Utah State player Drake Allen. “You can’t throw your hands up in the air. You just got to move on to the next play and keep on fighting.”

Both teams had more than enough double-digit scorers, but two from Utah State stood out the most. Falslev and his teammate, MJ Collins Jr., pulled through in the tightest moments, scoring tough buckets and both finishing with 20 or more points.

However, when he was asked about the end of the game and his clutch performance, Collins Jr. instead focused on the team defense that helped them prevail.

“We weren’t making threes, so we knew we had to rely on our defense. That’s what we are known for, getting our offense based off our defense,” said Collins Jr. An unselfish answer from an unselfish player.