Arizona’s Brayden Burries feels it early in 1st-round win vs. LIU

Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries looked right at home at the NCAA Tournament in a 92-58 win over Long Island in the first round on Friday.

The guard caught fire in a hurry, connecting on four of his first five three-pointers on his way to a game-leading 14 first-half points.

Brayden Burries is a PROBLEM 😤#MarchMadness @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/WDNdwAO8LB

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026

His only non-3-pointer? A rim-rocking dunk.

He finished with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with five rebounds, two assists and a block in 28 minutes.

“It was fun. Just enjoying the moment with my teammates and just being grateful and being where my feet are,” Burries told reporters postgame. “Not worrying about the future or the past.”

Burries continues to be a problem for opposing defenses in his first season as a Wildcat.

Heading into Friday’s game, the guard was averaging 15.9 points on 49.2% shooting and 36.7% from long range. He’s added 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals across 29.5 minutes per game.

He paced the Wildcats with 13 games of at least 20 points and is on his way to a 14th.

Burries’ efforts this season earned him All-American honorable mentions from the USBWA and Associated Press.

He’s also worked himself into the NBA Draft Lottery conversation. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Burries going 10th overall to the Chicago Bulls in his mock draft.

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