Arizona Wildcats’ Freshmen Lead NCAA Tournament Win | Tommy Lloyd Strategy

March 22, 2026 Priya Shah – Business Editor Business

SAN DIEGO — Arizona’s improbable run through the NCAA Tournament continued Friday with a dominant 92-64 victory over Long Island University, fueled by a startlingly effective trio of freshmen. Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Ivan Kharchenkov combined for 47 points, leading the Wildcats to the second round of the tournament.

The reliance on first-year players marks a significant shift in strategy for Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, who said the experience of losing to Duke in the Sweet 16 last season prompted him to prioritize recruiting and developing young talent. Arizona lost to Duke 74-73 in the Sweet Sixteen on March 28, 2025.

“Honestly, I don’t look at them as freshmen,” Lloyd said after the win. “I just look at them as really good basketball players. These guys have high IQs, they have great character and obviously they’re talented basketball players. And they place the function in.”

Burries, returning to his home state of Southern California, led all scorers with 18 points. Peat added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Kharchenkov recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. It was the fifth double-double by an Arizona freshman in the NCAA Tournament and the first since 2018, when Deandre Ayton achieved the feat.

Lloyd’s decision to build around freshmen came after evaluating the changing landscape of college basketball, particularly the transfer portal. He believed that securing high-level recruits would be more sustainable and cost-effective than relying on transfers. “The COVID eligibility was kind of timing out,” Lloyd explained. “I didn’t feel there was going to be as many quality transfers in the transfer portal, for one. And, two, I thought it was going to be overpriced.”

Arizona’s current rotation features four freshmen, with Burries, Peat, and Kharchenkov all averaging more than 27 minutes per game and scoring in double figures. Dwayne Aristode, the fourth freshman, provides valuable spacing off the bench, shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc.

The Wildcats’ success with freshmen isn’t solely attributable to talent. Lloyd has emphasized instilling confidence and a competitive mindset in his young players. Both Peat and Burries have demonstrated a maturity beyond their years, according to Lloyd.

Burries echoed his coach’s sentiment, downplaying the significance of their youth. “We’re just focused,” he said. “Everybody’s in college still. Everybody plays each other, no matter if you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, so just go out there and hoop and have fun and be coachable.”

Prior to the tournament, Lloyd drew a parallel between the pressure of the NCAA Tournament and the experience of winning a state championship, a feat both Peat and Burries are familiar with. Peat won four consecutive state championships at Gilbert Perry High School, while Burries led Eastvale Eleanor Roosevelt High School to an Open Division state title last season, setting a state championship game record with 44 points, surpassing the previous mark of 35 set by former Arizona player Jordan Brown in 2017.

“I told our freshmen, ‘Hey, you guys won a state championship?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Then let’s go win another state championship,’” Lloyd said. “And the way you win a state championship, you win a state championship game by game. This just happens to have the word ‘national’ in front of it. But it’s no different approach.”