LIU Sharks vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, 3/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: LIU Sharks vs Arizona Wildcats

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026

Location: Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: LIU (+31)

The Arizona Wildcats (32-2) are welcoming the LIU Sharks (24-10) at Viejas Arena on Friday in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. LIU opens this game as 31-point dogs. The betting total comes in at 150.5.

The LIU Sharks played Mercyhurst and took home the win by a score of 79-70 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Sharks ended up finishing with 15 while Mercyhurst totaled 23 fouls. They buried 6 of their 11 tries from downtown. Mercyhurst finished the game at 66.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of their 12 shots. Additionally, Mercyhurst pulled down 26 boards (4 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Mercyhurst doled out 17 assists and had 4 steals for the contest. When talking about defending, LIU allowed the other team to go 47.5% from the field on 28 of 59 shooting. They also distributed 16 assists in the matchup as well as forcing 8 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When discussing rebounding, they compiled 33 with 6 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Sharks made 16 of 29 shots for a rate of 55.2%. LIU walked away from the contest with a 55.8% field goal percentage (29 out of 52) and knocked down 5 of their 9 shots from downtown.

Greg Gordon is a guy who was a contributor for this contest. He finished 60.0% from the field and dished out 4 assists. He saw the court for 31 minutes and also collected 3 boards. He accounted for 24 points on 12 out of 20 shooting.

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LIU enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 24-10 this year. They turn the ball over 13.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 17.6 fouls per game. As a team, LIU is collecting 35.0 boards per contest and has 464 dimes this year, which is 150th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Sharks are connecting on 36.1% on three-point attempts (203 of 562) and 66.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 74.1 points per outing (230th in Division 1) while shooting 48.1% from the field.

Defensively, the Sharks are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game and they draw 17.5 fouls. They are giving up 31.9% on 3-pointers and they are 104th in college in PPG from their opponents (71.1). The Sharks are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.5% (874 of 1,964) and they concede 33.2 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 178th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 430 conceded this season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Arizona Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 79-74 against Houston. The Wildcats were able to collect 20 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 31 in this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while getting 9 steals for the game. Houston committed 16 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 27 tries. They were able to bury 23 of them for a rate of 85.2%. In terms of three-point shots, Arizona converted 6 out of their 13 attempts (46.2%). At the conclusion of this game, the Wildcats went 25 out of 54 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.3%. The Wildcats permitted Houston to bury 28 of 64 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 43.8% in this game. They went 38.1% from beyond the arc by shooting 8 out of 21 and ended up going 10 of 14 from the charity stripe (71.4%). Regarding team rebounding, Arizona permitted Houston to snag 26 in total (10 offensive).

Brayden Burries ended up being important for the Wildcats in this matchup. He knocked down 6 out of 10 for this contest for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and earned 2 rebounds. He had 21 points in his 33 mins of playing time and totaled 3 assists in this contest.

Arizona has a record of 32-2 on the season. The Wildcats are committing 16.0 personal fouls per game while shooting 73.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.9 times per game (29th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per contest. Arizona has totaled 2,929 pts so far this season (86.1 per contest) and they collect 42.5 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are shooting 50.2% from the floor, which ranks them 11th in college.

The Arizona defense concedes 31.4% on shots from distance (249 of 792) and their opponents are connecting on 71.5% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 12.0 assists and 31.7 boards per game, which is ranked 70th and 39th in college hoops. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 54th in the nation in PPG allowed with 68.8. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.2% from the field (9th in Division 1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take LIU (+31)

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