PORTLAND, Ore. — Led by a couple career performances, second seeded Arizona men’s basketball cruised to a 93-72 win over 15 seed Texas Southern on Thursday to open up the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats (32-3) led by as much as 27 en route to their second round win over the Tigers (22-13). On Saturday, Arizona faces the winner of the seventh seed VCU and 10th seeded Ohio State in the Round of 32.
Eight Wildcats scored, including five in double-figures. Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored a career-high 23 points, shooting 9-for-10 from the free-throw line, and grabbed 10 rebounds despite fouls to get a double-double.
Arizona forward Stanley Johnson tied his career-high of 22 points and had five rebounds.
The Wildcats shot 60 percent from the field, 46 percent from beyond the 3-point and 89 percent from the free-throw line. The Tigers shot 47 percent, 42 percent from deep and 63 percent from the charity stripe.
TSU guard Madarious Gibbs led the Tigers with 15 points.
Game notes:
-Two seeds are 113-7 all-time against 15 seeds going into the 2015 tournament
-The Wildcats out-rebounded the Tigers 35-19
-Arizona outscored Texas Southern in the paint 48-30
-The Wildcats made 24 free throws and missed three
-EIght players had three or more fouls, three had four and two fouled out
-Baylor, the three seed in Arizona’s region, lost to No. 14 seed Georgia State
Check in with us later today for a full recap and analysis column from today’s Arizona win.
