March Madness has arrived. Arizona men’s basketball justified its No. 2 seed by winning their first two games of the NCAA tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah and advancing to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, track and field hosted the Willie Williams Classic where senior sprinter Trayvion White-Austin broke a 33-year-old school record previously held by one of the most prestigious alumni in Arizona athletics history.

Player of the Week

Trayvion White-Austin – Sprinter, track and field

On Saturday, March 24, senior sprinter Trayvion White-Austin broke a 33-year-old school record in the 100-meter dash at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson.

White-Austin ran the 100m in 10.14 seconds, securing both the school record and a first-place finish in the event. The Tucson native and Sahuaro High School graduate was also a part of the relay team that finished first in the men’s 4×100 meter event, along with sophomore Brian Limage, sophomore James Onanubosi and junior Tyson Tippett. The team ran the race in 39.36 seconds.

White-Austin also holds the school record for the indoor 60m and 200m and was a member of the team that broke the school record for the outdoor 4×100 meter last year.

The previous record holder was Olympic bronze medalist Michael Bates who, in addition to being an alumnus of Arizona track and field, also played football as a running back, wide receiver and kick returner. Bates went on to a successful NFL career in which he was selected to five Pro Bowls between 1996 and 2000 and was selected as a kick returner on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Team of the Week

Men’s basketball

There wasn’t a single player that could be pointed out as having a clear standout performance in Arizona’s pair of victories to kick off the NCAA Tournament. Both the destruction of California State University, Long Beach and the double-digit victory over the University of Dayton were true team efforts.

Though Arizona was heavily favored in both games, nothing can be taken for granted in March. If anyone understands this, it’s the Wildcats, who just a year ago were stunned in the Round of 64 by the No. 15 seed Princeton University. That game loomed large over the Wildcats during the Thursday matchup with Long Beach State, which the Wildcats only led by 6 after a shaky first half. However, a dominant second half in which the Wildcats outscored Long Beach State 44-30 allowed the Wildcats to pull ahead for a 20-point victory, advancing to the Round of 32. Kylan Boswell led the team in scoring, dropping 20 points on 8-19 shooting, including four 3-pointers.

On Saturday, Arizona rode another strong team performance, including 23 points from its bench, to a 78-68 victory over Dayton. The Wildcats were able to capitalize on strong shooting and scoring down low, combining to shoot 28-53 from the field and scoring 38 points in the paint.

Arizona heads to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years under head coach Tommy Lloyd. In 2022, the No. 1 seed Wildcats failed to advance to the Elite Eight, losing to the No. 5 seed University of Houston 72-60. The Wildcats will play No. 6 seed Clemson University on Thursday, March 28, for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.

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