Arizona basketball's March Madness opponent is Long Beach State to open 2024 NCAA Tournament
As one of the top-ranked teams in the nation all season, we already knew that the Arizona men's basketball team would play in the men's NCAA Tournament for the third straight year even before the Pac-12 Tournament.
But we didn't know the Wildcats' opponent. Until now.
Tommy Lloyd's Arizona Wildcats are the No. 2 seed in the West Region of March Madness and will face No. 15 seed Long Beach State on Thursday at 11 a.m. Pacific time in Salt Lake City, looking to make a run at the NCAA Final Four, which will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale next month.
Arizona won its lone NCAA title under Lute Olson in 1997. Last season, it was upset by No. 15 seed Princeton in the first round as a No. 2 seed, 59-55.
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How Long Beach State advanced to March Madness
Arizona's first-round March Madness opponent, Long Beach State, advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big West Conference Tournament.
It went 21-14 overall in the regular this season and 10-10 in the Big West.
The team was the No. 4 seed in the conference tourney, but beat No. 5 UC Riverside, No. 1 UC Irvine and No. 2 UC Davis to earn the automatic bid.
It is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
The winner of the Arizona vs. Long Beach State game will face the winner of the No. 7 seed Dayton vs. No. 10 seed Nevada in the second round on Saturday.
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's March Madness opponent is Long Beach State in NCAA Tournament