Arizona rolls to 93-65 win over Akron

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 21: Jaden Bradley #0 of the Arizona Wildcats shoots against Isaiah Gray #13 of the Akron Zips during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 21, 2025 in S (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

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SEATTLE - Jaden Bradley had 19 points, Trey Townsend added 16 and the Arizona Wildcats cruised to a first-round NCAA Tournament victory, 93-65, over the 13th-seeded Akron Zips on Friday night.

Arizona set the tone early as they quickly jumped out to a 9-0 lead behind a trio of 3-pointers by Bradley, Townsend, and Caleb Love. A quick timeout by Akron head coach John Groce did blunt the Wildcats' momentum as Akron did manage to push back.

"You always want to start making every single shot during every game, but we knew they were going to fight and come back," Townsend said. "It's March Madness. Everyone's playing with their season on the line, so we didn't let that inflate our egos too much because we knew they were going to battle, and I think our guys did a good job trying to stay as level as possible."

An 11-2 run followed out of the timeout with Tavari Johnson's six points leading the charge as Akron managed to tie the game. But the Zips never managed to take the lead and saw the Wildcats slowly pull away.

A thunderous block from Carter Bryant on James Okonkwo sparked a fast break for Arizona with Bryant finishing what he started with a two-handed slam as the Wildcats began to stretch the lead again. A 10-3 run by Arizona put the Wildcats back in command.

"I think I just give all the credit to my teammates and the coaching staff," Bryant said. "They have been getting on me all year to play harder, play harder, play harder, and I think obviously you want to play your best in March, but just making simple plays and making effort plays, they kind of stack up, and that's why runs happen."

Another slam from Bryant with 20 seconds left in the half pushed the lead to 12 before a Johnson buzzer-beater made it a 31-21 game at the break.

An 11-2 surge to open the second half further extended Arizona's lead. This time, Akron didn't have a response. After leading Akron with 13 points in the first half, Johnson was held scoreless over the final 20 minutes. The Zips were held without a field goal for over seven minutes as Arizona continued to push the lead.

"They stacked up lots of good moments within possessions, and I thought it was just tight as we played defensively all year against a team like that. With our switches and our coverages, I thought our guys did a great job," Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said.

Added Groce: "I thought they played really well in the second half, rebounded it really well. I thought our defense wasn't tight enough. You saw them get some open dunks and plays in and around the paint and the rim where we just weren't."

A dunk by Townsend off a rebound with four minutes left to play was an emphatic exclamation point on the performance by Arizona.

"Trey's put-back dunk. Yeah, that was probably the best one," Bryant said of the many dunks in the game.

The Wildcats are looking to reach the Sweet Sixteen for a second straight season. Despite being a No. 2 seed, Arizona lost to sixth-seeded Clemson, 77-72, in the Sweet Sixteen last year. Arizona hasn't reached the Elite Eight since 2015 and hasn't been to a Final Four since 2001.

The Source: Original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle