LIU vs. Arizona odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The 16th-seeded Long Island Sharks battle the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament West Region on Friday. LIU won the Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a 79-70 win over Mercyhurst on March 10, while Arizona claimed the Big 12 Conference title with a 79-74 win over Houston on Saturday. The Sharks (24-10), who have won five in a row, won the Northeast Conference regular season crown with a 15-3 mark in league play. The Wildcats (32-2), who are ranked second in the latest Associated Press poll, have won nine straight. They finished on top of the Big 12 regular-season standings with a 16-2 conference record.

Tip-off from Viejas Arena in San Diego is set for 1:35 p.m. ET. Arizona leads the all-time series 1-0, posting a 62-61 win in 1951. Arizona is a 30.5-point favorite in the latest LIU vs. Arizona odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 150.5. 

Before making any LIU vs. Arizona picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated LIU vs. Arizona 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations!

So who wins LIU vs. Arizona, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!