Key matchup Arkansas must exploit to upset Arizona in March Madness Sweet 16

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Arkansas basketball is playing its best basketball at the right time, as John Calipari has this young Razorbacks team peaking in March. Arkansas rolled through the SEC Tournament and collected the conference title before heading into March Madness as a No. 4 seed, and they have not slowed down.

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A comfortable win over Hawai’i in the first round didn’t halt the progress at all for this Arkansas squad, and neither did a close test in the second round against No. 12 seed High Point. However, things are only getting tougher in the Sweet 16, as Arkansas will be faced with a massive challenge in the form of No. 1 seed Arizona.

The Wildcats won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and entered the NCAA Tournament on fire as the No. 2 overall seed. They had no problem with Long Island in the first round before swiftly disposing of No. 9 seed Utah State in the second round.

Arizona is arguably the most complete team in the country and is one of the favorites to cut down the nets. However, there is one thing Arkansas can rely on if it wants to pull off the upset in the Sweet 16.

Lean all the way into Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas

Sometimes, to pull off a stunning upset, you need to exploit a primary weakness on the other team. The problem with that is that Arizona doesn’t have many weaknesses. The Wildcats have a lot of experience all over their roster, so they will not be rattled by such a big moment. Arizona has a ton of size on the interior and rebounds the ball very well, with three bigs that can get the job done in Motiejus Krivas, Tobe Awaka and Koa Peat.

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Despite having all of that size, Arizona does not lack for shooting or athleticism. Brayden Burries and Anthony Dell’Orso can both get hot from beyond the arc, and Peat and Awaka are two of the most athletic bigs left in the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-26 04:42:00

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