BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Long Island University men's basketball team (24-10, 15-3 NEC) watched its name shown on the national stage on Sunday evening, as the No. 16-seeded Sharks will take on No. 1 seed Arizona in the First Round round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 20, in San Diego, California. 

This will be LIU's eighth NCAA tournament appearance in program history, and the first in the Sharks era of the program. LIU's last appearance in the big dance was in the 2017-18 season. 

This will be the second all-time meeting between the Wildcats and LIU, with Arizona winning the prior matchup 62-61 over then-No. 2 ranked LIU on Jan. 29, 1951 in Tucson, Arizona. 

LIU, the 2025-26 NEC regular season and tournament champion, enters the NCAA tournament after storming through the NEC, posting a 15-3 mark in conference play and a 24-10 overall record. LIU's 24 wins are the most in the Sharks era of the program, and the first 20-plus win season since the 2016-17 campaign. 

The Sharks won their seventh NEC Men's Basketball Tournament championship in program history on Tuesday, defeating No. 3 seed Mercyhurst University 79-70 in Brooklyn. Senior Greg Gordon and redshirt senior Malachi Davis led the Sharks with 24 points apiece, while junior Mason Porter-Brown (14) and graduate student Jamal Fuller (10) both finished scoring in double figures. 

Gordon received NEC Men's Basketball Tournament MVP honors, while Davis was recognized on the All-Tournament Team. 

This year's LIU squad features the NEC Defensive Player of the Year in Gordon, along with First-Team All-NEC selections in Fuller and Davis. The Sharks are led by the NEC Coach of the Year, fourth-year head coach Rod Strickland.