SAN DIEGO — LIU knows the narrative.
The Sharks understand the incredibly long odds.
They have seen the massive 30.5-point spread that favors their opponent, No. 1 seed and Big 12 champion Arizona.
Rod Strickland’s team doesn’t care.
The NEC regular-season and postseason champions are here in the NCAA Tournament, for the first time in eight years, for a reason.
“You’ve got to go in with the mindset that you’re going to win,” said Shadrak Lasu, LIU’s starting forward. “I think all of our guys have prepared all the way up to this moment for this game, and I think we all got the mindset that we’re going to come in and win.”
There is a connection to one of the two No. 16’s that knocked off a top seed.
Guard Greg Gordon played for Tobin Anderson at Iona — the same coach who led Fairleigh Dickinson to a shocking upset of Purdue in the 2023 tournament.
“He spoke belief into his team before they went out and did the unthinkable,” Gordon recalled. “That’s a big feature of it. He always talked about it and how they never backed down. They came in with just pride.”
There was a lot of pride coming out of LIU (24-10) on Thursday.
This is a program that won three games four years ago, in Strickland’s first season as the Sharks’ coach.
Each year, they have improved, and this winter LIU won its most games (24) since the 2011-12 campaign.
During this run, LIU and its fan section, “The Reef,” became an internet sensation due to the popular “Fins Up” rallying cry.
It’s a hand gesture in which fans raise their hands above their heads to form a dorsal fin.
It caught on — the LIU bench now takes part in “Fins Up” during games — and even Nebraska fans began doing it.
“I feel like the first ‘Fins Up’ is going to send shivers down everybody’s spine,” Gordon said. “I feel like even Arizona would do it. It’s such a great movement. Everyone loves it.”
LIU defends, leading the NEC in conference play in defending the 3 (30.1 percent) and blocked shots percentage (14.6), and are a top-50 team in offensive rebounding percentage.
The big three of Gordon, Malachi Smith and Jamal Fuller lead the way, averaging a combined 44.9 points per game.
Arizona (32-2) is one of the favorites to cut down the nets at the Final Four in Indianapolis next month.
LIU feels like it is prepared for this level of opponent.
It faced tournament teams Illinois and Georgia during the regular season.
“You have to be confident. I mean, there’s no way you can walk in any game feeling like you’re defeated,” said Strickland, the former Knicks point guard from The Bronx. “Our goal from the beginning was to win the regular season, win the conference, and then get to the dance, and then make some noise. That’s what it’s all about.
“And they are confident. But I’m sure they know what they’re up against, and that’s a good thing.”
The odds are obviously not in LIU’s favor.
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only two No. 16 seeds have defeated a No. 1 in 161 tries.
But Siena nearly upset Duke on Thursday afternoon, leading by as many as 13 in the second half before running out of gas in a 71-65 loss.
It has happened before, and one of them was fellow NEC school FDU.
The Knights were 23.5-point underdogs in 2024, and Anderson guided them to the shocking victory.
“I hope that he left a little bit of magic,” Gordon said, “so I can use it.”
Three keys to an LIU upset
Start fast
This is a key to any major upset. Put some doubt into the heads of the favorite. The longer the game is close, the more belief LIU will have, and the tighter Arizona could get. Under coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats have underachieved in the tournament. In 2023, Arizona lost as a No. 2 seed to No. 15 Princeton.
Make 3s
LIU doesn’t take a ton of 3-pointers (15.6 attempts per game), but they shoot 36.1 percent from distance. The Sharks need to make 10 from beyond the arc. It’ll be incredibly tough to score inside against Arizona’s mammoth front line anchored by 7-foot-2 Lithuanian center Motiejus Krivas.
Pray
Arizona is a national title favorite. The Wildcats have two losses all year, arguably the best point guard in the country in Jaden Bradley and are ranked in the top five in both offensive (fifth) and defensive (third) efficiency.
