Arizona wins NCAA Tournament opener

Arizona allowed the Belmont Bruins just 20 points in the first half and banged the boards for 40 minutes, routing the Nashville team  81-64 today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

The Wildcats led at the end of the first half 32-20 and outscored the Bruins 49-44 in the final 20 minutes as four Arizona players ended up in double figures. Mark Lyons pumped in 23 points, hitting 8 of 15 shots from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Kaleb Tarczewski, Nick Johnson and Kevin Parrom chipped in a dozen points apiece.

Arizona out rebounded Belmont 42-15 and held the Bruins to 39 percent shooting from the field as Belmont canned  20 of 51 shots, while hitting just 8 of 27 from three-point land -- a cool 29 percent.

Eight Wildcats grabbed rebounds during the game with Parrom and Tarczewski tying for game honors in that category with eight apiece. Arizona shot 56 percent from the field, hitting 29 of 51 shots -- including a nine for 17 effort from beyond the three-point line.

And now hold on to your hat. Arizona (26-7) will play Harvard (20-9)  on Saturday with the winner moving on to the Sweet Sixteen. The 14th-seeded Crimson won their first-ever NCAA tournament game with a 68-62 upset win tonight over the three-seeded Lobos from New Mexico.