PROVIDENCE, R.I.
The NCAA flew teams from Arizona and Kansas to Rhode Island for basketball, so a geography lesson is in order.
The stereotype of wild-and-free West Coast teams with no affection for defense doesn’t apply to the sixth-seeded Arizona Wildcats. They will batter teams with their strength and rebounding and they own a solid reputation for defense. But there are differences in style of play between Arizona and Wichita State, dramatic ones when broadened to look at the Pac-12 and Missouri Valley conferences.
The teams play in the NCAA Tournament first round on Thursday and the 11th-seeded Shockers (25-8) are a patient, low-mistake team that relies on unyielding defense.