The Arizona Wildcats face the Akron Zips in the first round of the East Region of March Madness today at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Arizona is the No. 4 seed while Akron is the No. 13 seed.

Who will win the NCAA Tournament opener?

Follow our live score updates on the March Madness game today for the latest news, notes, highlights, reaction and analysis of the first-round NCAA Tournament game.

The winner of the game will advance to the second round on Sunday and face the winner of Friday's East Region game between No. 5 seed Oregon and No. 12 seed Liberty.

We know that Caleb Love can dominate for Arizona, but its good to have help. He might get it with Jaden Bradley in this game.

Bradley has a quick five points for the Wildcats, who have an 11-6 lead over the Zips.

Tavari Johnson has all six points for Akron early in this game.

The Wildcats have come out firing against Akron.

Arizona has taken four shots in this game, all of them 3-pointers, and it has made three of them to take a 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

Akron is 0-4 from the field.

The Wildcats aren't known as a 3-point shooting team, but they are feeling it early. Jaden Bradley, Trey Townsend and Caleb Love connected on their attempts.

The Arizona vs Akron game will start at about 4:50 p.m. MST after being moved back after the Maryland vs Grand Canyon game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Maryland beat Grand Canyon in that game, 81-49.

Arizona has a 92.7% chance to beat Akron in the game, according to ESPN's matchup predictor.

The site gives the Zips a 7.3% shot at defeating the Wildcats in Friday's first-round March Madness NCAA Tournament game.

The game between Akron and Arizona is scheduled to begin at 4:35 p.m. MST (7:35 p.m. Eastern time) and can be seen on truTV.

It can be streamed on Sling TV .

Lisa Byington, Robbie Hummel, Jalen Rose and Andy Katz are scheduled to be the announcing team for the game.

Arizona March Madness prediction: How far will Wildcats go in NCAA Tournament?

Arizona advanced to the NCAA Tournament by earning an at-large berth. It went 22-12 overall in the regular season and 14-6 in conference play. The Wildcats are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season under coach Tommy Lloyd.

Last season, Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 2 seed, beating No. 15 Long Beach State 85-65 in the first round and No. 7 seed Dayton 78-68 in the second round before falling to No. 6 seed Clemson, 77-72. The Wildcats haven't made the Elite Eight since 2015.

Arizona's first-round March Madness opponent, Akron, advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAC Conference tournament.

It went 28-6 overall in the regular this season and 17-1 in conference play.

It is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time and the third time in four seasons. It has never won a March Madness game.

Ready to win March Madness? Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool today!

The Wildcats are led by guard Caleb Love, who averages 16.6 points per game. They finished second in the Big 12 tournament, falling to Houston in the title game.

Arizona beat six ranked teams during the season.

March Madness NCAA Tournament odds: Who is favored to win 2025 national championship?

The Zips have lost only once in 2025.

They are led in scoring by Nate Johnson, who averages 14 points per game, and Tavari Johnson, who averages 13 points per game. The Zips have 10 players who average at least 6.3 points per game.

Arizona opened as a 15.5-point favorite over Akron in the game, according to March Madness odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook .

The Wildcats are -1600 on the moneyline, while the Zips are +850. The over/under (point total) is set at 166.5 points.

Arizona lost in the first round to Princeton in 2023, 59-55, and has had many disappointing first-round exits over the years. Have the Wildcats learned their lesson? They advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. Arizona is at its best when it is aggressive in going to the basket and doesn't settle for long 3-point shots. If it does that against Akron, the Wildcats should advance to the second round.

March Madness game picks, predictions: Who wins 2025 NCAA Tournament first-round games?

Arizona vs Akron picks, predictions: Who wins March Madness NCAA Tournament game?

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today .