Arizona will be running it back in Indianapolis in a week, just like the good ol’ days.
And now a team of a generation will try to win its second NCAA title in the same place it won its first one – Indianapolis – a quarter of a century ago.
It was Arizona’s 79-64 win over Purdue that gets it there.
It’ll be Arizona’s 5th in school history (1988, 1994, 1997 and 2001).
They’ve been so close so many times, but it’s this one that has gotten them there.
It took Lute Olson five seasons to get Arizona to the Final Four; ditto for Tommy Lloyd, who has reminded many of Olson in his style of letting the players play (within reason) and learn from their actions.
Lloyd praised Olson after the game on the TV broadcast and again in his postgame presser.
“Lute has given me a great life,” Lloyd said, adding he’s looking down on this team and is “happy.”
He added later: “His legacy in Tucson is so powerful. He’s the guy. There (are) others before him, but he’s the main catalyst to make our program the center of the community.”
Now, they will rally behind Lloyd again for another weekend of basketball as UA takes a school-record 36 wins into the Final Four – a place this team seemed destined to get to from early in the season having beaten Florida, Connecticut, Alabama and so many, many more.
Saturday night, it came in a haboob-like second half was the difference after a lax first half. But were you worried, given Arizona that the Wildcats have been a second half team all season?
“They wear you down,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter.
Saturday night, Arizona did what it had done all season – defend, share the ball, run and push the punishment.
It’s what they did in game one in Las Vegas against defending champion Florida and 38 games later against Big Ten power Purdue.
Purdue never really had a chance in the second half once Arizona eased back the lead and then poured it on.
NEVER. HAD. A. CHANCE.
“These dudes have been unbelievable,” Lloyd said of the second half and what was done at halftime. “This is when we’re at our best. I said, guys, the coaching staff and I are going to leave right now. You guys got a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves and kind of figure this deal out, and let’s go kick their ass in the second half.”
And they did.
“They’ll wear you down,” Painter said. “Their ability to get the ball in the paint. Whether that’s getting an offensive rebound, whether that’s driving the basketball. So, if you look how they play, they don’t shoot and really make a lot of 3s, but their ability to get by you, their ability — they have such good positional size and quickness.”
Again, it was typical Arizona basketball with Lloyd figuring things out.
Koa Peat with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Brayden Burries with 14 points and three steals.
Jaden Bradley added 14 points and six assists.
Ivan Kharchenkov with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Again, it was Arizona basketball – a star here, a star there, everywhere a star.
“All these dudes, I was literally a spectator like you were in that second half,” Lloyd said. “ That’s what it felt like. (He’s) so proud of these guys for what they did, for our program, and obviously our community.”
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