This is the Arizona you’ve been expecting. This is the Arizona team you’ve grown to love. This is the team that is 40 minutes away from its first Final Four in 25 years.
The West’s top-seed Arizona acted like their life depended on a win on Thursday night and played like it, beating No. 4 seed and overmatched Arkansas with ease, 109-88 in San Jose, Calif.
It’s the most points for Arizona in an NCAA game in 50 years.
You’ve seen this team before: against Florida in the season opener; against Houston in the championship game of the Big 12 tournament; against Kansas at home last month; against, well, you name the team. Arizona is now 35-2, tying a team record for wins in a season with more ahead.
Arizona had lost in four straight trips to the Swee16 … until Thursday night. Now, this is definitely the team you thought could make it to the Final Four.
Sweet(ness) 16.
Koat Peat said it’s the most fun he’s ever had, later adding : “I’m happy to do it with these special teammates and special people off the court as well. And special coaches. I just love the whole Arizona program.”
It’s been 11 years – a lifetime in Arizona basketball or so it seems – since Arizona has made it this far, back then losing to Wisconsin in back-to-back seasons. It will now face Purdue, which put away Sean Miller-led Texas.
In a game where the lead story in some circles was whether their head coach, Tommy Lloyd, would stay or go to North Carolina at some point, Arizona took control of the narrative with a dominating performance.
The kids took control – again, doing something that hadn’t been done since 1997 when Arizona won its one and only title.
Six UA players scored in double figures with Braden Burries getting 23 points (7 for 11), Koa Peat adding 21 (8 for 11), Ivan Kharchenkov added 15, Jaden Bradley and Mo Krivas each had 14 points and Tobe Awaka had 13.
Sharing is caring and it continued all night. In a season of pick your poison, Arizona was all poison all the time.
“I feel like this group of guys really don’t care (who stars),” said Bradley “We just care about when it says zero zero and that we’re winning at the end of the day.
“Off the court, we love each other. We’re supporting each other, whether it’s basketball and off-the-court stuff. Always playing games and doing stuff to build our culture. We really did a great job at the beginning of the season setting the foundation with culture, and it’s really showing and carrying on right now.”
Boy is it. Last week Arizona struggled a bit to create some concern. Thursday, it was a breeze.
Arizona – at least for one game – looked the part of the best team in the country. Arizona dominated from start to finish.
“I thought their talents were on full display, and their character and teamwork,” Lloyd said in his opening statement Thursday night. “I’m just really proud to be their coach.”
Arkansas coach John Calipari can see why. His team had little to no chance after the first few minutes, given Arizona jumped out early and then really poured it on late. Heck, even some of Arizona’s bad shots went in.
Arizona shot 64 percent from the floor and scored ?? points in the second half.
“They were on all cylinders, and we weren’t quite what we’ve been,” said Calipari. “That’s why you get a 20-point bulge. I said yesterday, every one of their guys, they’ve got a bunch of guys that can play, and they’ve got a couple other guys that do exactly what they need to do to help their team win. But they’re good.”
Thursday night, they were at the best when it counted the most.
