Finally … the Final Four for Arizona.
The 25-year drought is over. The demons from that collapse against Illinois are exorcised. Those two excrutiating losses to Wisconsin — a distant memory.
No. 1 Arizona dominated No. 2 Purdue in the second half, outscoring the Boilermakers 48-26, to pull away to a 79-64 victory Saturday night at San Jose’s SAP Arena.
“What I’m most happy for are these Arizona fans,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said to the crowd after taking the mic from TBS’s Allie LaForce. You guys deserve this. There’s a good-looking guy with white hair (Lute Olson) looking down on us who’s happy.”
Arizona (36-2) a school record with its 36th win while earning their 13th straight victory. The Wildcats eclipsed the 35 wins of the iconic 1987-88 team with Sean Elliott of Steve Kerr that finished 35-3.
The Wildcats will next play next Saturday against the winner of Sunday’s Elite 8 game between Tennessee and Michigan. The Final 4 is at Indianapolis, site of the 1996-97 championship won by the Wildcats and Olson.
Koa Peat had 20 points and seven rebounds, matching Purdue’s physicality around the basket.
“Very rewarding,” Peat said of Arizona rallying from behind for the win. “I’m just proud of the guys. We kept fighting. We fought through adversity. We’ve been through this; we played teams like that. We played in the Big 12, so, I mean, we’re ready for the challenge. We’ve faced adversity. I’m just proud of the guys.”
His freshman teammates — Ivan Kharchenkov and Brayden Burries — also showed their mettle.
Kharchenkov finished with 18 points and eight rebounds and Burries had 11 of his 14 points in the second half.
Jaden Bradley contributed 10 of his 14 points in the second half, leading Arizona’s 51.6% shooting performance in the second half.
On the flipside, Braden Smith, who dictated the flow of the game in the first half with 11 points, did not make a shot in his four attempts from the field in the second half. He missed both of his 3-point tries and had two turnovers.
Arizona’s 38-31 deficit at halftime turned into a 51-45 lead less than eight minutes into the second half.
Lloyd said he told his team at halftime, “We’re fine. We had a little bad stretch in the end of the first half. These guys. winning’s in their DNA. Like I always say, ‘Hey, they’re better players that I’m a coach and I’m just so proud of them.”
Arizona trailed for the first time in the NCAA tournament when Smith made a 3-pointer with 15:44 left in the first half to put the Boilermakers ahead 10-9.
The Wildcats followed that with a 10-2 run to go ahead 19-12 with 12:37 remaining in the half.
But after the run, Arizona only made three more shots from the field in the half.
The Wildcats were 3 of 14 to end the half and went 11 of 27 (40.7%) from the field at halftime, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range while Purdue was 7 of 14 from that range.
Purdue led 38-31 at that point behind the play of Smith, who had 11 points and four rebounds.
The Boildermakers outrebounded Arizona 20-15, including eight offensive boards.
Purdue reseve guards Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris combined for 10 points, shouldering the load after Trey Kaufmann-Renn picked up two early fouls.
Arizona started to heat up with its shooting at the start of the second half, making four consecutive from the field as part of a run that tied the game at 42 with 15:53 left. Peat made two of the shots and tapped on his chest as if to signal to get him the ball.
The Wildcats continued their hot shooting, with their 16-3 run opening a 51-45 with 11:46 left.
Purdue started the half 3 of 13 from the field, 0 of 3 from 3-point range.
The lead increased to 59-49 with 8:46 remaining on a Peat put-back of his own miss.
A dunk by Peat — an Arizona native who starred at Chandler Perry High School — off a feed from Motiejus Krivas put the Wildcats ahead 68-55 with 5:35 left.
“They call him Mr. Arizona for something,” Lloyd said. “Four state championships at the same high school. Didn’t go to a prep school. Four gold medals with USA Basketball. No one in FIBA history has ever done that, and he helped lead Arizona to a Final Four.
“That was my recruiting pitch — four, four and four, let’s do it. The dude, he’s amazing … like his ability to perform the way he did in the in these moments … he’s been in a lot of them.”
Burries’ eight points in the last 7:32, including two 3-pointers, knocked out the Boilermakers with an 18-point lead with less than a minute left.
Arizona dominated Purdue despite shooting 5 of 15 from 3-point range. Only five 3-pointers made but a 15-point victory over an experienced, formidable Purdue team?
“We like paint points,” said Lloyd referencing Arizona 40-24 edge in the paint. “We like free throws (20 of 22 compared to 8 of 13 for Purdue). We’ll take 3s here and there. Like we say. ‘We’re gritty, and if we’re not gritty, we’re the word that rhymes with gritty.'”
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