SAN JOSE — After trading runs, No. 1 Arizona pulled away in the second half to beat No. 2 Purdue, 79-64, to reach its first Final Four since 2001.
The Wildcats overcame their first deficit of the NCAA Tournament by sticking to their identity in the second half — getting to the rim, winning the rebounding margin and getting to the foul line.
Arizona scored 22 points in the paint in the second half, out-rebounded Purdue, 22-16, and shot 22 free throws to Purdue’s 16. The Wildcats did not commit a turnover in the second half.
Arizona trailed by seven at the half and had only trailed at the half in five previous games this season — the Wildcats won all of them.
While Purdue was the more experienced team, which starts four seniors, it was Arizona, which starts three freshmen, that looked the more poised and composed team down the stretch.
Freshman Koa Peat put on a sensational performance, finishing with a game-high 2o points, the most by a freshman in an Elite Eight game in school history.
Freshmen Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov added 18 and 14 points, respectively, with 23 of them coming in the second half.
Nicknamed “The Closer,” Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
Peat kept Arizona in the contest with his 10 first-half points, and Arizona repeatedly went to him when it needed a bucket. The five-star freshman demonstrated an ability to get downhill, as Purdue did not have the personnel to defend the 6-foot-8 freshman.
Arizona got off to another hot start and connected on 8 of its first 13 shots, as it got to the paint with ease. The Wildcats went on a 9-2 run to take a seven-point lead during a stretch midway through the first half when Purdue went more than three minutes without a field goal.
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However, from that point, Purdue ended the first half on a 26-12 run by controlling the offensive boards and by uncharacteristically hot 3-point shooting. Arizona had only been outrebounded twice this season entering Saturday and Purdue entered 144th in the country in 3-point attempts per game.
The Boilermakers shot 7 of 14 (50%) from 3 in the first half, while Arizona was just 1 of 6 (16.7%). Arizona left Braden Smith in drop coverage, which saw the guard make the most of his open looks and register 11 first-half points.
Purdue went on a 13-2 run in the first half as the Wildcats went nearly six minutes without a field goal. During that stretch, Tommy Lloyd grew irate over a blown travel call and chased the official down the court.
After Arizona briefly took back the lead, Purdue went on an ensuing 8-0 run to take a 33-27 lead late in the first half, the culmination of another scoring drought of more than two minutes for the Wildcats.
The officials were letting both teams play, which played into Purdue’s favor. Arizona shot just eight free throws in the first half.
Smith turned his ankle in the opening two minutes of the second half but stayed in the game but looked like a shell of himself in a second half where he scored just two more.
Arizona went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 42 with just more than 15 minutes left. Purdue got off to a 3 of 11 (27.2%) start from the field in the second half, and Arizona stepped up its defensive intensity it lacked in the first half.
The Wildcats retook the lead with 14:34 remaining, its first lead since 4:28 remained in the first half, and did not surrender it the rest of the game.
Arizona got to the line the second half and had made its first 12 free throws.
The Arizona fans at SAP Center erupted when Anthony Dell’Orso hit a 3-pointer with 12:09 to play, putting Arizona up 51-45, its first bit of separation since the early stages.
D3LLY! CATS!pic.twitter.com/rFpm9Zhium
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 29, 2026
The Wildcats ended the game on a 28-19 run.
Next up, Arizona will play the winner of No. 1 Michigan and No. 6 and Tennessee on Saturday in Indianapolis.
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