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Inside The Wildcats

3 Purdue Weapons Who Can Cause Trouble for Wildcats

Braden Smith will lead the Boilermakers against Arizona in Elite Eight.
Caleb Meadows|
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Arizona Wildcats

Arizona has advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015. It came off as a 109-88 beatdown of Arkansas. This is the furthest Tommy Lloyd has ever made it in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.

Up next for the Wildcats is Purdue. The Boilermakers are currently 30-8 and are coming off a game-winning shot in the Sweet 16 against Texas. This great season earned them a No. 2 seed in the tournament.

Let’s take a look at three players from the Boilermakers who could put pressure on the Wildcats tonight.

Braden Smith, Guard

Braden Smith set the all-time NCAA assist record just last week. He is the leader and the fuel for the Boilermakers. If the Wildcats shut him down, they shut down the whole team. Smith is averaging 14 points and nine assists this season. He is not known for his 3-point shooting, as he averages fewer than two makes a game.

Good news for the Wildcats, they have the perfect combo to shut down Smith. He is listed at 6-foot but looks smaller on the court. Jaden Bradley just had the task of guarding Darius Acuff, who is top 10 in scoring in the country.

Bradley, at 6-foot-3, did a great job of slowing down Acuff. He held him to just 8-19 from the field, and that was a key piece in the Wildcats win. Bradley now will have the task of slowing down Smith. Lloyd should have all the confidence in the world in Bradley after his performance on Acuff.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Forward

Trey Kaufman-Renn is a 6-foot-9 forward who has the best chance of giving Koa Peat problems. Peat has been a monster this tournament, but so has Kaufman-Renn. Kaufman-Renn is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds this tournament. His height and toughness will be key indicators of whether Peat will have a tough time.

Kaufman-Renn was the recipient of a missed layup that he put back in to win the game for the Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. Kaufman-Renn has all the skills to give the Wildcats problems.

Fletcher Loyer, Guard

Fletcher Loyer is the Boilermakers’ sharpshooter. He shoots almost 10 3-pointers a game and makes 45% of them. Loyer has been even better in the tournament, as he is 12-20 from deep.

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Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Wildcats do not take many 3-pointers, and that fits their style of play. Lloyd and his team dominate the opponent down low and are so efficient that they do not need to take many 3-pointers.

With that said, if Loyer gets hot from downtown, that would put pressure on the Wildcats to be efficient. If they have a first half as they did against Utah State while Loyer is on fire, that could cause the Wildcats some problems.

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Caleb Meadows
CALEB MEADOWS

Caleb Meadows is a contributor to the UNC Tar Heels. He previously covered Louisville sports and WWE for FanSided. Meadows also covered local sports in Oklahoma while attending Oklahoma State, where he earned a degree in sports communications. Follow him on X, at @CalebMeadows25."