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Inside The Wildcats

Plays and Stats That Led Arizona to Elite Eight Victory

Wildcats knock off Purdue 79-64 to advance to the Final Four.
Caleb Meadows|
Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Arizona Wildcats

For the first time since 2001, the Arizona Wildcats are in the Final Four. They knocked off the No. 2-seeded Purdue 79-64. This earned the Wildcats 36 wins on the season, which set a program record.

Tommy Lloyd overcomes the hump and is now one win away from playing in the National Championship game. The Boilermakers gave the Wildcats their toughest challenge of the tournament. Even with the challenge, the Wildcats still overcame adversity and won by 15 points.

20-22 From the Free-Throw Line

The Wildcats had a rough first half and were actually down at the break. They faced a seven-point deficit, which was the most they had been down at halftime all season. The Wildcats were only down four times all year before this, so it was a huge shock that they did not have the lead going into the break.

They shot 11-27 from the field and 1-6 from downtown. The Boilermakers made seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot just under 50% overall. So how were the Wildcats only down seven at halftime? Free throws are the answer.

The Wildcats attempted eight free throws to the Boilermakers’ two. The Wildcats made all eight, which kept their deficit manageable. The Boilermakers played a lot better than a seven-point lead, but the free throws kept the Wildcats in the game. The Wildcats ultimately made 20 of 22 for the game, and the Boilermakers went 8 of 13.

48-26 in 2nd Half

Tommy Lloyd was not used to being down at the half this season, so it was a valid question on how his team would respond coming out of the half. Would his team claw back, or curl up and pack it in? Well, it is safe to say that his team fought back, and fought back hard.

The Wildcats came out of the gates storming and went on a 13-5 run. This seems to be a theme this tournament: the Wildcats know how to come out of the half with fire. This scoring run put the Wildcats up by a point. Jaden Bradley showed his senior leadership and was not ready to end his college career just yet.

Bradley made a point that the offense would run through him, whether that meant he would shoot it or set a teammate up, but either way, he would be involved. The Big 12 Player of the Year ended with 14 points and six assists. The Wildcats dominated the Boilermakers, outscoring them 48-26 in the second half.

40-24 in the Paint

The Boilermakers actually played the Wildcats well in the paint in the first half. That was one of the key reasons why they had the lead going into the locker room. All that changed in the second half.

Along with Bradley, Koa Peat made sure to showcase his dominance in the painted area. He did damage around the free-throw line and down in the restricted area. Peat was the Wildcats’ leading scorer with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Ivan Kharcenkov showed his craftiness around the rim, which was a huge component in the Wildcats’ comeback. He scored the most points he had all tournament, 18. The combination of him and Peat exploited the Boilermakers in the paint. The Wildcats won the paint battle 40-24.

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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."