Arizona Projected Starting Lineup and Rotation for Elite Eight
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The No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats have reached the Elite Eight in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament and will take on No. 2 seed Purdue on Saturday in San Jose, one win away from returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
Arizona has cruised through its first three games of Tournament play, overcoming an earlier second-half challenge from Utah State and impressing with a 109-88 win against No. 4 seed Arkansas on Thursday night. But now, it faces its biggest challenge of the Tournament so far.
Elite 8 matchup is set. pic.twitter.com/lmimhvKJvG
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 27, 2026
Let's take a look at the Wildcats' expected lineup against the Boilermakers and how it stacks up.
Starters
PG: Jaden Bradley
There's no question Jaden Bradley will man the point guard spot. The lone senior in the starting lineup has played in 37 games this season and accumulated over 30 minutes per game. He's third on the team in scoring and one of the best defenders at his position, earning All-Defensive Team honors in the Big 12.
The Big 12 Player of the Year had 18 against Utah State on Sunday and was one of six Wildcats with at least 14 points against Arkansas. However, it's his defensive play that makes him stand out the most, and he'll get the monumental task of shutting down Purdue point guard Braden Smith, the NCAA's all-time leader in assists.
SG: Brayden Burries
The other stalwart in the Arizona backcourt is star freshman Brayden Burries. The future NBA Draft Lottery pick has made a huge difference for the Wildcats and delivered crucial plays, like his last-minute block to preserve a win against BYU. He's also Arizona's leading scorer.
Through his first three NCAA Tournament games, the freshman has calmly and confidently delivered. He's averaging 19 points and shooting over 64% from the field, while missing only three three-point attempts, and leading the Wildcats with 23 points against Arkansas. That game forced him to guard one of the top backcourt scorers in the country, but now he'll face a little bit less of an offensive threat against Fletcher Loyer.
SF: Ivan Kharchenkov
Kharchenkov is another of the impressive freshmen on this Arizona team, confidently playing his role well. He's not relied on heavily to score points, but he's able to step up when needed. He's averaging 10.3 points, but more importantly, he's probably the Wildcats' best defender, with 1.5 steals per game. The freshman has also become a very reliable rebounder.
Some of his best games this season have come against Arizona's top opponents, including Iowa State, Houston, and Alabama. The Arkansas game was his best of the Tournament, scoring 15 points with five assists and three rebounds while only missing two shots and forcing Billy Richmond III into foul trouble.
PF: Koa Peat
Peat was the other five-star freshman along with Burries in the Arizona recruiting class and has had a similar impact on the team from the frontcourt. He instantly announced his presence in college basketball with a 30-point debut against fellow No. 1 seed Florida earlier this season and was an All-Big 12 third team selection as well as an All-Freshman Team nod.
The power forward is second on the team in scoring, just ahead of Bradley, and he's coming off a 21-point game against Arkansas. As the Wildcats' best interior scoring threat and one of their best rebounders, the matchup between him and Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is the Boilermakers' co-leading scorer and top rebounder, will be a big one to watch.
C: Motiejus Krivas
The other man in the Arizona frontcourt is junior All-Big 12 center Motiejus Krivas. The 7-foot-2 big man is one of five wildcats averaging at least 10 points per game and leads the starting lineup in rebounding. With that size, it's easy to see, but occasionally, the offensive part of his game gets forgotten.
Still, he's a vital part of this team, and Purdue is one of the few teams that can challenge his length, using their 6-foot-11 and 7-foot-4 centers. The important thing for Krivas will be staying out of foul trouble. While above-average offensive players, there are bigger threats from Purdue's offense. It'll be important that he doesn't take the bait because Arizona has no true backup center. Without Krivas, it would be forced to play undersized, which would be a massive disadvantage against this Purdue team.
Bench Contributors
Arizona played 14 guys in a first-round win over LIU and 10 against Arkansas, but that's typical in blowouts. We'll likely not see that again from Arizona the rest of the season, especially considering the Wildcats only played seven or eight guys for the majority of the season.
The most significant contributor off the bench this season is senior forward Tobe Awaka, the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year. Awaka is a former starter who has excelled as a reserve player this year, often sharing time with Peat. He's scoring just under 10 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder. The way he plays is perfect for Arizona's approach, and he's one of the most important players on this roster in helping make a run to the Final Four and a National Championship.
The other primary bench player is senior guard Anthony Dell'Orso. His greatest strength throughout his career has been his three-point shooting, yet he struggled in that area this season. However, he's come on strong when they've needed him, and this is a game where he can make a difference.
A third player we may see off the bench is freshman Dwayne Aristode. Based on what he's done this season and how his minutes have been distributed, he likely won't play much, but he has appeared in both NCAA Tournament games so far, scoring seven points and collecting six rebounds, two assists, and a block in 24 minutes.
_(1)-718df543ba5564ea141c31c2d86089eb.jpg "Travis Tyler")
Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.