5 Things to Know About Purdue's Elite Eight Opponent — Arizona Wildcats
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After a thrilling 79-77 victory over Texas in the Sweet 16, No. 2 seed Purdue sits just one win away from returning to the Final Four. Standing in the path to Indianapolis is No. 1 seed Arizona, a team that has been one of college basketball's best all season.
The Boilermakers are going to have their hands full with an Arizona team loaded with size, athleticism and skill. But this is March, and Purdue is playing some of its best basketball of the season.
Here are a few things to know about Arizona ahead of Saturday's Elite Eight matchup.
Three projected first-round NBA Draft picks
The first thing to note about Arizona is the elite talent it has on the roster. In the latest NBA mock draft from CBS Sports, there are three Wildcats pegged as first-round selections. Brayden Burries, the team's leading scorer at 16.2 points per game, is projected to go No. 10, Koa Peat is slotted at No. 12 and 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas is listed at No. 25.
Combined, those three players are averaging 40.6 points and 18.3 rebounds per contest for the Wildcats.
Burries is a 6-foot-4 guard who is shooting 50.2% from the floor and 39.5% from three-point range. Peat is scoring 13.9 points per game, grabbing 5.4 rebounds and dishing out 2.6 assists per contest. Krivas is the monster in the middle, giving Arizona 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Having three NBA first-round players on the roster is a pretty solid recipe for making a national championship run.
Size, athleticism and physicality
Purdue has played its fair share of teams with size this season, but none have really possessed the same length and athleticism as Arizona. Virtually everyone can make plays, drive to the basket, and run in transition.
Arizona's offense is focused on scoring close to the basket, not just because of its ability to post up down low, but because everyone is capable of getting to the rim. This team seeks out contact, attempting more free throws than any other team in college basketball this season.
Not only are the Wildcats tough to stop offensively, but they're also averaging 7.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game. It allows Tommy Lloyd's squad to get out into transition and utilize its athleticism to score easy points.
One of the country's best rebounding teams
Rebounding has been a major key to Purdue's success this season, and the same can be said for Arizona. Everyone who plays regularly can rebound the basketball, with six players grabbing at least 3.5 boards per game.
Tobe Awaka leads the charge with 9.2 boards per game, and Krivas is responsible for 8.1 per contest. Peat averages 5.4, Burries grabs 4.8, Ivan Kharchenkov pulls down 4.2 and Jaden Bradley gets 3.5 per game.
As a team, Arizona is averaging 42.8 rebounds per game and has a plus-11.3 differential on the glass. Both numbers rank in the top four in the country. The Wildcats also grab 12.9 offensive boards per game, a mark that ranks 32nd nationally.
Doesn't shoot behind the arc regularly
It's already been mentioned that Arizona lives in the paint and attacks the basket to get to the free-throw line. As a result, this team does not depend heavily on the three-point line for success.
Arizona is shooting 16 three-point attempts per game, which ranks 360th nationally. Yes, the Wildcats have the sixth-lowest average from behind the arc this year. They don't shoot it at a particularly high clip, making 36% from distance.
Obviously, this team has found plenty of success without making three-pointers, but it does allow the defense to focus on packing the paint.
There are a few capable three-point shooters on this team to keep an eye on. Bradley connects at a 40.5% rate and Burries shoots it at a 39.5% clip.
Top four in KenPom's offensive and defensive efficiency rating
Just about every statistical category available will indicate that Arizona has one of the top teams in the country. Perhaps the most impressive, though, is that the Wildcats rank in the top four in both offensive and defensive efficiency rating via KenPom.
Arizona ranks third defensively and fourth offensively via KenPom's efficiency ratings. As a result, it is the top-rated overall team in that ranking system. The Wildcats are also the only team to be ranked inside the top four spots in both categories.
It's just another indication of how skilled Lloyd's team is at both ends of the floor, in case you needed further reminders.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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