How Arizona used second-half rally to power past Purdue and into 2026 Final Four

How Arizona used second-half rally to power past Purdue and into 2026 Final Four originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Arizona looked dead in the water at halftime of its Elite 8 clash with Purdue. That is not a sentence Arizona fans have often uttered this season, in what has been one of the best campaigns in school history.

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But suddenly, in a matchup of two of college basketball’s most physical teams, it seemed as if only one really wanted it — and it wasn’t Tommy Lloyd’s top-seeded juggernaut. Purdue hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and outrebounded Arizona by five. The Boilermakers also out-hustled the Wildcats.

Koa Peat grabbed a rebound and dished to Brayden Burries for a 3, giving Arizona its first lead since midway through the first half.

Arizona beat Purdue 79-64 to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2001. And unlike the last time the Wildcats built a 15-point second-half lead in an Elite Eight game in 2005 against Illinois, they never relinquished it.

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The Wildcats played like a team that, simply put, knew it could flip the switch. And that is exactly what they did. Peat and 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas took body blows, but punched back.

Krivas’ head slammed against the floor early in the second half, but he immediately popped up, seemingly unfazed. That sequence was a harbinger of how Arizona’s final 20 minutes would unfold.

For Purdue, it was another NCAA Tournament run that fell just short. Braden Smith controlled the game in the first half but wasn’t the same after turning his right ankle early in the second half. Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley locked Smith up in impressive fashion.

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The NCAA’s career assists leader finished with 13 points and seven assists, but was minus-23 when on the floor for Purdue in 34 minutes. The…

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Publish date : 2026-03-29 04:51:00

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