San Jose, California – From the opening minutes to the end of the game, Arizona Scored almost as many runs as desired.
The Wildcats used one of the best offensive performances in the NCAA Tournament to clear the Sweet 16 hurdle for the first time in more than a decade.
brayden burys Scored 21 points and fellow freshman koa peat Added 21 as part of a record-setting balanced attack that dispatched top-seeded Arizona 109-88 victory over arkansas Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015.
Ivan Kharchenkov While he also had 15 points jaden bradley, Motijus Krivas And tobe awka All scored 14 points and Arizona became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to have six players score at least 14 points in a game. The Wildcats shot 64% (37 of 58), the highest field goal percentage by any team in the Sweet 16 or beyond since Villanova in the 2016 Final Four (71% vs. Oklahoma).
“Honestly, playing basketball was the most fun I had,” Pete said. “I love my teammates. Just seeing them succeed, it makes me happy. Then they get me, too. So we went out there and played our Arizona brand of basketball. I felt like everything went right, and I thought the whole team played really well today and a lot of guys stepped up.”
Buries said: “I think that’s what makes us so special, because anyone can go on any day off. Everyone contributes in their own way.”
The 21-point loss is the largest for Arkansas coach John Calipari in the NCAA Tournament. Thursday was his 85th match as a coach in the tournament.
The Wildcats are one win away from reaching their first Final Four since 2001 and will take a 12-game winning streak into the West Region final against second-seeded Purdue on Saturday night. Boilermakers beat Texas 79-77 in the first game.
“I thought our players were aggressive today,” coach Tommy Lloyd said. “The good thing about basketball and the tough thing about basketball, unfortunately, it doesn’t automatically translate to Saturday. We have to find a way to recreate the momentum that we had tonight.”
Lloyd has won a record 147 games in his first five seasons as head coach but has been unable to find tournament success prior to this season. In Lloyd’s first four seasons as a No. 2 seed, Arizona lost in the Sweet 16 three times and in the first round once.
But the Wildcats have won this year’s tournament despite some tense moments in the second round against Utah State, outscoring the opposition by 67 points in three double-digit wins.
New Darius Acuff Jr.. Scored 28 points for fourth-seeded Arkansas (28-9) in what could be the final college game for the talented freshman, who scored 88 points in three tournament games. But he didn’t get nearly enough help against the deep Wildcats.
The Razorbacks’ frustrations increased in the second half when Nick Pringle and Calipari both received technical fouls and Billy Richmond was ejected after receiving 2 fouls for pushing Kharchenkov.
The Razorbacks reached the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in six seasons, but missed once again and are still looking for their first Final Four appearance since 1995.
“They were on all cylinders, and we weren’t like we were,” Calipari said. “That’s why you get the 20-point surge. Every one of their players has a group of guys that can make plays, and they have some other guys that do exactly what they need to do to help their team win. But they’re good.”
Arizona had a nearly flawless first half offensively, shooting 64% from the field, making 15 of 17 free throws and protecting the ball well against the Razorback defense. This helped the Wildcats take a 54–43 lead, as they tied for the fifth-most points scored in the first half of a Sweet 16 game.
To the delight of Warriors coach and former Wildcats star Steve Kerr, Arizona took the lead to 18 on Barry’s three-point play early in the second half, and Arkansas never really threatened the rest of the way.
“We have more freedom to play free and that makes it difficult for defenses to lock down,” Kharchenkov said. “If you stop one guy we’ve got another. If you stop that guy we’ve got another. Everyone’s gone today.”
Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.
