Arizona beats Purdue to make first Final Four since 2001

San Jose, California – For the first time since 2001, Arizona Wildcats Heading towards the final four.

Top-seeded Wildcats punch their ticket 79-64 win against number 2 Purduesetting a school record for wins in a season (36) in the process. The previous winning record stood since 1988, when Arizona reached the first of its four Final Four appearances – which also included a national title in 1997 – under legendary coach Lute Olson.

Shortly after the game ended, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd grabbed the microphone and spoke to the cheering, heavily pro-Arizona crowd at SAP Center.

“I know it,” he said. “There’s a nice-looking guy with white hair who looks very happy to see us.”

The reference to Olson, who died in 2020, brought even more excitement among Arizona fans.

“The lute has given me a great life,” Lloyd said. “He and I have only shaken hands a few times, in the handshake line or something at a game. … His legacy in Tucson is so powerful that he’s the guy, there are other guys before him, but he’s the main catalyst for making our program the center of the community.”

But this year’s team, in Lloyd’s fifth season in Tucson, has a chance to surpass all of his predecessors as the best in school history. The Wildcats will take a 13-game winning streak to Indianapolis, where they will play the winner of Sunday’s game michigan And tennessee.

Lloyd’s impact in Arizona has been historic. The longtime Gonzaga assistant’s 148 wins over the past five seasons are an NCAA record for most wins by a coach in his first five seasons, surpassing the record set by Brad Stevens at Butler. He led the Wildcats to 33 wins in his first year and three trips to the Sweet 16 in his first four seasons. But the Final Four remained elusive until Saturday.

Against an experienced Purdue team, Arizona was led by its talented freshmen. Wildcats’ three new players– brayden burys (14), Ivan Kharchenkov (18) and koa peat (20) — Combined for 52 points and were unimpressed on the biggest stage of their young careers. senior guard jaden bradley 14 points were added.

At 12:37 of the first half, Arizona led 19-12 and looked like it might be ready to put the Boilermakers to bed early. But even after Purdue Star Trey Kaufman-Ren After picking up its second foul early on, Purdue began to claw its way back.

One significant change came when coach Matt Painter added second-year big man Daniel Jacobsen Entered the game as Arizona’s lead reached seven. The 7-foot-4 Jacobsen had played only four combined minutes in the past two games and been out of the rotation most of the month, but his size was needed against Arizona, and his presence helped turn the situation around. But it could not last.

Inside the locker room at halftime, Lloyd addressed the team before leaving with a farewell message.

“I said, ‘Guys, the coaching staff and I are leaving right now. You guys got a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves and sort this deal out and let’s kick their ass in the second half,'” Lloyd said.

Arizona needed just over five minutes to take the lead in the second half and slowly took the lead.

“I was literally a spectator just like you guys were in that second half,” Lloyd said. “That’s what it felt like.”

Purdue (30-9) missed its second Final Four in three seasons, and the loss signals the end of one of the great careers in college basketball history. Braden SmithWho broke Bobby Hurley’s career assist record earlier this season and finished with 1,103. Smith led Purdue with 13 points but shot only 4 of 15 from the field.

During Purdue’s last possession, when the outcome of the game was long decided, Smith looked at Painter as if asking whether to dribble or continue playing. Painter asked him to play and what happened next was the ultimate help Fletcher LawyerWho added to his Purdue record with a Final 3.

“Braden was [a great player] For us for four years,” Painter said. “Very, very consistent, very competitive, good guy.”