Arizona Is Going Back to the Final Four — and It Took 25 Years to Get Here
Arizona is headed back to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years after the top-seeded Wildcats got 20 points from freshman Koa Peat to beat Purdue 79-64 in the NCAA Tournament's West Region final on Saturday night at SAP Center in San Jose.
Twenty-five years. Five coaches after Lute Olson. Five straight Elite Eight losses. And one freshman who decided Saturday night was the right time to break a record held by Mike Bibby.
The drought is over. Arizona is going to Indianapolis.
Final Score: Arizona 79 — Purdue 64
Purdue led by seven at halftime. Arizona outscored them 48-26 in the second half. That is the game in two numbers. The Wildcats went into that locker room trailing, made the right adjustments, and came out in the second half looking like the best team in the country — which, at 36-2, they might actually be.
What Actually Happened — The Honest Recap
Nobody expected it to go this way in the first half.
Arizona jumped to a 19-12 lead early but Purdue clawed right back. Even after Boilermakers star Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up an early second foul, Purdue coach Matt Painter inserted sophomore big man Daniel Jacobsen — a 7-foot-4 center who had played just four combined minutes in the previous two games — and his size immediately changed the game's interior dynamics. Purdue went into the break leading 38-31. Braden Smith had hit three threes. The Boilermakers looked in control.
Then the second half started.
Arizona used a 16-3 run to erase the deficit completely. Anthony Dell'Orso hit a three to put Arizona ahead. Brayden Burries followed with another three. After a Smith turnover, Ivan Kharchenkov converted a layup for an 11-point lead. And then Koa Peat finished it — a thunderous dunk that made it 68-55 with less than six minutes remaining, sending the Wildcats to Indianapolis on a 13-game winning streak.
After that dunk, the game was over. Everyone in the building knew it.
Arizona Player Stats — Elite Eight vs Purdue
Koa Peat — 20 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Koa Peat was the best player on the floor. Twenty points, breaking Mike Bibby's school freshman record for an Elite Eight game. He became just the sixth freshman in NCAA history to score at least 20 points to help his team win in both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. He scored inside, scored in transition, and delivered the dunk that ended any remaining Purdue hope. Coach Tommy Lloyd called him simply "special." Arizona fans are already calling him Mr. Arizona.
Ivan Kharchenkov — 18 Points, 8 Rebounds
The freshman forward was the steadiest Arizona player across all 40 minutes. Eighteen points and eight rebounds in an Elite Eight game against the nation's second-ranked offense is a performance that would look impressive from a senior. From a freshman, it was remarkable. He scored inside, converted free throws under pressure, and grabbed the boards that killed Purdue's second-chance opportunities in the second half.
Jaden Bradley — 14 Points
The Big 12 Player of the Year delivered exactly what a senior captain is supposed to deliver in the biggest game of the year. Fourteen points, disciplined decision-making, and a critical bucket late that buried Purdue's last comeback attempt. Bradley has been the steadying presence behind Arizona's freshman-fuelled run all season and showed it again on Saturday.
Brayden Burries — 14 Points
Burries' steal set up Kharchenkov's layup for a 72-57 lead with just over three minutes remaining. His three-pointer after Dell'Orso's go-ahead shot was the moment the Arizona crowd stopped holding their breath entirely. The freshman guard has been unaffected by pressure all tournament long.
Anthony Dell'Orso
Dell'Orso hit the three-pointer that first put Arizona ahead after the second-half run — the shot that ended Purdue's last realistic chance of controlling the game's momentum. A quiet but critical contribution from the bench.
Arizona's team passing was sharp — just 6 turnovers against a Purdue defense that pressures the ball as well as anyone in college basketball. That discipline in the second half was what separated the two teams.
Purdue Player Stats — Final Game for Three Seniors
Braden Smith — 13 Points, 7 Assists
Braden Smith started the game shooting 3 of 4 from the field. He went 1 for 11 the rest of the way. The NCAA's all-time assists leader — a record that belongs to him alone and that no result can take away — finished his college career with 13 points and 7 assists. The numbers are decent. What they don't capture is how completely Arizona's second-half defensive scheme took him out of the game. Every angle he tried was contested. Every pick-and-roll he ran was hedged perfectly. Smith ends his collegiate career as the greatest passer in the history of college basketball. He just couldn't find a way past Arizona on Saturday night.
Oscar Cluff — 14 Points, 10 Rebounds
Cluff was Purdue's most consistent presence all night and their best player by the time the final horn sounded. A double-double in an Elite Eight loss is a strong individual performance. He battled Arizona's frontcourt physically throughout and gave Purdue a fighting chance inside even when everything else broke down.
Trey Kaufman-Renn — 10 Points
The senior forward who hit the buzzer-beater to beat Texas in the Sweet 16 couldn't find his rhythm against Arizona's interior defense. He picked up that second foul early and it affected his aggressiveness throughout the first half. Ten points in his final college game. His career deserved a better ending.
Fletcher Loyer — 8 Points
Loyer's corner three went halfway down and out at a moment late in the second half when Purdue desperately needed a stop and a score. That image — the ball rattling in and out — summarised their night from three-point range after a hot first half. He ends his college career alongside Smith and Kaufman-Renn, three seniors who gave Purdue everything they had.
C.J. Cox — 3 Points
Cox hit a three in the first half but was neutralised when Arizona tightened its defensive scheme after the break.
Purdue as a team shot just 38 percent from the field — their second-lowest total of the season. A unit that ranked second in the entire nation in offensive efficiency was held to 26 points in a second half. That is what Arizona's top-ranked defense looks like when it is working at its absolute best.
What Made the Difference
Arizona won this game the same way they have won every game this season — with size, physicality, and defensive pressure that compounds through forty minutes until the opponent has nothing left.
Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Brayden Burries — three freshmen — combined for 52 points in an Elite Eight game against a veteran Purdue team that had been playing together for years. None of them flinched. None of them looked like freshmen when the game was on the line.
And Arizona's defense did exactly what it needed to do. It turned the NCAA's all-time assists leader into a 1-for-11 shooter over the final 30 minutes. It held the nation's second-ranked offense to 26 second-half points. It took away everything Purdue had spent the entire season building.
That is a complete team performance. That is why Arizona is going to Indianapolis.
The Lute Olson Legacy — Why This Moment Matters
Tommy Lloyd did not try to take all the credit. After the final buzzer, he pointed directly at the coaches who came before him.
"Without Lute — without Sean doing what he did for those 12 years he was here, I wouldn't be able to do what we did today. I fully understand that. Those guys, this is for them too. You know, I have no problem sharing the success of this team with the coaches that came before me."
Lute Olson built Arizona basketball into a national power during his 25-year run in Tucson. He took the Wildcats to multiple Final Fours and won the national championship in 1997. The program's last Final Four before tonight was 2001 — the final seasons of the Olson era. Five coaches tried to get back. Tommy Lloyd got there in his fourth season, with three freshmen leading the way, on a Saturday night when all of Arizona was watching.
Arizona in the 2026 NCAA Final Four — Everything You Need to Know
Where is the Final Four 2026? The 2026 NCAA Final Four takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both semifinal games are on Saturday, April 4, tipping off at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS.
Who does Arizona play in the Final Four? The Wildcats will face either No. 1 seed Michigan or No. 6 seed Tennessee in the semifinal. That game determines their opponent by Sunday night. Arizona will know who they are playing by Monday morning.
What channel is the Arizona Final Four game on? TBS carries both Final Four semifinal games on April 4. The National Championship game airs Monday, April 6 on TBS at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Where to watch the Final Four 2026: On cable or satellite, tune into TBS. For streaming, the game is available on Max, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Stream. International viewers should check their local sports broadcaster for coverage.
Final Four 2026 Tickets: Tickets for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis are available through the official NCAA ticket portal, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Ticketmaster. Demand will be significant — Arizona's fanbase travels in large numbers and this is their first Final Four appearance in 25 years.
Arizona's record heading to Indianapolis: 36-2 — the best record among all four Final Four teams.
Did Purdue Win? No. Here's What Happens Next for the Boilermakers.
Purdue finishes their season at 30-9. The three seniors — Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer — played their final game as Boilermakers on Saturday night in San Jose. Their careers end without a national championship but with the program in strong shape and a fanbase that has every reason to be proud of what this group accomplished.
Smith leaves as the NCAA's all-time assists leader. That record belongs to him regardless of how Saturday ended. Purdue basketball will be back. This group gave them everything.
Arizona Basketball Roster — 2026 Final Four Squad
The group Tommy Lloyd is taking to Indianapolis is headlined by three freshmen who have been unaffected by the pressure of March since the tournament began. Koa Peat leads the way at forward, followed by Ivan Kharchenkov and Brayden Burries as the perimeter and second-half scoring options. Senior Jaden Bradley provides the leadership and experience at guard. Motiejus Krivas anchors the center position. Tobe Awaka provides rebounding depth off the bench. Anthony Dell'Orso contributes key minutes when the team needs a spark.
It is a young team playing with veteran composure. That combination is why they are 36-2.
NCAA Final Four 2026 — Full Bracket
The West Region is decided — Arizona is in. The Midwest Region will be settled Sunday between Michigan and Tennessee. The East Region is between Duke and UConn. The South Region is being finalised Sunday as well. All four teams meet at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4, with the National Championship on April 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Arizona beat Purdue? Yes. Arizona defeated Purdue 79-64 in the Elite Eight on March 28, 2026 in San Jose to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
Did Purdue win last night? No. Purdue lost to Arizona 79-64. Their season is over.
Where is Purdue located? Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana — about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis, where the Final Four is being held.
Who is Koa Peat? Koa Peat is Arizona's freshman forward and the breakout star of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He scored 20 points against Purdue in the Elite Eight, breaking Mike Bibby's Arizona freshman record for that round.
Who is Braden Smith? Braden Smith is Purdue's senior guard and the NCAA's all-time assists leader. He finished his college career Saturday night against Arizona with 13 points and 7 assists.
What channel is the Final Four on? TBS carries both Final Four semifinal games on April 4. Streaming options include Max, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Stream.
Where is the Final Four 2026? Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Semifinal games are April 4. Championship game is April 6.
When did Arizona last go to the Final Four? Arizona's last Final Four appearance before 2026 was in 2001, during the final years of coach Lute Olson's era.
