Arizona Wildcats Are Going to the Final Four — Wildcats Destroy Purdue 79-64 After Stunning Second Half Comeback

Arizona Wildcats Are Going to the Final Four — Wildcats Destroy Purdue 79-64 After Stunning Second Half Comeback

Down seven at halftime. Written off by half of America. And then Arizona did what Arizona does in March — they made it look easy.

The Wildcats destroyed Purdue 79-64 in the Elite Eight, erasing a seven-point halftime deficit with a second half so dominant it left the Boilermakers completely helpless. Arizona is going to Indianapolis. Arizona is going to the Final Four.

The Numbers Tell the Full Story

FINAL SCORE:

ARIZONA 79 — PURDUE 64

HALFTIME:

ARIZONA 31 — PURDUE 38

SECOND HALF:

ARIZONA 48 — PURDUE 26

Read that second half line one more time. Arizona outscored Purdue 48-26 in the second half. A team that looked completely lost at halftime — shooting 16.7% from three, down seven — came out and absolutely buried the Boilermakers over the final 20 minutes.

That is March Madness. That is exactly why we watch.

Koa Peat: The Man of the Match

If Arizona has a hero tonight, it's Koa Peat. The forward was the one constant offensive weapon when everything else was going wrong. He got to his spots, he drew fouls, he finished in traffic, and he gave Arizona's offense a reliable centerpiece at exactly the moment they needed one most.

In the second half, when Arizona needed to go on a run, they went to Peat. Every single time. And every single time, he delivered.

Purdue's Three-Point Magic Ran Out

The Boilermakers shot 50% from three in the first half. Braden Smith had 11 points, 3 three-pointers, and seemed unstoppable. The bench outscored Arizona's reserves 10-4. Everything was working.

And then the second half began.

Purdue's shooting cooled dramatically. Smith, who had been so brilliant in the first half, couldn't replicate that magic over 40 minutes. Gicarri Harris and Omer Mayer went quiet. Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn couldn't generate enough inside scoring to compensate for the cold perimeter shooting.

When Purdue's threes stopped falling, Arizona's defense finished the job. The Wildcats forced turnovers, ran in transition, and turned a seven-point deficit into a fifteen-point victory.

Illinois Wins Too — Setting Up Elite Eight Weekend

In the earlier Elite Eight game Saturday night, Illinois defeated Iowa 71-59 — a more comfortable margin that still required some gutsy second-half basketball from the Fighting Illini. Illinois advances to the Final Four from the Midwest region.

Still to come tonight and this week:

Michigan vs Tennessee — tipoff later today

Duke vs UConn — the marquee matchup of Elite Eight weekend

The Final Four field is taking shape. Arizona is in. Illinois is in. Two spots remain.

Arizona's Road to Indianapolis

Let's appreciate what Arizona has done in this tournament. The Wildcats have been tested at every turn, and every time someone counted them out, they responded. Down seven at halftime in the Elite Eight — against a Purdue team that was shooting the lights out — they didn't panic.

They executed. They attacked. They won.

Head coach Tommy Lloyd has built something real in Tucson. And on Saturday night, he took the Wildcats to their first Final Four in years.

Final Four Picture — Indianapolis Awaits

CONFIRMED FINAL FOUR:

✅ Arizona Wildcats

✅ Illinois Fighting Illini

STILL TO COME TODAY:

🏀 Michigan vs Tennessee

🏀 Duke vs UConn

The Final Four is April 4 and 6 in Indianapolis. The National Championship is April 8.

One of the most wide-open tournaments in years is about to get its four best teams together in one building. And Arizona — the team nobody could stop tonight — is already there waiting.

Stay with PopScope USA for complete Final Four coverage as the bracket comes together.

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