Arizona’s Second-Half Surge Sends Wildcats Past Purdue into Final Four

SAN JOSE, Calif. — For 20 minutes, Purdue looked every bit the team that could end Arizona’s charmed run. By the final buzzer, the Wildcats were the ones cutting down nets at SAP Center, 35-6 and counting toward a national-title dream that suddenly feels very real.

Brayden Burries’ corner three with 7:49 left punctuated a 28-13 second-half blitz that turned a nip-and-tuck Elite Eight showdown into a 59-51 Arizona advantage, a margin the Cats never relinquished on the way to a 75-62 victory that clinched the West Regional crown.

It was the first time all tournament Arizona had trailed, falling behind 10-9 when Boilermaker guard Braden Smith—scoreless from deep over his previous two games—drained a pair of early threes. Smith’s hot hand was short-lived; after intermission, Purdue managed just 5-of-16 from the floor and 0-of-4 from distance while Arizona sped up the tempo and attacked every crack in the defense.

“Sounds like a home game for Arizona!” blared across social media as SAP Center’s decibel level tilted crimson. Six Wildcats had already cracked the scorebook midway through the first half, and when Mo Krivas knocked down two free throws to flip an 11-10 lead, the momentum never truly swung back.

The second-half avalanche was methodical: relentless ball pressure, decisive extra passes, and a steady parade to the stripe that kept the shot clock and the scoreboard moving. Purdue, which controlled the glass early, simply couldn’t keep pace once Arizona imposed its preferred up-tempo style.

“Purdue really needed to control the first four minutes out of halftime,” one observer noted. “Most of that is because Arizona is so damn good.”

By the under-eight media timeout, the Wildcats were up eight and soaring. Burries’ celebratory pose after his dagger triple—arms outstretched, SAP Center roaring—captured the moment: a team peaking at the perfect time.

Arizona now needs three more wins to finish a 38-win masterpiece. On tonight’s evidence, few will bet against a squad running “like a well-oiled machine” with Burries and company steering the controls straight toward the sport’s biggest stage.