Arizona fans couldn't be more confident heading to the Final Four

Arizona received praise from former players, athlete alums from other Wildcat teams, parents, a previous athletic director and a prominent national broadcaster after the win over Purdue in the West Regional Final to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Arizona outscored Purdue 48-26 in the West Regional Final to advance with a 79-64 win. The 15-point win over Purdue was the fourth consecutive by double digits for Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona defeated Long Island in the first round, Utah State in the second and Arkansas in the West Regional Semifinal.

The dominant half for Arizona came after trailing 38-31 at halftime, the largest deficit for the Wildcats in their NCAA Tournament history. Arizona has dominated throughout the 2025-26 season with exceptional balance. Four players scored in double figures in the win over Purdue.

Those celebrating the win over Arizona included Lebron James, whose son Bryce plays for the Wildcats, football legend Rob Gronkowski, NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks, an alum, basketball alums Matt Muhlback and Kevin Parrom and former athletic director Dave Heeks.

Bryce James is redshirting this season after signing with Arizona as a three-star prospect in the 2025 class. James has been frequently shown cheering on his teammates throughout the season. The redshirt season of James has been a cause of intrigue among college basketball fans nationally.

Hicks is a Tucson native who is an alum of Sabino High School and Arizona. Early in his career, Hicks was a weekend sports anchor in Tucson. Hicks left Tucson to accept a job at CNN in 1989 and moved on to NBC Sports in 1992 where he has worked ever since. Hicks was a student at Arizona when Lute Olson was hired in 1983.

Muhlbach played for Arizona from 1987 through 1991. As a freshman in 1987-88, Muhlbach was one of the Gumbies as part of the Arizona bench during their first Final Four run. Muhlbach has stayed close to the Arizona basketball program as a frequent analyst during Wildcats' games.

Gentle Ben's has been a Tucson institution since 1971 and has been at its current location on University Boulevard since 1991. The University Boulevard location was the first microbrewery in Tucson. Gentle Ben's is an iconic location to watch Arizona games and have celebrations.

Heeke was the athletic director at Arizona from 2017 through 2024. Heeke hired Tommy Lloyd among the big decisions he made during his Arizona tenure. Despite being let go by Arizona, Heeke showed class by congratulating Lloyd, his staff, the basketball program and stated he is happy for the Wildcats' fanbase.

Parrom played for Arizona from 2009 through 2013. During his four-year tenure, Arizona's best NCAA Tournament runs were in the West Regional Final to Connecticut in 2011 and semifinal to Ohio State in 2013. Parrom was a part of the critically important 2009 Arizona class, the first under Sean Miller.

Gronkowski needs no introduction. Although his Arizona career was cut short before he went on to win Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronk has always been proud to be an Arizona alum and was the honorary captain for the Wildcats' win over Oklahoma State last season.

Arizona fans celebrated throughout the Wildcats' diaspora. It has been a special season in Tucson and maybe the best one in program history. The win over Purdue set the Arizona record with their 36th victory this season. That surpassed the 1988 team that finished 35-3.