CBS Sports College Basketball analyst and former NBA and Ohio State star Jim Jackson said, "Arizona is like AI. They gather data. It modifies their gameplan. And they become deadly." Arizona outscored Purdue 48-26 in a 79-64 win in the West Regional Final on Saturday.
After leading 19-12 in the first half, Arizona was outscored by Purdue 26-12 over the final 11:45 of the first half. Purdue still had a seven-point lead at 42-35 with 17:23 in the second half before Arizona took over. Arizona scored seven consecutive points to tie the game at 42.
An Oscar Cluff free throw with 17:23 left in the game put Purdue back in front for the last time at 43-42. Arizona answered the Cluff free throw with a 9-2 run and did not look back. The Wildcats were dominant in the second half.
Arizona made 51.6 percent of its field goal attempts, four out of nine three-point attempts and 12 of 14 from the free throw line in the second half. Purdue shot 32.1 percent in the second half, made one out of eight free throws and seven out of 11 from the free throw line.
"Arizona is like AI. They gather data. It modifies their gameplan. And they become deadly." - Jim Jackson
— Kerry Miller (@kerrancejames) March 29, 2026
Arizona second half dominance
Arizona out-rebounded Purdue 22-16 in the second half, had a 9-0 advantage in points off turnovers, a 22-16 edge in points in the paint and outscored Purdue 10-0 in fastbreak points in the second half. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd giving his players time to meet alone at halftime paid dividends.
Arizona has been a great second-half team all season. The Wildcats are third nationally by outscoring their opponents by 8.8 points in the second half. Koa Peat led Arizona with 20 points, Ivan Kharchenkov scored 18 and Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley each finished with 14 to lead Arizona against Purdue.
The double-digit win over Purdue was the fourth consecutive for Arizona in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Arizona continued to use balance, rebounding and inside scoring to get the win. The Wildcats finished with a 40-24 edge in points in the paint. Arizona got back to doing what they do best in the second half.