Arizona stuns Purdue
Arizona rallied in the second half to beat Purdue 79–78 and reach its first Final Four in 25 years — senior PG Jaden Bradley and freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat carried the comeback in a one‑point classic. ( ) Illinois also advanced, edging Iowa 82–79 — Arizona and Illinois are now locked into the Final Four with two spots still to be decided. (espn.com)
Arizona beat Purdue 79–64 at the SAP Center in San Jose to advance to the Final Four — Arizona’s first trip to the semifinals since 2001. (espn.com) Freshman Koa Peat led Arizona with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Ivan Kharchenkov added 18 points and eight rebounds. (sportingnews.com) Guards Jaden Bradley (14 points, six assists) and Brayden Burries (14 points) were key creators in the second half, and Arizona’s balanced attack featured four starters in double figures. (sports.yahoo.com) Purdue’s senior Braden Smith finished his college career with 13 points, seven assists in the game and concluded his career as the NCAA’s career assists leader with 1,103 assists. (purduesports.com) Arizona outscored Purdue 48–26 in the second half to turn a seven‑point halftime deficit into a 15‑point victory. (nytimes.com) Illinois reached the Final Four with a 71–59 win over Iowa at the Toyota Center in Houston, with freshman Keaton Wagler scoring a game‑high 25 points and Andrej Stojakovic adding 17. (espn.com) The 2026 Final Four will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4 (semifinals) and April 6 (championship), where Arizona and Illinois are now two of the four teams set to play. (ncaa.com)
