Confident Arizona Wildcats exorcised ghosts of Elite Eights past in San Jose

“That guy has no idea what he just did,” Kokoskie said, pointing to Burries.

No, probably not. How could he?

By the time Burries was born in September 2005, the Wildcats had already started what became a five-game Elite Eight losing streak with crushing losses in 2003 and 2005.

But Kokoskie knew. He was the trainer under Lute Olson for those two teams, as well as the trainer under Sean Miller when the Wildcats lost in 2011, 2014 and 2015, falling a game short of college basketball’s biggest platform each time.

That’s why, when it came time to slap the word “ARIZONA” on the giant bracket board at center court following Arizona’s 79-64 win over Purdue in the West Regional final Saturday, the Wildcats who did know a little history chose Kokoskie to take the honors.

“I tried to pass it on to coach (Tommy Lloyd) and he’s like 'No. No,’" Kokoskie said. “I said, 'Coach, you built this.’ He said 'Nope. You've earned this.’"

Another longtime UA staffer and veteran of the 2014 and 2015 Elite Eight losses, equipment manager Brian Brigger, was glad to see it.

“Justin deserved that moment,” Brigger said.

So there it was: ARIZONA, slapped on the last line of the West Regional bracket, headed to the Final Four for a national semifinal game on Saturday in Indianapolis where, coincidentally or not, they won their 1997 national championship.

Since that appearance in Indianapolis, the Wildcats’ good times have often ended in heartbreak. Their 2001 national championship game loss to Duke, those five Elite Eights, Sweet 16 upsets and even first-round losses, one of which came to 15th-seeded Princeton just three years ago.

So who knew what might happen this time?

Sure, Arizona had lost only twice this season, both when the Wildcats were shorthanded, but this was the Elite Eight, that scary game that this time the Wildcats were playing against a veteran and accomplished Purdue core that reached the 2024 Final Four and ached to play in a Final Four in their backyard.

Especially when Purdue hit 7 of 14 3-pointers en route to a 38-31 halftime lead, Kokoskie and UA fans likely saw the ghosts. Figures like Wisconsin standouts Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky from 2014 and 2015, UConn’s Kemba Walker from 2011, the 2005 Deron Williams of Illinois or Kansas’ Kirk Hinrich in 2002.

“I saw the fear in our fans today. I saw the pressure, the anxiety,” Kokoskie said. “Maybe Koa (Peat) being from Phoenix, knows a little bit, but he's too young to understand.

“He doesn't know Sam Dekker. He doesn't know Kaminsky. He doesn't know, I mean, who else? How many people in my 25 years? I go back to Kansas and Hinrich, (Nick) Collison in the Elite Eight.”

The anxiety got to Kokoskie, for sure. He said he didn't eat or sleep the night before the game.

Then, UA down nine after the first half, and Purdue 3s were raining?

“I came in at halftime, and all I'm thinking is Kaminsky, Dekker,” said Kokoskie, having been scarred by the 5 of 6 3s Dekker hit against the Wildcats in 2005 and the 57 points Kaminsky scored over those two games. “That's the stuff I'm thinking of and these guys, just they weren't born for some of those.”

Maybe it’s just as well. The Wildcats say they had heard of the history, but it hadn’t drained their souls.

So when they did wobble somewhat in the first half Saturday, even uncharacterisciallty getting outrebounded by five in the first half, they were able to shake it off at halftime.

Arizona outrebounded Purdue 22-16 in the second half, and held them to 32.1% shooting, better defending the screens and other moves the Boilermakers used in the first half to set up all those 3-point shots before halftime.

"In the second half we just played fearless," wing Anthony Dell'Orso said. "At the start we were playing a little tentative, worrying about the outcome and trying to play it safe a little bit.

"We came in at halftime and we just said, 'There's nothing to be scared of. It's just another game. We've already achieved so much, so just play.' I think in the second half we just played normal. We didn't do anything different."

Lloyd was aiming exactly for that sort of reaction. Lloyd said the Wildcats went through a somewhat a normal halftime, with associate head coach Jack Murphy showing them some clips, and then Lloyd followed up with a few words.

Then he got out of the way, something Lloyd said he’s done several times this season.

Letting them figure it out, as he likes to say.

"These dudes have been unbelievable. This is when we're at our best," Lloyd said of his players. "I said... `You guys got a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves and kind of figure this deal out, and let's go kick their ass in the second half.'"

Early in the second half, the Wildcats went on a 16-3 run that turned into 24-7 run, giving them a double-digit lead, 59-49, when Peat scored near the basket with just under nine minutes left.

UA wound up maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way and, before long, the Wildcats were hoisting a West Regional trophy, snipping the net for the third time this month, and prodding Kokoskie to symbolically take them home.

“They've been saying all year they were gonna try to get this,” Kokoskie said. “We’ve had meetings on this. We’ve done culture-building. This is what Tommy’s about. That’s what wins games.

"We’ve had some great teams here at Arizona but I knew from the beginning that this was a different team. I didn’t want to jinx it, but what they’ve built here is special.”