5 takeaways from Arizona’s win over Purdue to send Wildcats to the Final Four | Michael Lev

At long last, Arizona's ticket has been punched.

The UA men’s basketball team is headed to the Final Four for the first time since 2001 after a 79-64, come-from-behind victory over Purdue in the Elite Eight on Saturday night in San Jose, California.

The victory exemplified what this Wildcat team is all about: In a word — Tommy Lloyd’s word — gritty.

Here are my top five takeaways from an exhausting, exhilarating victory that sends Arizona to Indianapolis — where the Wildcats won their lone national championship in 1997:

1. Credit where it’s due

It wasn’t as easy as the final score suggests. For a long stretch late in the first half, Arizona looked out of sorts. Was the pressure getting to the Wildcats?

Maybe, if only temporarily.

After the break, Arizona exorcized its demons and dispelled the narratives that had lingered and haunted the program.

Arizona chokes in big games? Not this team, not this time.

Lloyd can’t win the big one? Try again.

Lloyd being Lloyd, he deferred credit to his players during a postgame interview with TBS’ Allie LaForce. “Winning is in their DNA,” Lloyd said.

That certainly seems to be true. But Lloyd and his staff deserve plaudits for identifying those players, putting them together and getting them to buy into the team concept.

Brayden Burries had an off night by his recent standards (4 of 10, 14 points). Motiejus Krivas shot just 1 of 5 from the field. Tobe Awaka got into foul trouble and played just 11 minutes.

No big deal. No worries. All good.

Koa Peat stepped up with a signature performance (more on that in a bit). Ivan Kharchenkov continued to be an X-factor. Jaden Bradley does what he does — driving, floating, banking, leading.

Add it all up, and Arizona is back where it belongs.

The accompanying feelings? Part excitement, part relief. The second half was an absolute blast to watch. As the UA finally pulled away, Wildcat Nation collectively exhaled.

Whew.

2. Second to none

So, about that second half ...

Purdue led 38-31 at intermission. It was the sixth time this season Arizona has trailed at the half, and it matched the Wildcats’ largest halftime deficit (Baylor, 41-34).

What changed after the break, when Arizona outscored Purdue 48-26? A lot.

On offense, the Wildcats became more aggressive. Whether it was Bradley, Peat or Kharchenkov, they put their shoulders down and drove to the basket time and again.

Arizona had eight free-throw attempts in the first half, 14 in the second. The Wildcats had 18 points in the paint in the first half, 22 in the second.

That’s Arizona basketball.

Lloyd alluded to the other elements during his first-half TV hit: rebounds and loose balls. It just took a while for the Wildcats to get the message.

Purdue outrebounded Arizona 20-15 in the first half. That was a stunning stat when you consider that the Wildcats have been outrebounded only two times this season by a combined three boards.

Arizona took care of its board business after halftime, outrebounding Purdue 22-16. Krivas had eight second-half rebounds. Peat and Burries had five apiece.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats refused to lose the 50/50 balls that the Boilermakers were winning in the first half. The best example: Burries hustling for a loose ball in the backcourt, diving to the floor and feeding Kharchenkov for a layup to bump Arizona’s lead to 72-57.

The cherry on top: The Wildcats did not commit a single turnover after halftime. Considering the pressure and the stakes, that’s a remarkable feat.

3. Florida man

Peat set the tone for the comeback with a pair of turnaround jumpers — his go-to shot.

In both instances, Peat immediately turned and faced the basket. Once he got to his spot in the lane, he used his elite footwork and broad shoulders to create space. With his back now to the hoop, Peat dipped slightly to his right and turned to his left. Square up and swish.

Peat then initiated a semi-break, feeding a trailing Burries for a 3-pointer to trim Arizona’s deficit to two.

Peat twice followed his own misses to extend the lead. Finally, he threw down a dunk to conclude an exquisite sequence of bounce passes — Kharchenkov to Krivas to Peat.

Peat finished with a team-high 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. It was the eighth time he has scored 20-plus points.

Peat has scored more than 20 six times since his otherworldly 30-point college debut against Florida. But this was perhaps the first time since then that it felt like Florida. Peat was determined to take over the game, and he did.

If any Wildcat truly has winning in his DNA, it’s Peat. The latest member of the Peat family to play big-time college sports, Koa is seeking his fifth consecutive team championship. Gilbert Perry won the state title all four years he was there. The combined record of Peat’s past five teams, including this one: 143-16.

Is that any good?

Peat also has won multiple gold medals in international competitions. He’s a glue guy on a UA team that just so happens to have several.

4. Boiler makes and misses

Credit to Purdue for giving the Wildcats all they could handle for 20-plus minutes.

One particular strategy worked exceptionally well in the first half.

Matt Painter used center Oscar Cluff as the screener in high pick-and-roll actions with point guard Braden Smith. That drew Krivas, Arizona’s 7-foot-2, shot-blocking center, away from the basket.

It also put him in a bind once the screen was set. Krivas mostly played “drop coverage” in those scenarios — sinking into the lane to guard against Cluff’s roll toward the basket. That left Smith with time and space beyond the arc. He hit 3 of 6 3-pointers in the first half, leading all scorers with 11 points heading into halftime.

Arizona guarded the pick-and-roll more aggressively in the second half. The Wildcats also knew they couldn’t let the Boilermakers have clean looks from 3. After going 7 of 14 in the first half, Purdue was just 1 of 8 in the second. Smith attempted only two of those and didn’t make either.

I thought for a while that the nagging 3-point narrative that had followed Arizona all season was going to rear its head at the worst time. The Wildcats were never a bad 3-point shooting team; they just don’t take very many. The lingering worry was that some foe would catch fire from beyond the arc and that Arizona wouldn’t be able to keep up.

That was the case in the first half. While Purdue was 7 of 14, Arizona was 1 of 6.

But as we’ve learned, the fact that the Wildcats don’t rely on the 3-ball works to their benefit. They have many other preferred options. When the Boilermakers went cold from outside in the second half, they didn’t have a plan B — especially with Arizona protecting the ball so well.

On the other end of the court, the Wildcats’ aggressiveness opened up the perimeter. You can’t guard everything.

With the Boilermakers on their heels, the Cats sank 4 of 9 from beyond the arc in the second half. Burries went 3 of 4.

5. Final Four ... or more

Making the Final Four is a huge deal. Like we said at the top, it’s been a minute.

But for a team that’s been at or near the top of college basketball all season long — and has multiple future pros — it shouldn’t be the final destination.

This is no time to feel satisfied. If anything, it’s time to crank it up another notch.

Why not win the whole darned thing in the same city where it happened last time?

We love a good storyline in this business. I can’t think of a better one.

The path, of course, is perilous. Whether it’s Michigan or Tennessee in the semifinals — that game took place after this column was published — Arizona won’t have its usual advantages in strength and length. It’ll take more than just bully-ball to beat them.

On the other side, Duke and UConn — the other Sunday combatants — have a combined eight national championships this century. And Illinois, well, you know that history. It’s as painful as it gets.

These Wildcats won’t carry that baggage to Indianapolis. They’re too young and too self-assured.

They’re determined to make their own history.