Arizona'sFinal Four drought is finally over. The Wildcats are headed back to the Final Four for the first time since 2001 aftertheir Elite Eight win over Purdue.
Trailing by seven at halftime,Arizonaproduced a dominant second half to put the Boilermakers away. Wildcats players led the halftime pep talk before Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd provided the punctuation: "Let's go kick their ass."
Message received. Arizona outscored Purdue 48-26 after the break.
In-depth:How Arizona players' halftime talk ended 25 years of March Madness heartbreak
Arizona has one national championship in its history, the 1997 Miles Simon-led team... in Indianapolis.
Here's what you need to know about Arizona's road to Indy and the Wildcats' stars that led them there:
See the best photos of Arizona basketball's run to 2026 Final Four
Arizona road to Final Four
First round: beat No. 16 Long Island, 92-58
Second round: beat No. 9 Utah State, 78-66
Sweet 16: beat No. 4 Arkansas, 109-88
Elite Eight: beat No. 2 Purdue, 79-64
Arizona basketball roster
Jaden Bradley
Rochester, NY
Dwayne Aristode
Netherlands
Anthony Dell'Orso
Melbourne, Australia
Brayden Burries
San Bernardino, Calif.
Bryce James
Akron, Ohio
Jackson Francois
Ivan Kharchenkov
Munich, Germany
Chandler, Ariz.
Jackson Cook
Oxford, England
Motiejus Krivas
Mabil Mawut
South Sudan
Evan Nelson
Tucson, Ariz.
Addison Arnold
Simi Valley, Calif.
Hyde Park, NY
Sven Djopmo
Reims, France
Arizona basketball stat leaders
Brayden Burries, 16.1 ppg
Koa Peat, 14.1 ppg
Jaden Bradley, 13.3 ppg
Ivan Kharchenkov, 10.5 ppg
Motiejus Krivas, 10.4 ppg
Tobe Awaka, 9.1 rpg
Motiejus Krivas, 8.2 rpg
Koa Peat, 5.5 rpg
Jaden Bradley, 4.4 apg
Koa Peat, 2.7 apg
Brayden Burries, 2.5 apg
Arizona basketball Final Four history
This is Arizona's fifth trip to the Final Four and first since 2001.
1988: lost to Oklahoma in semifinal, 85-78
1994: lost to Arkansas in semifinal, 91-82
1997: beat North Carolina in semifinal, 66-58; beat Kentucky in final, 84-79 in OT
2001: beat Michigan State in semifinal, 80-61; lost to Duke in final, 82-72
Is Tommy Lloyd acandidate for UNC basketball coach job? What Arizona coach said about links
Lloyd was asked about the opening in Chapel Hill at Wednesday's press availability ahead of Thursday's Sweet 16. Here's what he said:
"I already have one of the best jobs in the country. One thing we talk about in our program all the time, and I think I've gotten better at, and I think our team has been crushing it this year, is just the ability to have full focus and be present in the moment.
"So I think we have a great team. I think we have a chance to advance in this tournament game by game. But I'm not delusional. I know we could lose tomorrow.
"But this team deserves my full focus, so there's not one thing that is going to knock me off my path. I'm 100 percent focused on Arizona basketball and this program, and I can't wait until the ball gets thrown up tomorrow, and then can't wait to try to figure out a way to come out on top."
Why Tommy Lloyd focused on freshmen and not 'overpriced' transfers
In the Year of the Freshmen across college basketball, no other freshman class in America has scored more points this season than the five active freshmen on Arizona, led by Brayden Burries, Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov.
Wildcats coachTommy Lloydinstead took a different approach than many others last year, veering away from the transfer portal, where more experienced players typically seek to earn more money from their names, images and likenesses (NIL).
"We were able to get involved with some freshmen that we felt could be just big-time impact players in college basketball, no matter what year or what class they were,"Lloyd told USA TODAY Sports.
One reason Lloyd built his roster this way was because didn't think there were going to be many "quality" transfers available in the portal.
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"I thought it was going to be overpriced," Lloyd said.
Is LeBron James' son on Arizona roster? Does he play?
Bryce James, LeBron's son, is on the Wildcats roster. The freshman is redshirting this season. Bryce was a three-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon, where brother Bronny James also attended.
Yes, Tommy Lloyd is an aspiring DJ: DJ Tomm-EE
Tommy Lloyd's sidequest includes spinning it on the turntables in becoming a DJ.
He may not strike you as one you'd see mixing songs or making the beat drop, but Lloyd is quite the music lover. And this hobby he's picked up has come with a masterful teacher, "one of the best DJs of all time" in Mix Master Mike.
"My sport is the art of turntables and hip hop. His sport is basketball. We just decided to collide into those two professions, and now we're here,"Mike told USA TODAY Sports. "It's just an amazing thing."
Lloyd insists his DJ career is "more of a joke" than his next profession, but he may be selling himself short. Mike insists he's better than he likely thinks he is. You just don't show your team samples of your mixes for nothing.
"It's been a little bit of a — I guess — I don't know if a childhood fantasy, but probably a manhood fantasy for me that's come true," Lloyd said. "It's been awesome to have that relationship."
Koa Peat 2026 NBA Draft, mock draft prediction
No. 19 overall to Miami Heat
Kalbrosky's Analysis:
The Miami Heat have drafted several prospects known for their athleticism, which means a player like Arizona forward Koa Peat will probably have some appeal to their organization. Peat is an ideal match for this franchise given his versatility as a playmaking forward. The All-Big 12 forward just needs a jumper to carve out regular minutes as a high-impact pro. Arizona plays at a significantly faster pace (4.6 extra possessions) when Peat is on the floor relative to when he is not, per CBB Analytics, which would fit very well with Miamis fastest-paced offense in the NBA.
See USA TODAY's full mock draft here
Koa Peat stats
(all stats as of March 15)
13.6 points per game
5.3 rebounds per game
2.7 assists per game
53.7% field goal percentage
31.6% three-point field goal percentage
Brayden Burries 2026 NBA Draft, mock draft prediction
No. 10 overall to Milwaukee Bucks.
Kalbrosky's Analysis:
Arizona freshman Brayden Burries had two breakout games in January, which helped solidify his draft stock. But the All-Big 12 guard has continued to display his tantalizing talent, scoring 31 points with seven rebounds and five steals against Colorado on March 7 and 20 points with 12 rebounds and five assists during a victory against No. 14 Kansas on Feb. 28. Burries has proven productivity and that he is able to defend, relocate, move the ball and make 3-pointers off the dribble.
See USA TODAY's full mock draft here
Brayden Burries stats
(all stats as of March 15)
15.9 points per game
4.7 rebounds per game
2.6 assists per game
49.2% field goal percentage
36.7% three-point field goal percentage
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Arizona basketball in Final Four: Top players, March Madness results