The Wildcats make history in journey to Final Four | Arizona Wildcats

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The Arizona Wildcats are heading to their first Final Four in 25 years after an impressive tournament run that started in San Diego.

The journey began with Arizona taking on Long Island University, a team that won the regular and tournament titles in the North East Conference. The Wildcats were heavy favorites, and all eyes were on freshmen Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov. They were more than up to the task, collectively netting 47 points as Arizona routed the Sharks 92-58.

Up next was a very gritty Utah State. Like LIU, the Aggies were number one in their conference and won their tournament. They provided a stiff test for the Wildcats but were still outmatched as Arizona won 78-66.

The Wildcats moved on to the Sweet 16 in San Jose and were matched up against an Arkansas team that some picked to win the whole thing. That didn’t mean anything to Arizona though, as they routed the Razorbacks 109-88. The offense was a machine, with the team shooting better than it had all season.

In fact, they made history as the only team to ever have six players score 14 points or more.

“This is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball honestly. I love my teammates. Seeing them eat, seeing them be successful, it just makes me happy,” Peat said.

That win propelled them to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2015, against Purdue. The Boilermakers provided the Wildcats with its biggest challenge of the tournament and took a 38-31 lead into halftime. This adversity fueled one of the best moments of the tournament.

“I said ‘Guys, coaching staff and I are going to leave right now. You guys got a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves to figure this out,'” Lloyd said.

After that, Arizona came out and dominated the second half, winning the game 79-64. Now they’re heading to their first Final Four in 25 years.