March Madness in San José, California, delivered a full night of drama and dominance Thursday at the SAP Center, as No. 1 The University of Arizona and No. 2 Purdue University advanced to the Elite Eight in contrasting fashion.
Arizona cruised past No. 4 the University of Arkansas 109-88, while Purdue survived a thriller, defeating No. 11 Texas 79-77 on a last-second tip-in from senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.
The wins set up an Elite Eight matchup between the Wildcats and Boilermakers on Saturday, with a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the line.
Arizona (109) imposed its scoring early and never looked back against Arkansas (88), using a balanced offensive attack to overwhelm the Razorbacks. freshman guard Brayden Burries led the Wildcats with 23 points shooting 7 of 11 on the evening, while freshman forward Koa Peat added 21.
Arizona made NCAA tournament history with six players scoring at least 14 points.
Peat said the team’s success came from playing coordinated ball.
“Just putting foul pressure on their bigs, getting in the paint and playing off two, trying to make the right read, if that’s score, score; if that’s pass, pass out to a good shooter, just playing basketball, playing off each other and having great instincts,” Peat said.
The Wildcats shot 64.3% in the first half to take a 54-43 lead and never allowed Arkansas to recover. They continued their efficiency in the second half, shooting 63.3% from the field.
Arkansas struggled from beyond the arc, going 5 for 23 on 3-pointers, and committed 25 fouls as Arizona consistently attacked the paint. The Wildcats scored 60 points inside and went 30 for 39 from the free-throw line.
Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas led all scorers with 28 points for the Razorbacks.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd had acclaim for his team’s composure.
“Our guys did a great job of just staying steady and making the game simple and trying to find our advantages every possession,” Lloyd said.
A 3-pointer from senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso pushed Arizona’s lead to 87-65 with 8:52 remaining, putting the game out of reach.
Despite the deficit, tensions flared late. Sophomore guard Billy Richmond III was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul after pushing Arizona freshman Ivan Kharchenkov. Earlier in the evening, the Purdue Boilermakers (79) edged the Texas Longhorns (77) in a tightly contested game that came down to the final possession in front of a crowd of more than 15,000 fans.
Boilermaker Kaufman-Renn sealed the win with a tip-in of senior guard Braden Smith’s missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining, punching the ticket for Purdue to arrive at its second Elite Eight in three years.
“I mean, you just try to get a hand on it,” Kaufman-Renn said. “It’s not like a shot you practice every single day.”
The Boilermakers leaned on their veteran trio of seniors, Kaufman-Renn, senior guard Fletcher Loyer and Smith, who combined for a cumulative 54 points. Smith, the NCAA Division I all-time assists leader, said his teammates’ experience working together continues to pay off.
“I think it benefits us more than anybody in the country,” Smith said. “We’ve played together for four years. We know our strengths and our weaknesses, and we understand what gets each other going.”
Loyer lit the fire for Purdue early by opening the game 2 for 2 from 3-point range and later scoring seven straight points during a key first-half run. The Boilermakers capitalized on a five-point possession after a dead-ball technical foul on Texas.
Kaufman-Renn scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in the first half, helping Purdue take a 39–35 lead into halftime. Texas stayed within reach behind graduate guard Tyrese Hunter and forward Dailyn Swain, who helped keep the game tight.
Graduate senior Tramon Mark led Texas with 29 points with 11 for 15 shooting, returning after a second-half ankle injury to spark a late push.
Swain added 11 second-half points, including a three-point play with 11.9 seconds remaining to tie the game.
Foul trouble played a key role down the stretch. Texas reached 10 team fouls with 5:54 remaining, allowing Purdue to shoot two free throws on each subsequent foul. The Boilermakers converted at a 75% clip, while Texas shot 53% from the line.
Texas forward Camden Heide fouled out with five minutes remaining, while Purdue center Oscar Cluff fouled out with 11 seconds left, just before Kaufman-Renn’s game-winning tip.
“I was (really nervous),” Cluff said. “That was the last thing I wanted to do, but when he got that tip-in, it felt great.”
After a missed half-court heave by Texas guard Jordan Pope, Purdue players mobbed its hero Kaufman-Renn at midcourt.
With both teams advancing, Arizona and Purdue will meet Saturday at the SAP Center, with the winner earning a spot in the Final Four.
