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Droughts, done
Arizona's headed to its first Final Four since 2001, while Illinois ended a 21-year drought. We detail what happened in Saturday's Elite Eight games. Plus: latest on NC State coaching search, more coaching news, Kentucky loses its point guard, other portal activity, and previewing today's games.
Mike Miller
March 29, 2026
Good morning! Two Final Four droughts ended on Saturday night. Will we have a first-time Final Four team later today?
But first, onto Saturday’s news.
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1. Arizona outruns Purdue for first Final Four since ‘01
The Arizona run was coming. It was just a matter of when.
Few teams have put together more runs of 10-0 (or more) this season, and Saturday was no different during Arizona’s 79-64 win over Purdue in the West Region final on Saturday night. The Wildcats’ 16-3 run early in the second half turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead.
From there, it was just about getting stops en route to their first Final Four appearance since 2001.
The ‘Cats held Purdue (30-9), one of the best offensive teams in the country, to just 38% from the field and .98 points per possession, its second-lowest total of the season.
“They’re obviously very talented,” Purdue guard Braden Smith said. “They’re the No. 3 defensive team in the country. They rebound at a high, high level. I think that’s kind of where they got us. We would make a couple of plays, get a couple of blocks and then got it right back and were able to score. Obviously we didn’t make as much shots as we did in the first half in the second half. Then obviously those add up.”
Arizona (36-2) had lost five straight times in Elite Eight since ‘01. But with freshman Koa Peat (20 points, 7 rebounds) finding gaps in the paint, freshman Ivan Kharchenkov (18 points, eight rebounds) getting to loose balls or freshman Brayden Burries (14 points), keeping Purdue’s perimeter defense honest with 4-of-7 shooting beyond the arc, the Cats had more than firepower.
“Just being a kid from Arizona, to take this team to a Final Four, man, it’s a blessing,” Peat said. “I’m proud of these guys. We worked for this. We’re not done yet.”
Arizona will face the winner of the Michigan-Tennessee Midwest final.
West All-Region team: Koa Peat (MOP), Jaden Bradley, Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Tramon Mark.
2. Illinois ends 26-year Final Four drought
Iowa controlled the pace. It got a big game from Bennett Stirtz. But Illinois’ mix of size and skill was too much, just like it’s been most of the season.
