No. 1 Arizona uses depth to defeat No. 4 Arkansas in Sweet 16  

SAN JOSE — Depth made the difference as Arizona defeated Arkansas 109-88 in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. 

Arguably the deepest and most dominant team in the country, the Wildcats had six players score in double figures to book their first trip to the Elite Eight under Tommy Lloyd and first since 2015.

It marked the first time since March 23, 1997 vs. Providence that Arizona had six players score in double figures in an NCAA Tournament game.

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

“Then they find me as well. So we went out there and played our Arizona brand of basketball. And I thought everything fell in place, and I thought the whole team played really good today and a lot of guys stepped up.”

The rout was also Arizona’s 18th win by at least 20 points this season, setting a new mark for the most in the country.

Brayden Burries resumed his impressive run in the NCAA Tournament and led the way with 23 points, continuing to show his ability as a three-level scorer. Burries went 7 of 11 (63.6%) from the field and 2 of 4 (50%) from 3.

AND ONEEEEEEEEpic.twitter.com/NXDorxOSfY

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 27, 2026

Peat added 21 points on 8 of 11 (72.7%) shooting, while Ivan Kharchenkov, Jaden Bradley and Motiejus Krivas tallied 15, 14 and 14 points, respectively. Tobe Awaka added 14 points off the bench and became the sixth Arizona player to reach double figures when he did so with more than nine minutes remaining.

“Just sticking to our fundamentals, playing how we played all season,” Kharchenkov said about the balanced scoring. “And playing team basketball. Passing and not forcing a lot of shots. Playing side to side and the gaps were wide open.”

Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. did everything he possibly could to keep Arkansas in the game, a common theme throughout Arkansas’ run during the NCAA Tournament, but the Razorbacks did not get much elsewhere.

Acuff, who entered tied for fourth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game, finished with 28 points on 8 of 19 (42.1%) shooting.

Billy Richmond III added 13 points for the Razorbacks but was ejected with 7:14 to play after he shoved Kharchenkov to the ground and the ruling was upgraded to a flagrant 2.

“I take it as a little bit of motivation,” Kharchenkov said. “Because if somebody does that, obviously he’s frustrated. He’s probably frustrated with me because he shoved me.

“I kinda laugh about it. I find it nice actually because he shows his frustration and that gives me extra energy, so I didn’t mind it at all.”

Nick Pringle fouled out with 7:00 left and was very much a non-factor in his return from a hamstring injury. He finished with six points.

Arkansas forward Malique Ewin picked up two early fouls, and was called for his third foul with 57 seconds left in the first half, severely restricting his physicality and aggression.

The Wildcats took full advantage of Arkansas’ defensive deficiencies (200th in the country in defensive efficiency and 325th in points per game) and had one of their best shooting performances of the season. Arizona shot 37 of 58 (64%) from the field, its second best mark on the year and best since a non-conference win in December over Abilene Christian.

Arizona shot 37 of 58 (64%) from the field in its Sweet 16 win over Arkansas, its second-best mark on the season.

Jaden Bradley explains what allowed the Wildcats’ offense to click so well. pic.twitter.com/y27HnTLUJS

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 27, 2026

“Just definitely getting to the free-throw line, getting easy paint points, transition buckets,” Bradley explained to Arizona Sports how the Wildcats’ offense was able to click so well.

“When you’re always getting layups and getting dunks for us, and getting to the line, that’s probably our highest efficient shot, so just starting there and now we’re getting open 3s and stuff, so just getting good looks overall.”

While flashing its balanced attack, Arizona repeatedly went to its bread and butter — scoring in the paint and getting to the foul line, and it was as effective as it has been all season.

“Obviously we played really well,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “When I was watching film, I thought we could have a lot of success offensively, whether it’s running our flow or transition or just pounding the paint. Our guys did a great job coming out, executing the game plan and hanging with it.

Arizona, who entered fifth in the country in points in the paint per game at 41.9, finished with 60 points in the paint, and was able to get nearly anything it wanted at the rim. The Wildcats’ 60 points in the paint tied their season-high they set vs. Auburn in December.

“Our bigs did a great job in the paint, dominating the paint, dunking it and laying it up,” Burries told Arizona Sports. “Shoutout to them, and when they got doubled, they made the right play kicking it out or kicking it to the other big.”

The Wildcats, who lead the country in free throw attempts (998), shot 30 of 39 (76.9%) at the line, an improved mark after shooting 66.7% and 69.2% at the line in the first two rounds, respectively.

Arizona got in the bonus at the 8:35 mark in the first half en route to setting single-season program records for free throw attempts and free throw makes (730).

“Just putting foul pressure on their bigs, getting in the paint and playing off too, trying to make the right read,” Peat said about Arizona’s ability to get to the rim. “If that’s score, score; if that’s pass, pass out to a good shooter. Just playing basketball, playing off each other, having great instincts.”

The Wildcats’ 54 points in the first half were tied for the second-most in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game in program history. Arizona also became the first team to score at least 50 points before halftime in multiple games within the same NCAA Tournament since 2017.

Next up, Arizona will have the opportunity to reach its first Final Four since 2001, when it plays No. 2 Purdue at 5:49 p.m. on Saturday in San Jose.

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