Arizona Wildcats Crush Arkansas 109–88 to Advance to the Elite Eight

The Arizona Wildcats delivered one of the most dominant performances of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, overwhelming the Arkansas Razorbacks 109–88 in the Sweet 16. Arizona’s offense completely dominated Arkansas the entire game and crushed their will to play.

Arizona shot an incredible 63.8% from the field – this is just an amazing stat that lets you see the powerful offense of the Wildcats. In addition the scoring was spread around to several players – this was just an all out complete team effort.

Arizona is now one step closer to the Final Four with a huge matchup on Saturday vs the Purdue Boilermakers.

Wildcats’ Stars Shine Bright

Arizona’s dominant win was fueled by several players stepping up in big moments and delivering standout performances.

• Brayden Burries Leads the Offensive Explosion

  Freshman guard Brayden Burries was one of the biggest stars of the night. Burries scored an impressive 23 points, attacking the basket with confidence and knocking down key shots throughout the game.

  The Razorbacks had no answer for Burries – he scored at will and this helped Arizona completely control this game.

  His performance alone showed just how dominate he has been in this tournament.

• Koa Peat Dominates on Both Ends

  Another huge contributor was freshman forward Koa Peat, who delivered a powerful all-around performance with 21 points.

  Peat really was able to dominate the paint. He was able to power his way to the basket and consistently finish with points.

  His high energy and toughness helped set the tone for Arizona’s aggressive style of play.

• Jaden Bradley Controls the Game

  Senior guard Jaden Bradley once again showed why he is the leader of this Arizona team.

  Bradley was able to control the pace like he has done all season. He really set the flow of this offense that completely overwhelmed the Razorbacks. He was really able to spread out the offense and was able to distribute and give open looks and opportunities for other teammates the entire night.

  Bradley was able to deliver his leadership the entire game.

• Tobe Awaka

  Awaka also had a great game. He is probably the most dominate player on this Arizona team and he was consistently able to power his way to the basket and further crush the will of the Razorbacks.

Arkansas’ Frustration Leads to Dirty Play

As Arizona dominated Arkansas at will the frustration of the Razorbacks began to show.

The Razorbacks had to resort to bad fouls because they could not stop Arizona all night. They took several cheap shots on AZ players that led to multiple flagrant fouls and technical fouls. The culmination was when John Calipari wearing that stupid looking coat got a technical foul.

As a result of this poor sportsmanship the Wildcats were able to pull even further away late in this game.

Check out the Sweet 16 highlights:

What Arizona Must Do to Beat Purdue in the Elite Eight

With a great Sweet 16 win in the record books, Arizona must now look to the Elite Eight battle against the Purdue Boilermakers.

This will be a huge game for the Cats and they must do several things to win in order to advance to the Final Four.

• Control the Tempo

  Arizona’s fast pace has been troublesome for teams they have played all year and they must play at a fast level to keep Purdue off their game to create scoring opportunities in transition.

  Speed and ball movement will be critical for the Wildcats.

• Continue the Balanced Scoring

  One of the big advantages Arizona has is the ability for multiple players to score. Burries, Peat, Bradley, Awaka, Krivas, Kharchenkov and Dell’Orso have been able to score well all year.

  If they can keep this up it will frustrate the Purdue defense and create scoring opportunities.

  This type of play wins in March.

• Win the Rebounding Battle

  Purdue has been a great rebounding team and Arizona needs players to step up to get rebounds – Motiejus Krivas and Koa Peat must be a factor in rebounding to control the boards.

  Rebounding could definitely decide the game.

One Step from the Final Four

The 109–88 win over Arkansas shows how dangerous this team can be when everything on offense and defense is clicking. The Wildcats combined elite shooting, strong rebounding, and disciplined play to completely overwhelm the Razorbacks.

One major challenge remains – Arizona getting to the Final Four.

If the Wildcats can bring the same intensity and power that they showed in the Sweet 16, the team and fans could soon be celebrating one of the best runs in decades.

The stage is now set for an amazing Elite Eight showdown with Purdue. Go Cats!!

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Arizona will now face Michigan in the Final Four on April 4, 2026.