SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — From the opening minutes until the end of the game, Arizona scored almost at will.
The Wildcats used one of the best offensive performances in the NCAA Tournament to get over the Sweet 16 hurdle for the first time in more than a decade.
Brayden Burries scored 21 points and fellow freshman Koa Peat added 21 as part of a record-setting balanced attack that sent top-seeded Arizona to a 109-88 win over Arkansas on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing basketball, honestly,” 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. I thought everything fell in place, and I thought the whole team played really good today and a lot of guys stepped up.”
There had never been a performance quite like the one Arizona (35-2) delivered as the Wildcats shot 63.8% from the floor for the best mark in the Sweet 16 since 2005.
Ivan Kharchenkov also had 15 points, while Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka scored 14 apiece as the Wildcats became the first team in NCAA Tournament history with six players scoring at least 14 points in a game.
“I feel like that’s what makes us so special, is because anybody can go off on a given day,” Burries said. “Everybody contributes in their own way.”
The Wildcats will take a 12-game winning streak into the West Region final against second-seeded Purdue on Saturday night. The Boilermakers beat Texas 79-77 in the first game.
“I thought our guys were great offensively today,” coach Tommy Lloyd said. “The great thing about basketball and the tough thing about basketball is, unfortunately, that doesn’t automatically translate to Saturday. We’ve got to find a way to kind of recreate that rhythm we had tonight.”
Lloyd has won a record 147 games in his first five seasons as a head coach but has been unable to find tournament success before this season. Arizona had lost three times in the Sweet 16 and once in the first round as a No. 2 seed in Lloyd's first four seasons.
But the Wildcats have rolled through this year's tournament outside of a couple of tense moments in the second round against Utah State, outscoring the opposition by 67 points in three double-digit wins.
Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored 28 points for fourth-seeded Arkansas (28-9) in what might be the final college game for the talented freshman who scored 88 points in three tournament games. But he didn't get nearly enough help against the deeper Wildcats.
The frustration for the Razorbacks boiled over in the second half when Nick Pringle and coach John Calipari both got technical fouls and Billy Richmond was ejected after getting a flagrant 2 foul for shoving Kharchenkov.
The Razorbacks reached the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in six seasons but once again fell short and are still seeking their first Final Four appearance since 1995.
“They were on all cylinders, and we weren’t quite what we’ve been,” Calipari said. “That’s why you get a 20-point bulge. Every one of their guys, they’ve got a bunch of guys that can play, and they’ve got a couple other guys that do exactly what they need to do to help their team win. But they’re good.”
Arizona had a nearly flawless first half offensively, shooting 64% from the field, making 15 of 17 free throws and protecting the ball well against the Razorbacks defense. That helped stake the Wildcats to a 54-43 lead, as they tied for the fifth-most points scored in the first half of a Sweet 16 game.
Arizona built the lead to 18 early in the second half on a three-point play by Burries to the delight of Warriors coach and former Wildcats star Steve Kerr, and Arkansas never really threatened the rest of the way.
“We’ve had the freedom of playing free and it makes it difficult for defenses to lock in,” Kharchenkov said. “If you stop one guy we have another. If you stop that guy we have another. Today everybody popped off.”
The Wildcats are one win away from reaching their first Final Four since 2001.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
