Arizona cuts down nets, reaches Final Four for first time since 2001

SAN JOSE, CA — Red, white, and blue confetti was tossed about on a stage hastily put up at center court at the SAP Center. Players hugged and posed for photos after passing out celebratory hats and T-shirts. And yes, they cut down the net, too.

"All I do is Win" blared in the background as players took turns climbing the ladder. None of the current University of Arizona players were born the last time the Wildcats won a national championship, a long drought for a school with a strong tradition in the sport. The top-seeded Wildcats used a second-half surge and turned back No.

2 Purdue 79-64, bolstered by a heavily partisan crowd on March 28 in Elite Eight play. The Wildcats (36-2) advance to next week's Final Four in Indianapolis and will face the winner of the March 29 Elite Eight game between Tennessee (25-11) and Michigan (34-3). It will be the school's fifth appearance in the Final Four and first since 2001.

Perhaps the largest ovation went to freshman Ivan Kharchenkov. Then again, he's the player usually egging on the crowd, and he did so again, snipping the net, then waving his arms to the crowd, which then cheered louder. When it was over, the players took a victory lap, greeting their fans in the front row of the venue.