How Arizona players' halftime talk ended 25 years of March Madness heartbreak

SAN JOSE, CA — “Here we go again. ” It was the collective thought nearly every Arizona fan had when the Wildcats went into halftime of their Elite Eight matchup against Purdue down seven points. One of the best teams in program history was on the verge of a familiar result that had plagued the program for 25 years: falling short of the Final Four.

Athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois was nervous. Mix Master Mike was sweating. Families were stressed.

But while Bear Down nation was anxious, all was calm inside the Wildcats locker room. Everyone rushed in, awaiting to hear what coach Tommy Lloyd would say to flip the script. The inspirational pep talk made for cinema.

But he didn’t have anything to say. Instead, he turned the attention to his players. Let them figure out what they need to do to change course.