Four years ago, I traveled out to Perry High School in Gilbert, Ariz., to report on a guard named Cody Williams, who had just led his team to a state championship along with a star freshman forward who everyone in Arizona high school basketball circles was raving about. I focused on Williams because his older brother, Jalen, was about to get drafted into the NBA by the Oklahoma City Thunder (which is going pretty well for him). Cody Williams turned out well, getting drafted by the Utah Jazz after one season at Colorado. But I wish I had spent more time around that freshman forward, because as a college freshman, he just led Arizona to a Final Four.

Koa Peat was vital for the Wildcats tonight — a game-high 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, stepping up and using his size and athleticism as his fellow Arizona big men adjusted to Purdue’s strong paint defense. Peat helped keep Arizona in it in the first half, then was crucial in the Wildcats’ dominant second half.