SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jayden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, Mortius Krivas had 11 points and 14 rebounds and top-seeded Arizona beat ninth-seeded Utah State 78-66 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd.
The Wildcats (34-2) have won their 11th straight game against fourth-seeded Arkansas on Thursday in the West Region in San Jose.
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The Wildcats will reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014 and 2015. They started March Madness with an easy 92-58 victory over Long Island on Friday.
Arizona won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles in front of a rowdy, red-clad crowd that made the game feel like a home game some 400 miles from campus.
But the Aggies (29-7), who won the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles, didn’t give up, despite trailing 51-33 five minutes into the second half after giving up a 9-0 run.
The Wildcats then went cold from the field, and Derek Allen’s 3-pointer brought the Aggies within 58-54.
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When the score was 60-56, Bradley, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished the fast break with a high shot, but was fouled and took a 7-point lead with a three-pointer.
Allen hit a three-pointer for the Aggies, and then Bradley made consecutive offensive jumpers and free throws.
Arizona’s Brayden Burries had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Koa Peat had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Led by the 7-foot-2 Krivas, the Wildcats outrebounded the Aggies 54-26.
Garry Clark scored 13 points for Utah State, MJ Collins had 12 points and Allen had 11 points. Mountain West Player of the Year Mason Falslev scored just eight points.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
