SAN JOSE, Calif. — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a missed layup with 0.7 seconds remaining to give No. 2 seed Purdue a 79-77 victory over No. 11 seed Texas in a Sweet 16 thriller on Thursday night, advancing the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight.
Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. His game-winning tip-in came after Braden Smith’s contested layup attempt in the final seconds. Texas had tied the score at 77 on a layup and free throw by Tramon Mark with 11.9 seconds left. Purdue improved to 30-8, while Texas ended its season at 21-15.
The game at the SAP Center featured multiple lead changes and remained close throughout. Purdue led 39-35 at halftime but saw Texas outscore them 42-40 in the second half. Mark led Texas with a season-high 29 points and surpassed 2,000 career points in the contest. The Longhorns, who entered as one of the lowest remaining seeds, had advanced by upsetting higher-seeded teams earlier in the tournament.
Purdue reached the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season. The Boilermakers defeated No. 15 Queens in the first round and No. 7 Miami in the second round before facing Texas. Coach Matt Painter’s team has made consistent deep runs in recent NCAA tournaments while pursuing its first national championship.
The victory marked Purdue’s seventh trip to the Elite Eight in program history and the third since 2019. The Boilermakers will face No. 1 seed Arizona in the West Region final on Saturday with a berth in the Final Four at stake. Arizona advanced with a dominant win over Arkansas.
As of Saturday, preparations continued for the regional final in San Jose. The NCAA tournament proceeded with additional Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games across the other regions, as four Big Ten teams advanced to the Elite Eight, setting a conference record.
