SAN JOSE — Purdue Advances to Elite Eight with Last-Second Win Over Texas

A second-chance basket in the final second propelled Purdue to the Elite Eight.

Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a shot with 0.7 seconds left, giving the second-seeded Boilermakers a 79-77 victory over 11th-seeded Texas in the NCAA Tournament West Region semifinals on Thursday night.

Purdue’s Braden Smith drove to the lane on the final possession. His jumper bounced off, landing in the hands of Kaufman-Renn, one of three starters from Purdue (30-8) who played in the 2024 NCAA final.

“Sometimes your best offense is a missed shot in those situations,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We got a good look there at the end. Braden executed well, made the right read, and took the right shot. Perfect timing. That’s what you want — a chance for a stick-back. If you don’t get it, then you go to overtime.”

A Texas heave from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer fell short.

Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, making 8 of 10 shots from the floor. Fletcher Loyer added 18 points, while Smith contributed 16. Purdue will face No. 1 Arizona in the regional final on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. The Wildcats handled No. 4 seed Arkansas 109-88 on Thursday.

Texas (21-15) was led by Tramon Mark with 29 points — the most by a Longhorn in the NCAA Tournament since Kevin Durant scored 30 in 2007. Mark shot 11 of 15 from the field and 5 of 7 from three-point range. Texas finished with 51.8% overall shooting and 55.6% in the second half.

“I don’t know if I’ve been part of a team that’s come so far in such a short time as these guys,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “I’ve used the word ‘resilience’ to describe our team. I think it’s very appropriate.”

Dailyn Swain added 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for Texas, tying the game with a three-point play with 11.9 seconds left.

Purdue led 39-35 at halftime, shooting 53.1%. Texas opened the second half with five quick points, sparking six lead changes or ties before taking a 49-45 edge with 15:40 remaining on a Camden Heide three-pointer.

Texas center Matas Vokietaitis, who averaged 18.3 points and 11 rebounds in the team’s first three NCAA Tournament games, picked up his fourth foul with 12:43 left. Purdue responded with a six-point run to regain a 58-56 lead.

The Longhorns went ahead 70-66 on a Mark three-pointer with 5:20 left but then failed to score for more than four minutes as Purdue went on a 7-0 run.

Earlier in the game, Texas missed five of its first six shots before hitting seven straight, including four from long range, to take a 20-16 lead. Purdue countered with four consecutive baskets to lead 26-23 with 8:38 remaining in the first half.

The game was tied at 30 when Vokietaitis was called for an offensive foul, which was upgraded to a flagrant foul, resulting in a five-point play for Purdue. Loyer made both free throws and followed with a three-pointer, starting a personal 7-0 run.

—Brian J. Pedersen, Field Level Media/Reuters