Purdue defeats Texas 79-77 in Sweet 16 of 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament
Authored by freebet.icu, 28 Mar 2026
The No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament after defeating the No. 11 seed Texas Longhorns 79-77 in the Sweet 16 on March 26, 2026, at SAP Center in San Jose, California.[1][2]
Trey Kaufman-Renn secured the victory for Purdue with a tip-in of Braden Smith's missed layup with 0.7 seconds remaining. Kaufman-Renn, a 6-foot-9 forward for the Big Ten Conference member Purdue, finished with 20 points.[3]
Texas had tied the score at 77 on Dailyn Swain's and-one layup with 11 seconds left, followed by a successful free throw. Swain, a guard for the Texas Longhorns, nearly recorded a double-double with nine rebounds and five assists.
Tramon Mark led Texas with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including five of seven from three-point range. Mark, a guard who transferred to Texas ahead of the 2024-25 season, was the Longhorns' standout scorer.[4]
Purdue's backcourt duo of Fletcher Loyer (18 points) and Braden Smith (16 points) contributed significantly, with all five Boilermakers starters scoring at least 10 points. Loyer and Smith are guards on the Purdue roster coached by Matt Painter.[3]
The game featured multiple lead changes, with Purdue's largest lead at seven points and Texas' at four. Texas, now competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), had advanced to the main bracket via the First Four.[1][5]
Purdue will face the winner of the Arkansas-Arizona Sweet 16 matchup in the Elite Eight on March 28 at SAP Center. The 2026 Final Four is scheduled for April 4 and 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.[1][2]
Sources
- NCAA.com
Article title: NCAA Division I men's basketball committee announces sites for 2026 NCAA championship
Publication date: April 16, 2024
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-04-16/ncaa-announces-sites-2026-march-madness-mens-final-four - NCAA.com
Article title: 2026 NCAA tournament sites announced
Publication date: April 16, 2024
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-04-16/ncaa-announces-sites-2026-march-madness-mens-final-four - Purdue University Athletics
Page title: 2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster
Accessed date: October 2024
https://purduesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster - University of Texas Athletics
Page title: 2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster
Accessed date: October 2024
https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster - Southeastern Conference
Page title: Texas Longhorns to join SEC
Publication date: July 1, 2025 (forthcoming membership)
https://secsports.com/news/2024/7/1/texas-oklahoma-sec-football-membership