SAN JOSE, Calif. — Trey Kaufman-Renn has heard coach Matt Painter remind the Boilermakers so many occasions throughout his 4 years at Purdue that it is not at all times the primary shot of a possession that issues most.
“It’s those tip-ins at the end of the games,” Kaufman-Renn recalled of the message. “He said that my four years here, so it’s kind of cool to experience that.”
Yes, Kaufman-Renn’s fast fingers on the rim prolonged a particular NCAA match run for Purdue.
Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and the No. 2-seed Boilermakers edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the Eleventh-seeded Longhorns 79-77 on Thursday evening within the Sweet 16.
Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday’s Elite Eight sport towards top-seeded Arizona (35-2).
“It’s not like it’s a shot to practice every single day,” Kaufman-Renn mentioned. “I’m glad I went in.”
Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and transformed the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his personal drive with 38 seconds remaining and completed with 16 factors.
For the Longhorns, it was this system’s fourth loss on a profitable subject purpose within the last two seconds, probably the most by any workforce in NCAA match historical past, in line with ESPN Research.
Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven photographs — going 6-for-6 and grabbing 5 rebounds within the first half — on the way in which to twenty factors. He was mobbed by teammates proper after the ultimate buzzer sounded at SAP Center.
Texas had subbed 7-foot middle Matas Vokietaitis out of the sport with 11 seconds left after Boilermakers huge man Oscar Cluff had fouled out, giving Purdue a greater alternative within the paint. Kaufman-Renn acquired himself proper below the entrance of the rim after Smith missed on his drive.
“The No. 1 thing for us to have a chance today was to rebound with Purdue,” Texas coach Sean Miller mentioned. “I thought we really struggled to rebound on defense.”
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in ache limping on his injured leg by means of the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s workforce wanted him most. His factors have been probably the most by a Texas participant in an NCAA match sport since Kevin Durant scored 30 towards USC within the second spherical of the 2007 match.
The groups traded baskets and probabilities many of the evening.
Chendall Weaver scored off his offensive rebound with 1:03 to play pulling Texas inside 73-72 after Smith had made solely certainly one of two free throws.
Vokietaitis hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left earlier than Purdue’s C.J. Cox made two on the 19.4-second mark.
Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 look in 21 seasons, probably the most of any coach who hasn’t reached the Final Four. The Longhorns had gained three straight following a three-game shedding streak — this time with soccer coach Steve Sarkisian amongst an animated Texas crowd sitting just a few rows off courtside.
“It feels really good to be a part of what we did, that’s the one thing I would say,” Miller mentioned.
Smith thought he’d taken a profitable shot, then was left beneath the basket to look at his teammate ship.
“I was standing under the rim, I was like ‘Please get in there, please get in there,’ and it did,” mentioned Smith, who additionally dished out 5 assists. “Trey tipped it perfectly and I was like ‘Thank God, thank God that went in.'”
Mark was going to remain on the ground for his last sport any means he may. He took three foul photographs in ache with 16:20 left after a tough fall and foul by Fletcher Loyer, briefly exiting earlier than coming again.
“Just being a competitor wanting to play and wanting to advance for my teammates,” he mentioned of how he withstood the ache, “wanting to keep this thing going.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
