Purdue Advances to 3rd Straight Sweet 16 with 79-69 Win Over Miami

Boilermakers overcome career-high 8 turnovers from star guard Braden Smith to reach regional semifinals

Mar. 23, 2026 at 12:20am

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Purdue beat Miami 79-69 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the third straight time and seventh in the last nine years. Fletcher Loyer scored 24 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Boilermakers, who overcame a career-high 8 turnovers from star guard Braden Smith. Miami's Shelton Henderson had 18 points and 8 rebounds in the losing effort.

Why it matters

Purdue's continued success in the NCAA Tournament cements the program as one of the top contenders in college basketball, as the Boilermakers have now reached the Sweet 16 in 7 of the last 9 seasons. The loss ends a strong season for Miami, which matched the recognized NCAA record by improving its win total by 19 from last year.

The details

Purdue used a 13-2 run in the first half, sparked by 10 points from Loyer, to take the lead from Miami. The Hurricanes fought back to take a 40-38 halftime lead, but the Boilermakers pulled away in the second half with an 11-3 run. Loyer and Kaufman-Renn made key plays down the stretch to secure the victory for Purdue.

  • Purdue advanced to the Sweet 16 on Sunday, March 23, 2026.
  • The Boilermakers will face 11th-seeded Texas in the West Region semifinals on Thursday in San Jose, California.

The players

Fletcher Loyer

Purdue guard who scored a team-high 24 points, including 4 3-pointers, to lead the Boilermakers to victory.

Trey Kaufman-Renn

Purdue forward who had 19 points and 9 rebounds to provide a strong inside presence for the Boilermakers.

Braden Smith

Purdue's star guard, who set the NCAA career record for assists prior to this game, but was held to 12 points and 8 assists while also committing a career-high 8 turnovers.

Shelton Henderson

Miami guard who led the Hurricanes with 18 points and 8 rebounds in the losing effort.

Malik Reneau

Miami forward who scored 16 points but also had 7 turnovers in the game.

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What they’re saying

“We have a good team, we have good balance, and Braden is the guy that makes us go and he sets things off. I know he's frustrated, but we were able to win and advance, and now we can play another day.”

— Matt Painter, Purdue Head Coach

“The thing with him is you've got to try to limit him as much as possible because he's the engine to the machine. Everybody knows that. And so we tried to deny him. We tried to trap him. ... We just had to give him different looks. We tried to make him as uncomfortable as possible.”

— Jai Lucas, Miami Head Coach

“I hold myself to a higher standard. It was a bit frustrating. Obviously I wanted shots to fall, but win and advance, and we move on.”

— Braden Smith, Purdue Guard

What’s next

Purdue will face 11th-seeded Texas in the West Region semifinals on Thursday in San Jose, California. It will be the teams' first meeting since Purdue eliminated Texas in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

Purdue's continued success in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and seventh time in the last nine, solidifies the Boilermakers as one of the top programs in college basketball. Despite an uncharacteristic performance from star guard Braden Smith, Purdue's balanced scoring attack and strong defense proved too much for Miami to overcome.