Purdue and Texas Face Off in Sweet 16 Matchup

No. 2 Purdue takes on No. 11 Texas in the West Regional semifinal of the NCAA Tournament

Mar. 26, 2026 at 10:10pm

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The No. 2-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (29-8) will face the No. 11 Texas Longhorns (21-14) in a West Regional semifinal matchup of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. Purdue is looking to avoid an upset against the last remaining double-digit seed in the tournament, while Texas is seeking to continue its Cinderella run after knocking off NC State, BYU, and Gonzaga to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2023.

Why it matters

This is a highly anticipated matchup between two teams with contrasting styles and tournament pedigrees. Purdue is the higher-seeded team and is making its third straight Sweet Sixteen appearance, while Texas is the surprise underdog that has already pulled off several upsets to get this far. The winner will advance to the regional final against either No. 4 seed Arkansas or top-seeded Arizona.

The details

Purdue followed up a rout of No. 15-seeded Queens in the first round with a 79-69 win over seventh-seeded Miami on Sunday. The Boilermakers took control of the game with a 9-0 run early in the second half after trailing by two at the break. Fletcher Loyer paced Purdue with 24 points, while Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Braden Smith chipped in with 12 points and eight assists. Texas needed a buzzer-beater to get past NC State in the First Four before knocking off No. 6 seed BYU and No. 3 seed Gonzaga to get back to the Sweet Sixteen. Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis scored 17 points each, with Vokietaitis adding nine rebounds, in the Longhorns' 74-68 win over Gonzaga on Saturday.

  • The game will tip off at 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
  • Purdue defeated Queens and Miami in the first two rounds to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
  • Texas defeated NC State, BYU, and Gonzaga to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2023.

The players

Purdue Boilermakers

The No. 2-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (29-8) are making their third straight Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Texas Longhorns

The No. 11 Texas Longhorns (21-14) are the last remaining double-digit seed in the tournament and are seeking to continue their Cinderella run.

Fletcher Loyer

The Purdue guard paced the Boilermakers with 24 points in their win over Miami.

Trey Kaufman-Renn

The Purdue forward added 19 points and nine rebounds in the win over Miami.

Braden Smith

The Purdue guard contributed 12 points and eight assists in the Boilermakers' victory.

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What’s next

The winner of this game will advance to Saturday's regional final against either No. 4 seed Arkansas or top-seeded Arizona.

The takeaway

This Sweet Sixteen matchup between the higher-seeded Purdue Boilermakers and the underdog Texas Longhorns promises to be an exciting and hard-fought battle, with the winner moving one step closer to the Final Four.