Surprising Texas faces No. 2 Purdue in West Region semifinals

The Longhorns look to continue their unexpected NCAA Tournament run against the Boilermakers

Mar. 26, 2026 at 6:10am

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The lowest-seeded team left in the NCAA Tournament, No. 11 Texas, will try to continue its unexpected run when it faces No. 2 Purdue in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night in San Jose, California. The Longhorns have already knocked off No. 11 North Carolina State, No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 in their first year under coach Sean Miller. Purdue, on the other hand, is making its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons and third in a row, including a trip to the NCAA title game in 2024.

Why it matters

Texas' unexpected run to the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed has been one of the biggest surprises of the NCAA Tournament so far. The Longhorns will now face a tough test against a veteran Purdue team that was ranked No. 1 in the preseason but has regained its form in the postseason. This matchup will showcase the resilience of the Longhorns against the experience and talent of the Boilermakers.

The details

Texas has been led by the strong play of 7-foot sophomore Matas Vokietaitis, who has averaged 20 points and 12.5 rebounds in the team's two tournament wins. The Longhorns could be without senior guard Jordan Pope, who is dealing with an ankle injury. Purdue is led by a trio of veteran starters in Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who have combined to average 42 points per game this season.

  • The West Region semifinal between Texas and Purdue will take place on Thursday, March 28, 2026.
  • Texas reached the Sweet 16 by winning three games in the First Four and first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament over the past two weeks.

The players

Sean Miller

The head coach of the Texas Longhorns, in his first year with the program after previously coaching at Xavier and Arizona.

Matt Painter

The head coach of the Purdue Boilermakers, who is making his fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons.

Braden Smith

The NCAA career assists leader, who has played over 145 games for Purdue and averages 14 points per game.

Dailyn Swain

The leading scorer for Texas, averaging 17.4 points per game on the season.

Matas Vokietaitis

The 7-foot sophomore who has been the main offensive weapon for Texas in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20 points and 12.5 rebounds in the team's two wins.

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What they’re saying

“I'm incredibly proud of our group, the resiliency that we've shown. We caught fire in about a 10-day period. We were grateful just to have the opportunity to be in the tournament, and then we kind of entered this second weekend as a dangerous team.”

— Sean Miller, Texas head coach

“We've just been collectively better defensively. We've held the last five opponents under 48% shooting after the seven previous foes shot at least 51%.”

— Matt Painter, Purdue head coach

What’s next

The winner of the Texas-Purdue matchup will advance to the West Region final on Saturday, March 30, 2026.

The takeaway

Texas' unexpected run to the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed has been one of the biggest surprises of the NCAA Tournament, showcasing the team's resilience and ability to pull off upsets. However, they now face a tough test against a veteran Purdue squad that has the experience and talent to end the Longhorns' Cinderella story.