Purdue edges Texas in last-second thriller

Boilermakers advance to West Region final with 79-77 win over Longhorns

Mar. 27, 2026 at 6:07am

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Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a shot with 0.7 seconds left to give the second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers a 79-77 win over the 11th-seeded Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament's West Region semifinals on Thursday night in San Jose. Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer also scored in double figures for Purdue. Texas' Tramon Mark had a game-high 29 points in the losing effort.

Why it matters

Purdue's dramatic last-second victory over Texas sets up a highly anticipated matchup between the Boilermakers and No. 1 seed Arizona in the West Region final, with the winner advancing to the Final Four. The game featured a back-and-forth battle between two talented teams looking to extend their tournament runs.

The details

Purdue's Braden Smith drove to the lane on the final possession, and his jumper bounced off right to the hands of Kaufman-Renn, who tipped it in for the game-winning basket. Kaufman-Renn made 8 of 10 shots from the floor, while Loyer scored 18 points and Smith added 16 for the Boilermakers. Texas got 29 points from Tramon Mark, who hit 11 of 15 shots and 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

  • The game was played on Thursday, March 27, 2026 in San Jose, California.

The players

Trey Kaufman-Renn

A starting forward for the Purdue Boilermakers who scored the game-winning tip-in with 0.7 seconds left.

Braden Smith

A starting guard for the Purdue Boilermakers who drove to the lane on the final possession, setting up Kaufman-Renn's game-winner.

Tramon Mark

A starting guard for the Texas Longhorns who scored a game-high 29 points in the losing effort.

Purdue Boilermakers

The second-seeded team that advanced to the West Region final with their narrow victory over Texas.

Texas Longhorns

The 11th-seeded team that came up just short against Purdue in the West Region semifinals.

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What they’re saying

“We must have made it exciting for the fans, but I'm just glad we were able to come out on top in the end.”

— Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Forward

What’s next

Purdue will face No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday in the West Region final, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The takeaway

Purdue's dramatic last-second victory over Texas sets up an intriguing regional final matchup between the Boilermakers and top-seeded Arizona, as both teams look to punch their ticket to the Final Four.