Mar 27, 2026
3 min read
Trey Kaufman-Renn made a bucket with 0.7 seconds left, giving Purdue a 79-77 win over Texas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Trey Kaufman-Wren heard coach Matt Painter remind the Boilermakers many times during his four years at Purdue that it's not always the first shot of the most important possession.
“That's the trick at the end of the game,” Kaufman-Rein recalled the message.“I've been here four years so it's nice to get a taste of that.”
Yes, Kaufman-Rehn's quick hand on the rim extended a special NCAA Tournament run for Purdue.
Kaufman-Renn hit a layup by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left and the No. 2 Boilermakers beat Texas star Tramon Marko and the No. 11 Longhorns 79-77 on Thursday night in the Sweet 16.
Texas (21-15) tied the game earlier when Daylin Swain stood up in traffic, was fouled and hit a 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds left.Smith scored with 38 seconds left to finish with 16 points.
Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven free throws — 6 of 6 and had five in the first half — to score 20 points. He was attacked by teammates right after the final buzzer inside the SAP Center.
Texas put the game away on Matas Vokietaitis' 7-footer with 11 seconds left after the Boilermakers' Oscar Cluff was fouled, giving Purdue a chance.Kaufman-Renn went under the front end after Smith missed his drive.
"The number one thing for us to get a chance today is Purdue's comeback," Texas coach Sean Miller said."I think we worked hard to recover defensively."
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and visibly limping on an injured leg in the final minutes when the sixth-year senior's team needed him most.His points were the most by a Texan player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against USC in the 2007 second round.
Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday's Elite Eight game against either Arizona (34-2) or No. 1 Arkansas.4 (28-8), who played their last game in San Jose.
Tim changed the baskets Chances most of the time.
Smith made just 1 of 2 free throws, and Chendal Weaver made a layup with 1:03 left to put Texas ahead 73-72.
Purdue's C.J.Cox hit a pair of Vokietaitis layups with 20 seconds remaining before 19.4 seconds remained.
Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach not to reach the Final Four.The Longhorns have won three straight after a three-game losing streak -- this time with football coach Steve Sarkisian sitting a few rows down the field to an animated Texas crowd.
"It feels good to be a part of what we do, I'd say one thing," Miller said.
Smith thought he was going to make the game-winning shot, then ducked under the basket and watched as a teammate made the layup.
"I was standing under the rim and I was like, 'Get in there, get in there,' and he did," Smith said after adding five assists."Trey said it so well, and I was like, 'Thank God, thank God he came in.'"
Mark will be sitting on the floor for his last game anyway.He took three foul shots in the heat with 16:20 left after a serious fall and foul by Fletcher Loyer, he did it shortly before returning.
"Just being a player, wanting to play and get on for my teammates," he said of enduring the pain, "wanting to keep going.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
