Sweet 16: Purdue 79, Texas 77 Tipped to the Elite Eight
Hammer and Rails • • sports
Key Points:
- Purdue narrowly defeated #11 seed Texas 79-77 in a tense NCAA tournament game, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons.
- Fletcher Loyer led Purdue with 18 points, but the team struggled with three-point shooting, hitting only 4 of 20 attempts, while Texas shot 11 of 25 from beyond the arc.
- Tramon Mark was a standout for Texas, scoring 29 points on efficient shooting despite an ankle injury, but Purdue's senior Jaden Kaufman-Renn contributed 20 points and secured the game-winning tip-in.
- Purdue capitalized on second-chance opportunities, outscoring Texas 22-12 in second chance points, which proved crucial in the close victory.
- The Boilermakers will face the winner of the Arizona-Arkansas game as they continue their tournament run.
