2026 NCAA Tournament: Purdue 79, Miami (FL) 69 – Postgame video
Purdue reaches the sweet 16 for a 3rd straight year.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 20: Trey Kaufman-Renn #4 of the Purdue Boilermakers shoots against the Queens University Royals in the first half during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Enterprise Center on March 20, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images Poise. That is the biggest takeaway from this game.
Purdue just looked so comfortable and was never rattled throughout. Yes, the Hurricanes got all kinds of second chances, but Purdue was steady at the line going 21 of 22. Braden Smith had a rough game with 8 turnovers, but still had some big assists and salted it away at the line.
When it mattered most Trey Kaufman-Renn got the game’s biggest rebound with 39 seconds left and Purdue up 6. Miami is a really good team. They did what they needed to do to have a chance by getting physical with the Boilers on the glass.
What they needed was better three-point shooting. If the Hurricanes don’t go 1 of 11 in the second half from three I am writing a very different article right now. Some notes: I really hope CJ Cox is okay.