Purdue 79, Texas 77: Postgame Video
Purdue stays alive.
Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates after defeating the Texas Longhorns during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Every win is beautiful, epecially in the tournament. I have been staring at the flashing cursor for the last few minutes thinking about what I should write.
The entire second half was about as intense of a basketball game as you can ask for, right to the very end. It was a game where Texas threw everything it had into it. Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope were each playing lights out on one leg.
Matas Vokietaitas was in foul trouble and limited in what he could do. Purdue’s offense was getting good looks, but no one aside from Fletcher Loyer could knock down a three. Oscar Cluff fouled out on a disastrous play tha tied the game, and the prospect of playing overtime without him was looming.
Thank God for Trey Kaufman-Renn. Look, all that matters this time of year is having more points than your opponent when the clock hits zero. You don’t get graded on pretty.