Inside the game-winning play that advanced Purdue to Elite 8
Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn was constantly told the second shot is more important than the first. He found how true it is in the Sweet 16.
SAN JOSE, CA — The past four years of Trey Kaufman-Renn’s all led to Thursday, March 26. Since he arrived on Purdue’s campus in 2022, coach Matt Painter has tried to tell his forward sometimes, it’s not the first shot that’s the most important, it’s the second. He found out it’s indeed true in the Sweet 16 .
Renn came up clutch for No. 2 seed Purdue, getting the game-winning tip-in shot against No. 11 seed Texas to get the Boilermakers in the Elite Eight .
It was the heroics Purdue needed to avoid another March Madness loss to a double-digit seed, and for a moment, it seemed possible. Texas’ Dailyn Swain got a bucket and the foul to tie the score with 11 seconds to go, setting up Purdue for the final shot. After a timeout, guard Braden Smith brought the ball down and drove to his right for a floater.
The play was fully designed for him, meant for him to drive down and get the shot. The only thing was to make sure he didn’t get blocked. The moment the ball left his hand, he thought that would seal it.