Trey Kaufman-Renn’s late tip-in sends Purdue to Elite Eight
SAN JOSE – They needed one win to become the program’s all-time winningest class.
They needed one victory to set a record for the most wins in the NCAA tournament by a Purdue class.
And they needed one win to keep the dream of alive of another Final Four appearance.
And one of the seniors delivered, adding another chapter to the legacy of Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith.
Kaufman-Renn’s tip-in following Smith’s missed layup with 0.7 seconds to play carried the second-seeded Boilermakers to a 79-77 victory over No. 11 seed Texas in the Sweet 16 at SAP Center.
The victory advances Purdue to Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup against top-seeded Arizona (8:49 p.m. ET, TBS).
“I’m just excited we won the game,” said Kaufman-Renn, who finished with 20 points. “I don’t know. I mean, I was kind of nervous. ‘Man, I got to go back on defense now.’ I didn’t know how many seconds were left.
“It’s really cool. We’re going to the Elite Eight.”
The victory gives Kaufman-Renn, Loyer, and Smith 117 victories in four seasons, breaking the old mark of 116. They won their 10th NCAA tournament game, adding to their long list of accomplishments.
The Boilermakers had a 73-70 lead after Oscar Cluff‘s lay-in and Smith’s free throw with 1:33 to play. Chendell Weaver brought the Longhorns with 73-72 with a short jumper with 60 seconds on the clock.
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PURDUE POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER
PURDUE’S TREY KAUFMAN-RENN
On the ensuing possession, Smith settled into a one-on-one situation and, after a couple of dribbles between his legs, drove past Nic Codie and converted a layup with 38.4 seconds.
Jordan Pope, who later revealed he played with a broken foot, missed a 3-pointer, but a jump ball was called when Kaufman-Renn and Dailyn Swain both grabbed the ball. Loyer fouled Texas big man Matas Vokietatis, a poor free-throw shooter, but the 7-foot center made two to bring the Longhorns within one.
Down by three, Swain drove to the basket and bodied up against Cluff, who was called for his fifth foul as junior made the basket and added the free throw to tie the score at 77 with 11.9 seconds left.
That set up the dramatic finish.
“Look, we did get the stop,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “They got us with their size on the offensive rebound, and many times a game is won and lost not on the first shot, but on the second. We could have done a better job of blocking out or competing, but the number one thing for us to have a chance was to rebound with Purdue.”
Texas outscored Purdue 19-8 over a six-minute stretch, starting at the end of the first half and continuing during the first five minutes after halftime, capped by former Boilermaker Camden Heide’s 3-pointer.
From there, neither team could establish control. Purdue answered Texas’ baskets. The Longhorns answered the Boilermakers’ scores.
There were 16 lead changes, and the game was tied 10 times.
Loyer finished with 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Smith had 16 points, while C.J. Cox contributed 10 and Cluff added 11.
Pope had 29 points, hitting 11 of 15 field goals in 33 minutes, to lead Texas. Heide had three points and five rebounds before fouling out with five minutes to play.
Purdue had a 37-30 lead late in the first half but couldn’t extend it going into halftime.
In the first half, Kaufman-Renn and Loyer combined for 25 of Purdue’s 39 points. Only Loyer was able to consistently hit from 3-point range, making 3 of 5. But the rest of the team was 0 of 7.
And that trend continued for the rest of the game. Loyer was the only Boilermaker to hit a 3-pointer. Cox, Omer Mayer, Smith, and Jack Benter combined to miss 12 straight from beyond the arc.
PURDUE’S CJ COX
PURDUE’S OSCAR CLUFF
“IT’S NOT THE FIRST SHOT … ”
The play was designed for Smith. He thought he had made the game-winner, adding to his growing list of achievements, but the ball rolled off the rim.
And Kaufman-Renn was in the perfect position.
“I think when you give the ball to Braden, he can go by anybody in the country,” said Kaufman-Renn, who made his first seven field goal attempts. “We have plays designed for him to do that. I thought he got a good shot.
“Then, coach always says that it’s not — a lot of times; it’s not the first shot. They’re the tip-ins at the end of games. He said that during my four years here, so it’s kind of cool to actually experience that.”
Said Smith: “I thought it was there, so I was kind of already hopping under the rim, like excitement, and then obviously it bounced off, missed, and I saw Trey tipping. I was running to the rim. I did not want to go to overtime. I did not want to do that, just because of the momentum and all that stuff. It was just awesome.”
The Boilermakers were able to build a pair of three-point leads in the final 38 seconds, likely putting them in position to take the last shot, even if the Longhorns tied the game.
After Swain’s traditional three-point play, which fouled out Cluff, Purdue was in a position for the final shot. Matt Painter and assistant coach P.J. Thompson leaned on their stars and their two-man game to either win or go to overtime.
The rest of the players were putting themselves in position for a second-chance opportunity.
“I was basically at the hoop,” Cox said. “I was going to get the rebound too if it missed, but TK was just there before me.”
Said Cluff: “I thought (Smith) was going to make his layup. I was like, ‘Oh, he’s made that a million times,’ but he missed it, and TK just got that tip in.”
All Painter could think about was whether Smith made his shot and how much time would be left. Kaufman-Renn sprinted to the other end and watched Pope’s long heave bounce off the top of the backboard and out of harm’s way.
“You look at the clock and see what they’re doing, because they don’t have a timeout,” Painter said. “When he tips it in, and you’re just trying to see where your guys are and talk to others. You’ve got to know time and score.
“And sometimes under the emotions of a game, guys will flip out and do something. You’re just trying to get them away more than anything, so guys don’t run into them and shoot basketball, get a foul or whatever.”
3-POINT STRUGGLES
The Boilermakers discovered they can win in the NCAA tournament without 3-pointers coming from every direction.
Only Loyer hit a 3-pointer, while everyone else fired blanks. Loyer made his first two attempts, but Purdue was just 2 of 18 the rest of the way.
“Teams have slumps in 3-point shooting in games,” said Cox, who scored his points from the midrange. “We had that in Oregon last year and were able to come up with the win. I feel like that game and this game were kind of similar. Two great teams, tough teams, and here we’re just able to execute at the end.”
Purdue’s experience paid off once again as the shooting struggles continued from the perimeter. No panic. Plenty of composure. And the Boilermakers leaned on their experience to move one step closer to another trip to the Final Four.
Texas also dominated the rebounds early in the second half. Although Purdue held a 32-31 advantage at the end of the game, the lack of production on the boards nearly proved costly. While the Boilermakers weren’t as effective on the boards, they generated 22 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds.
“We don’t shoot it well, and having guys that have been through it,” Painter said. “To be in a position where we don’t shoot the basketball well, like that from 3, and be able to grind it out, and that’s something that we didn’t know if we’d be able to do three weeks ago.”
“IT JUST FELT GOOD”
Cox knew all along he would be playing Thursday night.
Despite suffering a hyperextended knee in last week’s second round against Miami (Fla.), the sophomore spent the week focused on treatment.
He practiced for the first time on Wednesday and participated in shootaround on Thursday afternoon.
Cox made his first three field goal attempts and quickly settled into the game.
“I did like full practice, and felt fine,” said Cox, who played 31 minutes. “Just being able to recover, do rehab (Wednesday), and then a little bit (Thursday), icing and using the device here that (athletic trainer) Chad (Young) gave me, and it just felt good.”
Cox also stepped up and hit two big free throws with 19 seconds to play, stretching the advantage to 77-74.
“Good for him,” Painter said. “He was hurt and hasn’t done much in practice, but he went out there and competed and helped us win and knocked down two big free throws.”
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