Trey Kaufman-Renn's buzzer-beating tip-in propels Purdue past Texas and into Elite Eight

Who doesn’t believe in second chances? Senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn closed it out for Purdue on a tip-in shot with just 0.7 seconds left, following a missed layup from guard Braden Smith, to beat No. 11 Texas 79-77 in a West Region Sweet 16 matchup in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday night. Following the game, Smith told reporters that he was hoping that Kaufman-Renn could convert on the second-chance bucket following his miss. “I was standing under the rim, I said ‘Please go in there, please go in there,’” Smith said, according to The Associated Press. “Trey tipped it perfectly and I was like ‘Thank God, thank God that went in.’” Kaufman-Renn said that he believed that Smith got a good look, and added that Purdue head coach Matt Painter often says that it’s not always the first shot that goes in. “I thought Braden had a good shot,” Kaufman-Renn said. “Coach always says its a lot of times its not that first shot that goes, its those tip ins. I just tried to get myself in position.” Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) scores on a buzzer-beating tip-in, leading Purdue to a 79-77 win over Texas in their Sweet 16 matchup on March 26, 2026. Getty Images Texas tied the game moments before, with Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain wasgetting fouled while making a layup and convertedconverting on the 3-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. The game-winner marks Texas’ fourth March Madness loss on a game-winning shot, which is the most by any team in NCAA Tournament history, ESPN reported. Kaufman-Renn led the way for the Boilermakers during the entirety of the Sweet 16 matchup, scoring 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting 8-of-10 from the field. Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) pumps his fist after scoring on a buzzer-beating tip-in in Purdue’s win over Texas in their Sweet 16 showdown. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Tramon Mark’s 29 points for Texas and led all scorers for the night, with the sixth-year senior guard shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Longhorns senior Jordan Pope, who had 10 points while knocking down four 3-point shots, told reporters following the game that he was playing through a broken foot, claiming that he suffered the injury with five minutes left during Texas’ 74-68 win over Gonzaga in the second round. “I had nothing to lose. I’m back at home playing in the Sweet 16,” he said. Purdue guard C.J. Cox scored 10 points through 31 minutes of play, after it was speculated that he could have missed Thursday’s game after hyperextending his knee during the Boilermakers’ second-round matchup against Miami on Sunday. Purdue is now set to face the winner of Thursday’s nightcap between Arizona and Arkansas in the Elite Eight.