Kaufman-Renn tips in game-winner to send No. 2 seed Purdue past 11th-seeded Texas 79-77 in Sweet 16
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn has heard coach Matt Painter remind the Boilermakers so many times during his four years at Purdue that it’s not always the first shot of a possession that matters most.
“It’s those tip-ins at the end of the games,” Kaufman-Renn recalled of the message. “He said that my four years here, so it’s kind of cool to experience that.”
Yes, Kaufman-Renn’s quick hands at the rim extended a special NCAA Tournament run for Purdue.
Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and the No. 2-seed Boilermakers edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the 11th-seeded Longhorns 79-77 on Thursday night in the Sweet 16.
Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points.
Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots — going 6 for 6 and grabbing five rebounds in the first half — on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.
Purdue will play top-seeded Arizona on Saturday night with a chance to advance to the Final Four.
Texas had subbed 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis out of the game with 11 seconds left after Boilermakers big man Oscar Cluff had fouled out, giving Purdue a better opportunity in the paint. Kaufman-Renn got himself right under the front of the rim after Smith missed on his drive.
“The No. 1 thing for us to have a chance today was to rebound with Purdue,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “I thought we really struggled to rebound on defense.”
Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured leg through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior’s team needed him most. His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against Southern California in the second round of the 2007 tournament.
Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday’s Elite Eight game against either top-seeded Arizona (34-2) or No. 4 seed Arkansas (28-8), who were playing the late game in San Jose.
The teams traded baskets and chances most of the night.
Chendall Weaver scored off his offensive rebound with 1:03 to play pulling Texas within 73-72 after Smith had made only one of two free throws.
Vokietaitis hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left before Purdue’s C.J. Cox made two at the 19.4-second mark.
Another miss for Miller
Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach who hasn’t reached the Final Four. The Longhorns had won three straight following a three-game losing streak — this time with football coach Steve Sarkisian among an animated Texas crowd sitting a few rows off courtside.
“It feels really good to be a part of what we did, that’s the one thing I would say,” Miller said.
Smith’s drive
Smith thought he’d taken a winning shot, then was left beneath the basket to watch his teammate deliver.
“I was standing under the rim, I was like ‘Please get in there, please get in there,’ and it did,” said Smith, who also dished out five assists. “Trey tipped it perfectly and I was like ‘Thank God, thank God that went in.’”
What an ending for Mark
Mark was going to stay on the floor for his final game any way he could. He took three foul shots in pain with 16:20 left after a hard fall and foul by Fletcher Loyer, briefly exiting before coming back.
“Just being a competitor wanting to play and wanting to advance for my teammates,” he said of how he withstood the pain, “wanting to keep this thing going.”
Homecoming for Pope
Jordan Pope scored 12 points in 33 minutes for Texas playing in his native Bay Area, coming back after breaking his foot late in a second-round win over Gonzaga.
Pope, who was born and raised in nearby Oakland, appreciated the medical team that helped make it happen.
“It meant a lot, a moment that I’m sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life, something that’s a lot bigger than myself and my play,” Pope said. “… I had nothing to lose it’s the Sweet 16.”
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