SAN JOSE, Calif. — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and No. 2 Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the 11th-seeded Longhorns 79-77 on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
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.
For the Longhorns, it was the program’s fourth loss on a winning field goal in the final two seconds, the most by any team in NCAA tournament history, according to ESPN Research.
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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.
Texas had subbed 7-foot center Matas Vokietaitis out of the game with 11 seconds left, giving Purdue a better opportunity in the paint, and Kaufman-Renn got himself right under the front of the rim after Smith missed on his drive.
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.
Texas coach Sean 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.
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.
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 said ‘Please go in there, please go in there,'” 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 took three foul shots in pain with 16:20 left after a hard fall and foul by Fletcher Loyer. Mark made two of three free throws and stayed in the game, briefly limping around before exiting to have his right ankle examined at the 15:37 mark. Texas led by four.
He returned with 13:09 to go and drove for a short turnaround jumper with 12:27 remaining as the teams traded baskets and shortly after he hit a timely 3-pointer.
