(2) Purdue 79, (11) Texas 77 (West)
Possibly the most surprising match of the regional semifinals, this game turned out to be the highlight of Thursday night, featuring one of the tournament’s most thrilling conclusions.
Purdue and Texas fought intensely for a full 40 minutes, and it was Trey Kaufman-Len who secured the win with a tip-in off a missed shot by Braden Smith, just 0.7 seconds from the end. This victory marks the Boilermakers’ return to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.
Some Texas fans feel Kaufman-Len may have pushed off or hooked Texas players to make his move, a debate that they will likely continue to discuss for a long while.
Even if there was a hint of fortune involved, all Kaufman-Len needed to do was either finish the rebound or sidestep any trouble under the basket.
This last-minute play concluded an impressive journey that began in the First Four, essentially halting Texas from becoming just the third team from Dayton to reach the regional finals. Additionally, it marks Sean Miller’s ninth Sweet 16 showing in 21 seasons—a record for a coach without a Final Four appearance.
However, the night truly belonged to Purdue, a preseason favorite. They are set to face Arizona on Sunday, vying for a spot in the Final Four. A win against the Wildcats would propel them towards their elusive first national title.
Arizona is now emerging as a strong contender for the championship, having defeated Arkansas, a rising upset favorite, 109-88, to reach the regional finals for the first time since 2015.
In their game, Arizona took just eight three-pointers, successfully making five and achieving an outstanding field goal percentage of 63.8%. This is the best any team has recorded in a Sweet 16 game since 2005.
“I thought our players were exceptional offensively today,” said Arizona’s head coach Tommy Lloyd post-game. “The tricky part about basketball is that such success doesn’t always carry over to the next match. We need to find a way to keep that rhythm going.”
This win was particularly gratifying for Lloyd. Although he had 147 wins in his first five seasons at Arizona, the NCAA Tournament had been a struggle. Prior to this Thursday’s victory, the Wildcats faced three Sweet 16 losses and one shocking first-round upset during his tenure.
This season feels different for Arizona, and this was clear throughout March. They’ve won 12 straight games, with their three tournament victories coming by an impressive combined margin of 67 points.
With just one more win, Arizona would advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2001, and three wins away from their first national title since 1997. Notably, the 1997 championship remains the last for any team from the western U.S.
“Disappointment” may seem too severe a term, but following Florida’s loss to Iowa last weekend, Houston became the favored team in the South Division, aiming to return to the Final Four for another year.
If Kelvin Sampson had believed his team would play a game with a mere 120 total points on Thursday night, he, like the rest of us, would assume that they’d be in a good spot. However, it was Illinois that emerged with a decisive 65-55 win, in a game where Houston seemed off sync offensively.
The Cougars played just two miles from their campus but struggled in front of a supportive crowd at the Toyota Center, achieving their lowest point total of the season with just 34.0% shooting accuracy.
Houston held a slim one-point lead early in the second half, only to miss seven consecutive shots. This costly lapse allowed Illinois to gain a 17-0 lead. It was nearly seven minutes before Milos Uzan, who finished at 2-for-11, managed another score, closing the door on the revenge that the Sampsons had hoped for after last season’s disappointment.
A remarkable story emerged this month—one of a coach who spent years succeeding at the Division II level, then quickly transitioned to the major leagues and found success.
However, despite his winning record at Iowa, Fran McCaffrey couldn’t navigate the NCAA Tournament, repeatedly failing to get the Hawkeyes past the first weekend.
From other perspectives…
It’s fair to say that Hawkeye’s performance has paid off from twelve months back.
The upcoming 2024-25 SEC is being discussed as potentially the best college basketball conference ever, driven largely by its NCAA Tournament performance. Interestingly, the Big Ten looks poised to outdo itself just one year later.
With Purdue, Illinois, and Iowa winning on Thursday, the Big Ten could have five of eight teams in the regional final—Michigan and Michigan State are set to compete on Friday—with at least one team certain to head to the Final Four.
As any devoted conference fan can certainly tell you, the last Big Ten champion was Michigan State back in 2000. It might take about another 10 days for the situation to change.
3. Jordan Pope plays with a broken foot
Texas guard Jordan Pope, who grew up playing in the Bay Area, logged 33 minutes for the Longhorns on Thursday night, hitting four threes and scoring 12 points. While that might seem an average performance for someone who averaged 13.1 points per game this season, after the game he disclosed that he had fractured his foot in the second round while defeating Gonzaga.
“I think we can finally be clear,” Pope said post-game. “I had a complete break five minutes before the Gonzaga match ended. It was tough, and I’m not sure many would take the court under such conditions, but I really owe it to our training staff.”
March isn’t exactly for the faint-hearted.
Bonus cheer: Celebration in the Illinois locker room.
Those celebrations have undoubtedly grown more elaborate in recent years, but this level of enthusiasm was truly something special.
1. Nebraska has four players on the court at the worst possible time.
It’s truly been an extraordinary season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Coach Fred Hoiberg’s squad spent a significant part of the year ranked in the top 10, breaking the narrative that they were the power conference team never to win the NCAA Tournament. They won one of the most thrilling second-round matches and reached their first Sweet 16.
In light of all this, what transpired Thursday night essentially became the cherry on top. A fulfilled dream, and Husker fans likely found it hard to voice any complaints.
Yet, in a one-possession game down to the wire, Hoiberg put four players on the floor.
It’s understandable if frustration arose.
“That falls on me,” Hoiberg remarked after the match. “There was a communication breakdown. I’m the head coach. It’s my responsibility.”
“My team was on-site” might have been a more suitable response.
Accidental Norman Dale is definitely the worst kind.
2. Muscular Florida/Nebraska Brothers
It seems this individual may have exhausted his moment of fleeting fame back in March, and possibly also jinxed the new team he joined.
Whether it was this person or Matt Rhule, it certainly wasn’t Fred Hoiberg and his staff.
3. Billy Richmond sent off
This ejection had no impact on the final game outcome, so what’s the point in discussing it?
In fact, those kinds of ejections might occur in around 65% of college games.
All Sweet 16 Thursday Team
The sixth-year senior made 11 of 15 field goals and hit 5 of 7 three-pointers, tallying the day’s highest 29 points in Texas’ loss.
An unnoticed freshman stepped up off the bench for the Hawkeyes, ending with 19 points (4-of-7), along with eight rebounds and three assists in their win over Nebraska.
The freshman prodigy capped his college career with a strong 28-point outing in Arkansas’ loss to Arizona, recording 88 points—the highest for a freshman or SEC player over three NCAA Tournament games.
Trey Kaufman Len, Purdue
The Boilermakers secured a nail-biting victory thanks to his game-winning tip-in, finishing the night with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Even with struggles towards the end, the Cornhusker standout posted a team-best 25 points, shooting 6-of-10 from deep.
1. Malik Ewin, Arkansas
2. Nick Pringle, Arkansas
Honorable Mention: Alvaro Folgueiras, Iowa State
Perhaps not the best name for this strategy. I guess Purdue fans can brainstorm on this.
2. “Scoreboard shows 0.0”
1. “I’m having the most fun time of my life.” —Arizona State freshman forward Core Pete
2. “He slammed the whiteboard and broke the markers on the floor. There was ink all over the place. It was pretty intense…He just told us we were the worst and that we were soft.” —Iowa guard Bennett Staats on what head coach Ben McCollum told his team after a 10-point loss.
3. “I’m from southern Spain. We’re known for being a little smarter than other regions.” —Iowa’s Alvaro Forgieras acknowledging Nebraska’s player count error on the floor.
Let’s do this again Friday night. Snacks would be awesome. How about a hot dip or similar?
