The referees certainly kept their whistles quiet during the game.
Purdue clinched a nail-biting 79-77 victory over Texas in the Sweet 16, thanks to a last-second tip-in.
Before that crucial moment, Trey Kaufman-Len pushed Texas’ Daylene Swain while they were tussling for position after a fumble by Braden Smith.
An overhead camera captured Swain moving away, with Kaufman-Len’s arm fully extended.
This extra space gave him the chance to jump and tip the ball into the basket with just 0.7 seconds on the clock, sending Purdue to the Elite Eight against top-seeded Arizona.
If a foul had been called, Texas, seeded No. 11, would have had free throws, which could have turned the game in their favor.
Ultimately, the officials let the players play—something fans often call for in tense moments like this.
Kaufman-Len commented, “Often the first shot isn’t successful. They’re usually tip-ins at the end of the game. Coach Matt Painter reminded me I’ve spent four years here, so it feels great to finally experience that. I just tried to position myself for a rebound or to post up if a defender cut me off.”
Reaction on social media saw some fans claiming that Kaufman-Len had gotten away with a foul.
The fouls called in the game were 18 against Texas and 14 against Purdue.
There’s definitely contact in that moment, but these late-game situations can be a bit chaotic—much like those last-ditch Hail Mary attempts in the NFL.
In these scenarios, there’s always a scramble for position, and it often takes something really unusual for the referees to stop the play.
This particular play was especially frustrating for Texas fans, particularly since they were missing 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis, as Charles Barkley pointed out.
In that instance, maybe they could have fared better against Kaufman-Len, who tallied 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 36 minutes.
Xavier’s coach, Sean Miller, remarked, “We got stops, but their size on offense was tough, and too often games hinge on second shots rather than the first. We could have done a better job at both blocking and competing, but our main concern today was rebounding against Purdue.”
