Which eight teams will join the first half of the Sweet 16 field in advancing to the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament regionals?
ESPN reporters across the country are recapping how each second-round game is decided Sunday.
How Purdue won: Leave it to the seniors to bring it home for Purdue. Fletcher Loyer had a game-high 24 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 to send the 2-seed Boilermakers back to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.
After alternating the guards early in the first half, Matt Painter kept Loyer and point guard Braden Smith on the floor for the entire second half — and the senior tandem not only stabilized Purdue but helped neutralize a Miami squad that looked potent in the first half. In an era when rosters can be flipped on a yearly basis, Purdue is making a strong case for homegrown continuity. It seemed to be the difference Sunday in St. Louis.
Still, give Miami and Jai Lucas a ton of credit. The Hurricanes had a 19-win differential in Lucas’ first season at the helm. — Ben Baby
Purdue’s second-round opponent: Texas
How the Boilermakers can advance to the Elite Eight: The late-season return to form of Kaufman-Renn and Loyer has taken Purdue to a different level — and is likely the Boilermakers’ biggest key moving forward. Kaufman-Renn had 20 points in the Big Ten tournament title game, 25 points in the first-round NCAA tournament win over Queens, then went for 19 points and nine rebounds in the second-round victory against Miami. Loyer was perfect from 3-point range (4-for-4) against the Hurricanes and is now shooting 19-for-35 from beyond the arc in his last five games.
While Texas’ defense has tightened up recently, it was still ranked in the bottom half of the SEC, while Purdue enters the Sweet 16 with the best offense in the country. Moreover, the Boilermakers rank in the top 10 nationally in 3-point percentage, while the Longhorns are in the bottom third in 3-point defense. If C.J. Cox is healthy and can make shots alongside Loyer and Kaufman-Renn, Purdue should be able to light up the scoreboard. — Jeff Borzello
