No. 11 seed Texas (21-14, 9-9 SEC) has delivered one of the sentimental tales that makes watching the NCAA Tournament feel good. First-year head coach Sean Miller’s team, which spiraled late in the season and lost five of its final six games before arriving at the tournament, began in the First Four against N.C. State in Dayton before facing two higher seeds which they subsequently beat. Now, they face their toughest challenge yet in No. 2 seed Purdue (29-8, 13-7 Big Ten), a veteran Boilermaker squad playing in their third consecutive Sweet 16.
The Longhorns have been carried by a surprising breakout performance from sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis, who is averaging 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game on 53.8-percent shooting through three tournament contests. In the win over Gonzaga, Vokietaitis logged 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in 31 minutes, while guard Jordan Pope and reserve Nic Codie each chipped in 12-plus points to support the effort. Perhaps equally impressive has been Texas’ defensive transformation, as opponents are shooting just 42.3 percent from the floor and 25.9 percent from three in the tournament, compared to 44.9 percent and 36 percent, respectively, allowed in the regular season. A Camden Heide corner three-pointer in the final seconds helped seal the 74-68 win over Gonzaga and punch Texas’ Sweet 16 ticket.
Purdue enters Thursday’s game as a battle-tested heavyweight with three standout contributors leading the way. Guard Braden Smith averages 14.3 points, 11.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Fletcher Loyer, who was nearly perfect in the second-round win over Miami, going 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-4 from three, averages 14.1 points per game. Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (14.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) gives the Boilermakers a reliable frontcourt presence that will be directly tested by Vokietaitis. The Boilermakers held on for a 79-69 win over Miami behind a decisive 11-3 run in the final ten minutes to punch their third straight Sweet 16 ticket.
Miller, who is making his ninth Sweet 16 trip in 21 seasons as a head coach and holds 25 career NCAA Tournament wins, ranking ninth among active Division I coaches, has embraced the underdog mentality. Texas leads the all-time series with Purdue 4-2, though the two programs have not met since Purdue won 81-71 in the 2022 Tournament in Milwaukee. On Thursday, it will be a motivated, defense-first Longhorn squad looking to write the next chapter of one of March’s most compelling stories against a well-rounded Purdue team that hasn’t forgotten what it feels like to fall short on the big stage.
Tipoff comes at 6:10 pm on Thursday at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, with the game being televised nationally by CBS.
