Overview
- The 79-69 win over Miami on Sunday marked Matt Painter’s 500th Purdue victory and sent the Boilermakers to the Sweet 16.
- Purdue faces No. 11 seed Texas in the West Region semifinal in San Jose on Thursday night.
- Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn fueled a 22-point burst that put the game out of reach, and Smith now holds the NCAA career assists record.
- Purdue shot 53.2% from the field, 57.1% from three, and 95.5% at the line against Miami, a rare 50-50-95 NCAA Tournament shooting line recorded only twice before.
- Painter says Purdue will keep its development-first model but pivot when needed for NIL and one-and-done realities, echoing AP’s view that this Sweet 16 leans toward veteran, homegrown lineups.