Sweet 16 loss puts Texas HC Sean Miller alone in unwanted March Madness history

The No. 11-seeded Texas Longhorns’ incredible March Madness run came to an agonizing end Thursday night, losing 79-77 to the No. 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA West Region Sweet 16 at SAP Center. The game ended on a dramatic tip-in by Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn with 0.7 seconds remaining, following a missed drive by Braden Smith.

In his first season at Texas, head coach Sean Miller reached the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in 21 years, setting the record for the most Sweet 16 appearances by a coach who has never advanced to the Final Four. The loss leaves Miller at 25-14 in NCAA Tournament games, as the Longhorns close the 2025-26 season at 21-15 with an even 43-43 all-time tournament record.

Graduate guard Tramon Mark led Texas with a season-high 29 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, despite battling an ankle injury in the second half. Mark reached the 2,000-career-point milestone with a free throw at 16:20 of the second half. Meanwhile, Junior Dailyn Swain’s all-around effort included 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds, and a game-high five assists. Senior Jordan Pope, playing with a broken right foot sustained in the second round against Gonzaga, scored 12 points without committing a turnover in 33 minutes.

The Longhorns, who became just the sixth team in NCAA Tournament history to reach the Sweet 16 after starting in the First Four, shot 51.8% (29-of-56) from the floor and 44% (11-of-25) from three, committing only seven turnovers. Moreover, Texas outrebounded Purdue 12-11 on the offensive glass, though they lost the overall battle 32-31. The game featured 16 lead changes and 10 ties, with the largest margin being seven points in favor of the Boilermakers.

For Purdue, Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, helping the Boilermakers advance to the Elite Eight to face the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats.

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