Fletcher Loyer ignites the Purdue offense with 24 points and only one missed shot, powering the Boilermakers past Miami and into their seventh Sweet Sixteen in nine years. They will play Texas next Thursday in the regional semifinals in San Jose, Calif.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Purdue point guard Braden Smith made college basketball history two nights ago, but then has his worst game of the year on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament.
His teammates picked him up, though, and the Boilermakers are back in the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in nine years after beating No. 7 seed Miami 79-69 in a West Regional second-round game in St. Louis. The Boilermakers will play No. 11 seed Texas on Thursday night in the regional semifinals in San Jose, Calif.
Smith, who broke Bobby Hurley's 33-year-old NCAA career assists record in Friday's first-round win over Queens, was just 3-for-12 shooting on Sunday and had a season-high eight turnovers. He made all six free throws for 12 points.
Running mate Fletcher Loyer led the way for Purdue with 24, and was nearly perfect. He made all four three-pointers, all eight free throws and was 2-for-3 from two. Fellow senior Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 points and nine rebounds.
"Anytime guys don't shoot well, it's frustrating,'' Purdue coach Matt Painter said when asked about Smith's struggles. "We had a game (in the Big Ten Tournament) where I think he did the same thing, he didn't shoot well but he made five free throws down the stretch.
"He had a tough night, to be frank with you. He had eight turnovers and that's very rare and he didn't shoot well. But he still makes plays for us — and that's what great players do. You make the free throws down the stretch and you put things behind you and move on.''
Smith has plenty of help, which is a good thing, too. Purdue, which won the Big Ten Tournament last week as a No. 7 seed, is peaking at the right time.
"We have a good team. We have good balance, and Braden is the guy that he makes us go and he sets things off. But I know he's frustrated, but, you know, we were able to win and advance, and now we can play another day.
Miami led for much of the first half and had a 40-38 lead at the break. The Hurricanes, who finished the season with a 26-9 record, kept it tight through much of the second half. Purdue built an 11-point point, but then Miami cut it to 73-69 with 57 seconds left.
But the Hurricanes missed their last four shots, and the Boilermakers had another win. They've won seven straight second-round game.s
Purdue made 21-of-22 free throws on the day, which helped close the game out.
Loyer was terrific, and at the perfect time.
"Fletcher's efficiency is just like off the charts. To get 24 points on seven shots, only have one miss is really kind of unheard of in terms of his points per possession,'' Painter said. "Just very, very efficient offensively. If you look at our guys and their shooting percentage, we should have been in the better position. We just didn't rebound as well and we didn't get offensive rebounds.
"But I loved our resiliency to hang in there and keep trying to make the next play. And obviously when you get a little bit of a lead and you can make your free throws, it really helps. So going 21-for-22 could be the key stat of the game outside of Fletcher's great performance.''