Texas guard Jordan Pope revealed he played the Sweet 16 against Purdue with a broken foot, finishing with 12 points in a gutsy March Madness effort.
Jordan Pope gave Texas basketball everything he had in its NCAA Tournament loss to Purdue, and it turns out he was playing through far more than postseason pressure.
After the Longhorns’ 79-77 loss on Thursday night, Pope revealed he suffered a complete foot fracture late in Texas’ previous tournament win and still took the floor in the Sweet 16.
That detail changes the way Texas fans will remember Jordan Pope’s final game in burnt orange.
The veteran guard logged 33 minutes against Purdue, scored 12 points, grabbed two rebounds, and knocked down four 3-pointers. On a night when the Longhorns were fighting for a spot in the Elite Eight, Pope still found a way to be one of Texas’ most reliable offensive players despite clearly not being close to full strength.
The timing makes it even more remarkable. Pope said the injury happened with about five minutes remaining in Texas’ win over Gonzaga, leaving him with very little recovery time before one of the biggest games of the season.
Even with constant treatment, he chose to play, and Sean Miller made it clear afterward that the decision said everything about Pope’s toughness and commitment.
That grit had already defined Pope’s tournament run.
Over three NCAA Tournament games, he scored 40 total points and buried 10 shots from beyond the arc. After an uneven close to the regular season, he elevated his play in March and helped stabilize Texas when the stakes were highest.
The ending was brutal. Purdue took the lead with 0.7 seconds left, just moments after Texas had pulled even, ending the Longhorns’ season in heartbreaking fashion. Still, Pope’s performance added a lasting layer to the loss.
Texas didn’t get the ending it wanted, but Jordan Pope’s willingness to battle through a broken foot ensured his final stretch with the Longhorns won’t soon be forgotten.
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