Purdue and Texas meet in the Sweet 16 with Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Jordan Pope set to decide a high-stakes March showdown.
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team are still marching on, and the matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 has all the ingredients of a March Madness game that could swing wildly in a matter of minutes.
Purdue enters Thursday night in San Jose as the more consistent team, but Texas has already shown it can get uncomfortable, speed games up, and force opponents into a fight.
The Boilermakers bring the cleaner profile into this NCAA Tournament matchup. Purdue is 29-8 overall, finished 17-7 in Big Ten play, and has been one of the nation’s most efficient offensive teams. The Boilermakers are scoring 82.2 points per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, numbers that explain why they’ve been so tough to slow down all season.
A big reason is Braden Smith, who continues to drive everything Purdue wants to do.
He’s averaging 14.3 points, nine assists, and 1.7 steals, giving the Boilermakers a steady hand in the backcourt. Trey Kaufman-Renn has added another layer lately, posting 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Texas, meanwhile, comes in at 21-14 and has had a far bumpier ride.
Still, the Longhorns have enough shot-making to make Purdue sweat. Jordan Pope has been a key perimeter piece, averaging 13.1 points while knocking down 2.3 3-pointers per game at a 36.9 percent clip.
Dailyn Swain has been even more impactful lately, averaging 16.8 points, eight rebounds, and 3.9 assists over his last 10 outings.
The biggest question may be whether Texas can defend Purdue’s spacing without losing control of the glass or the tempo. Purdue averages 9.4 made threes per game, and if the Boilermakers get comfortable early, this could tilt fast.
But if Texas protects the ball and turns this into a choppy, pressure-filled game, the Longhorns have enough scoring to hang around and make the final minutes interesting.
WHAT: NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - West Region - Sweet 16
No. 11 Texas Longhorns (21-14) vs. No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (29-8)
WHEN: Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 6:10 p.m. CT
WHERE: SAP Center at San Jose | San Jose, CA
TV: CBS
BETTING ODDS
SPREAD: UT +8.5
TOTAL: 147.5
MONEYLINE: UT +320 | PU
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