NCAA BASKETBALL: No. 2 Purdue next up for surprising Texas in run to West Region semifinals

The lowest-seeded team remaining in the NCAA Tournament will try to extend its surprising run when No. 11 Texas faces No. 2 Purdue in the West Region semifinals on Thursday night in San Jose, California.

The Longhorns (21-14) have become just the sixth team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16, defeating No. 11 North Carolina State, No. 6 BYU, and No. 3 Gonzaga. Their last two victories came in Portland, Oregon, making this their second trip to the West Coast in as many weeks with little time to rest.

"I'm incredibly proud of our group, the resiliency that we've shown," Texas coach Sean Miller said. "We caught fire in about a 10-day period. We were grateful just to have the opportunity to be in the tournament, and then we kind of entered this second weekend as a dangerous team."

Purdue (29-8) earned its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons, beating No. 15 Queens and No. 7 Miami (Fla.). The Boilermakers have made three consecutive Sweet 16 runs, including a trip to the NCAA title game in 2024, and return three starters from that squad.

The Boilermakers were ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 but dropped as low as 18th during the regular season. They are on a six-game winning streak, including an 80-72 victory over Midwest Region top seed Michigan in the Big Ten tournament championship game on March 15.

"We've just been collectively better defensively," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "Our last five opponents have shot under 48%, after the seven previous foes shot at least 51%."

This is Miller's first season at Texas. He previously coached at Xavier (twice) and Arizona. The Longhorns reached the Elite Eight in 2023 under Rodney Terry, who was fired last March following a First Four loss to Miller's Xavier team.

Texas struggled early in the season, going 3-5 in the Southern Conference and finishing in the First Four after an inconsistent stretch.

"I think the one thing about this tournament that you learn is the best team doesn't always win," Miller said. "It's the team who plays the very best on that particular day. Where we began the season and where we ended are two different places."

Purdue’s Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn have each played at least 145 games, a rarity in college sports. Smith is the NCAA career assists leader with 1,091, surpassing Bobby Hurley’s 33-year-old record, and all three starters average 14 points per game.

Texas’ leading scorer is Dailyn Swain at 17.4 points per game, but 7-foot sophomore Matas Vokietaitis has been the key offensive player in the NCAA Tournament. He recorded 17 points and nine rebounds against Gonzaga, following 23 points and 16 rebounds against BYU.

The Longhorns may be without senior guard Jordan Pope, who is recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Gonzaga. He scored 17 points in that game and averages 13.1 points per game for the season.

A victory for Texas would mark the second No. 11 seed in three years to reach the regional finals. North Carolina State made it to the Final Four in 2024, while the 2021 UCLA team joined VCU (2011) as squads advancing from the First Four to the national semifinals.

-Field Level Media/Reuters