No. 2 seed Purdue holds off Miami, advances to third straight Sweet 16

St. LOUIS – Fletcher Loyer nearly pitched a perfect game from a shooting perspective.  

Trey Kaufman-Renn‘s floater was in rhythm.  

And an improved defensive performance after halftime pushed No. 2 seed Purdue into the West Region semifinals on Thursday in San Jose.  

The Boilermakers survived a late charge by No. 7 seed Miami (Fla.), prevailing 79-69 in NCAA second-round action at the Enterprise Center.  

The Hurricanes trailed by 11 but closed within 73-69 with 56.3 seconds to play. Braden Smith and the Boilermakers made free throws down the stretch to send the program to its third-straight Sweet 16.  They’ll face 11th-seeded Texas, which upset No. 3 seed Gonzaga on Saturday night.

The victory was Matt Painter’s 500th at Purdue.

“That’s really special,” Loyer said. “He took a gamble on us, playing us right away as freshmen. He trusts us during the process and trusts us to go be the guys, doing everything we can, getting shots up, watching film, taking care of our bodies to go out and perform.”

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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER

PURDUE’S FLETCHER LOYER

PURDUE’S TREY KAUFMAN-RENN

Although Purdue trailed at halftime, it had momentum to start the second half. C.J. Cox drained three 3-pointers in the final two minutes to erase a seven-point deficit.  

And Cox played a role in a 9-0 run after halftime helping the Boilermakers regain control. 

However, Cox was driving for a layup but landed awkwardly and grabbed his knee. He walked off on his own and headed back to the locker room area. The sophomore returned to the bench and was trying to stay loose.  Cox suffered a hyperextended knee and will undergo more evaluation after the team returns to Purdue.

His replacement, Gicarri Harris, hit a big 3-pointer in the second half.

The Boilermakers started to slowly pull away. A 3-pointer from Loyer. A fadeaway jumper from Smith. And Kaufman-Renn scored with his floater.  

Purdue increased the margin to nine points three times and finally pushed the advantage to double-digits with 3:48 to play on Kaufman-Renn’s layup.  

Meanwhile, the Boilermakers’ defense made it difficult for the Hurricanes, who were 5 of 16 during the first 12 minutes of the second half.  They finished 11 of 30 after halftime and shot 44.4% for the game.

Loyer was nearly perfect in scoring 24 points, hitting 6 of 7 shots, including four straight 3-pointers. Kaufman-Renn added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Smith, despite his struggles, finished with 12 points and eight assists. He committed eight of his team’s 12 turnovers.

The Boilermakers were matching Miami’s physicality and athletic ability throughout most of the first half, but the Hurricanes started to take control. They erased a 25-20 deficit and kept stretching the lead with the help of their balanced scoring attack.  

PURDUE’S BRADEN SMITH

PURDUE’S CJ COX

PURDUE’S GICARRI HARRIS

Miami pieced together a 16-4 run, including nine straight points to open a 36-29, capped by Tru Washington’s 3-pointer.  

But Cox answered on three straight possessions, draining consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Boilermakers connected. His 3-pointers cut the deficit from seven to four, from six to three, and from three to a tie score at 38 in a span of 1:37.  

Tre Donaldson’s lay-in with two seconds on the clock gave the Hurricanes a 40-38 lead, but Purdue stay afloat thanks to Cox’s shooting. 

Loyer and Kaufman-Renn combined for 22 points in the first half. Loyer scored 10 of Purdue’s first 13 points, including a 3-pointer from just inside the March Madness logo.  

Kaufman-Renn’s physicality allowed the senior to control the inside on offense, scoring 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting.  

THREE IN A ROW

Omer Mayer preferred to repeat what Painter said following Sunday’s win inside the locker room.  

“C.J. saved our ass,” Mayer said, repeating Painter’s speech.  

That’s one way to put it.  

Cox wasn’t on the floor for most of the second half, but those three consecutive 3-pointers before halftime proved to be a turning point.  

It’s hard to determine how the game plays out if Cox doesn’t bury those 3-pointers, but it’s safe to say Purdue would’ve been playing uphill the rest of the way.  

“That was a big piece of the game,” Painter said. 

Even the Hurricanes recognized the importance of Cox’s hot streak that prevented the Boilermakers from falling into a deeper hole.  

“We gave up those three 3s to Cox, that separation going into halftime, it’s a different feel, different pressure if you’re up six, eight than being up one or two,” Miami coach Jai Lucas said.  

Cox sat in the locker room with an ice pack on his right knee, answering questions and checking his phone. He was in an upbeat mood, optimistic that the hyperextended knee doesn’t become more severe.  

He outlined the three long-range baskets.  

“Fletcher was able to find me in the corner for that one three, which felt good,” Cox said. “The shot clock on the second one was running down, so just having the confidence to get that up. And then the third 3, Braden was getting doubled and hit TK in the pocket near three throw line.  

“And then (Tre) Donaldson helped up, and TK found me in the corner.  Without the help of them, I wouldn’t have gotten those shots up. I’m just having the confidence to shoot it and knock it down.” 

But Kaufman-Renn said the NCAA tournament is designed for moments like the ones Cox found himself in and stepped up.

“That’s what March is built on,” Kaufman-Renn said. “It’s built on those big-time shots.” 

But don’t ignore what Harris did after Cox’s injury. He made just the one field goal but was solid on defense, and his ballhandling was crucial as the Hurricanes applied more full-court pressure.  

“A lot of credit to Gicarri staying ready,” Loyer said. “There’s some games down the stretch, maybe it’s me, maybe it’s Omer, C.J. We got a lot of guys that can do different stuff for us and credit to him being ready and know what’s going on and ultimately getting huge stops down the stretch.”  

“OFF THE CHARTS”

Go back to the Nov. 4 season opener against Evansville to find Loyer delivering an efficient shooting performance.  

That night, the senior had a career-high 30 points on just 11 field goal attempts. He made a career-best seven 3-pointers to springboard the Boilermakers into the 2025-26 season.  

Sunday had a similar feeling, but not as much production. Seven field goal attempts for 24 points? Hitting 4 of 4 from 3-point range and converting eight straight free throws shows how sharp Loyer was.  

“Fletcher’s efficiency is just off the charts,” Painter said. “To get 24 points on seven shots, only have one miss is really kind of unheard of in terms of his points per possession.” 

Overall, the Boilermakers attempted just 47 field goals, 16 fewer than the Hurricanes. Purdue managed just four offensive rebounds while Miami pulled down 14, getting more cracks at scoring.  

The 47 field goal attempts match a season low (Oregon).  

“If you look at our guys and their shooting percentage, we should have been in a better position,” Painter said. “We just didn’t rebound as well, and we didn’t get offensive rebounds.” 

After a midseason slump, Loyer regained his shooting touch and maintained a high level of production. He was 17 of 38 from 3-point range in the last five games, including the run through the Big Ten tournament. Add Sunday’s 4 of 4, and Loyer has made 50% from beyond the arc in the postseason.  

“Just having my legs underneath me,” Loyer said. “I spend a lot of time taking care of my body and getting the rest that I need. It’s something I didn’t do enough of in my freshman year, and I realized that.  

“Just trusting the guys to get me the ball in the right spot and having the confidence to knock it down.”   

DEFENSE STEPS UP

Once the Boilermakers grabbed the lead away from the Hurricanes, the defense started to tighten up.  

The two leading scorers – Malik Reneau and Donaldson – combined for 29 points but needed 30 field goal attempts to reach that number. Miami’s efficiency tailed off in the second half. It made consecutive field goals only once after halftime, and those came during a late surge that pulled the Hurricanes within four.  

But Miami wasn’t as effective from 3-point range in the second half compared to the first 20 minutes. The Hurricanes were 4 of 6 by halftime, but missed 10 of 11 attempts after halftime.

“We were just giving up layups,” Loyer said. “Obviously, a team that likes to drive and likes to dominate the paint, you can’t let them get easy ones.” 

“Defending with our chest, cutting them off and then being in gaps, and we’ve got to make them kick it out and not just easy offensive rebound put-backs and easy drives to the rim for dunks and layups.” 

Purdue also cleaned up its turnovers.  

The Boilermakers had seven in the first half, but five after halftime. The lack of miscues allowed Purdue more opportunities to set its defense and forced Miami to play in the halfcourt.  

And when the ball made it inside, the defense surrounded the Hurricanes.  

“We knew they weren’t great passers, and once they got their head down, they weren’t looking to pass out,” center Oscar Cluff said. “We knew that, and we wanted to make it as difficult as we could.  

“It wasn’t a pretty game, but we just had to find a way to scrap and come out on top. It was a messy game, to be fair, but we got composed and found our level.”