The Sweet 16 starts with two nail-biters and Purdue and Iowa are moving on. Here’s what to know

Purdue players celebrate after their last-second win over Texas on Thursday. – Kelley L Cox/AP

For the last few days, the fans of 16 men’s college basketball teams haven’t been able to get one thought out of their heads: Two more wins until the Final Four.

After surviving the gauntlet that is the opening rounds of March Madness, the Sweet 16 is an accomplishment on its own. But the chance to play for a national championship now doesn’t just feel like a far-off hope; it’s only one weekend away.

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Here are tonight’s results:

Purdue calls game on Texas

No. 2 seeded Purdue shocked No. 11 seeded Texas 79-77 after Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn’s late basket won them the game with 0.7 seconds left.

It was a tightly contested matchup between the two programs and it all came down to the final seconds after Longhorns’ and-one foul with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 77.

Purdue star guard Braden Smith then received the inbounds pass and tried for a contested layup with seconds remaining when Kaufman-Renn tipped it in, securing the Boilermakers’ trip to the Elite 8.

Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn tips the ball in for the game-winning basket against Texas. – Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP

Kaufman-Renn is mobbed by teammates after his game-winning tip. – Kelley L Cox/AP

Kaufman-Renn finished with a team-high 20 points as Purdue will face the winner of Arkansas-Arizona on Saturday in San Jose.

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Iowa’s Cinderella run continues

It was a Big Ten battle and a rivalry game in the Sweet 16.

And the game lived up to all the hype.

No. 9 seed Iowa stunned No. 4 Nebraska 77-71 to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in 39 years.

Iowa forward Cooper Koch celebrates a 3-pointer in the Sweet 16 win over Nebraska. – Ashley Landis/AP

The Hawkeyes overcame a 10-point first half deficit late in the game and with just over three minutes left, they tied it up at 65.

But star Bennett Stirtz and Alvaro Folgueiras played hero yet again, leading Iowa to a 15-6 run to end…

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Publish date : 2026-03-27 02:38:00

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