Purdue Basketball Advances to Sweet 16 With 81-71 Victory Over Texas
MILWAUKEE — Chris Beard has been a thorn in Matt Painter's side during the NCAA Tournament, leading two different programs to postseason victories over the Boilermakers during their coaching careers.
But against a scrappy and experienced Texas team, Purdue basketball lived at the foul line, knocking down 33 of its 46 free throws while coming up with clutch baskets down the stretch in an 81-71 victory to advance to the Sweet 16.
“I had a lot of fun out there,” Purdue senior center Trevion Williams said. “Just knowing what I've been through with those guys, it means a lot to be in this position. This is what we worked for, we put ourselves in this position, and we fought until the end.”
Williams scored a team-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds two assists, while Jaden Ivey delivered in the second half after he was held in check to start the game.
Texas took an early lead in the contest and had Purdue fighting from behind after it knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first five minutes of play. The Longhorns shot 32% from the field before halftime, but they were 6-14 from deep.
"Just the preparation on a one-day prep to face somebody like Texas is really difficult," Painter said. "They don't let you run a lot of your stuff, a lot of your offensive sets. They really put you in a bind."
Despite the hot start from the Longhorns, the Boilermakers responded with a huge scoring stretch. As Texas failed to score for nearly 10 minutes, Purdue raced ahead to a 28-14 lead with 6:08 left to play before the break thanks to a 20-0 run.
Williams was key for Purdue as Ivey was denied possession of the basketball. The senior center was 7-9 from the field in the first half and led all scorers with 14 points.
“I feel like I was a little more patient today. I kind of took my time and got to my move,” Williams said. “Just doing what I do best, getting to my jump hook. I kept it simple, more than anything. Sometimes, we get out there, we get the lead and we try to be flashy or we try to do something cool in court.
“Today it was about being solid.”
But Texas quickly evaporated the double-digit lead, leaning heavily on its shots from behind the arc to get back in it. The Longhorns exploded for a quick 10-2 run which included back-to-back 3-pointers.
Purdue survived a back-and-forth end to the period and went to the locker room leading 36-30. The team made 50% of its shots from the field, but Texas had 12 more attempts from the field. The Longhorns registered eight offensive rebounds and had 14 fastbreak points in the first 20 minutes.
Senior guard Marcus Carr led Texas with 11 points in the first half on 4-8 shooting. But Purdue managed to hang on to its lead by knocking down 13 of its 19 shots from the free-throw line before halftime.
"We have the utmost respect for him," Painter said of Carr. "He did us in a couple times when he was in Minnesota, and so all of our guys have a lot of respect for him and we know how dangerous he is. We were just trying to crowd him the best we could and try to get him off his right hand."
Carr finished the game with 23 points to lead all scorers. He also accounted for seven assists and was 4-8 from the 3-point line.
At times, the foul line was the Boilermakers’ only form of offense. They watched as the Longhorns took the lead right back in the second half in the midst of a scoring drought of more than two minutes.
However, Texas never led by more than one point in the second half, but it hung around looking for any opportunity to get back into the driver’s seat.
But Ivey — who was held to just three points on zero shot attempts in the first half — took the game into his own hands. He recorded 15 of his 18 total points coming out of the locker room, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Purdue led by as many as 10 points with just 2:29 left in the game, but that lead slowly dwindled. Texas came within on possession before Ivey waved toward his teammates to give him space with the basketball.
Matched up against senior guard Courtney Ramey, Ivey looked to drive the ball toward the left side of the court before halting all his momentum, stepping back and draining a 3-pointer for the Boilermakers.
“We've been in situations like that all season," Ivey said. “It just comes with preparation, and I think we're ready for this game. To finish it the way we did, it's great. I'm super proud of all our guys.”
The shot was the dagger to put Texas away, and one that came from a bit of improvision on Ivey's part. But it's nothing Purdue wouldn't expect from its sophomore star.
“We wanted him to turn the corner, but when he gets space, and people back up and take his drive away, he'll just stop and bury it,” Painter said. “He obviously has the freedom to do that, but just a great play. He's had moments like that in his career to where plan B is the best plan sometimes.”
Up next, Purdue will take on Saint Peter’s during the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 25, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on CBS.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID AFTER WIN OVER TEXAS: Purdue basketball defeated Texas 81-71 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Here's everything coach Matt Painter had to say during the postgame press conference following the victory. CLICK HERE
- WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID AFTER WIN OVER TEXAS: Purdue basketball defeated Texas 81-71 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Here's everything players Jaden Ivey, Trevion Williams and Ethan Morton had to say during the postgame press conference following the victory. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE, TEXAS LIVE BLOG: Purdue basketball faced off against Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night inside Fiserv Forum. CLICK HERE
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