Trey Kaufman-Renn's Game Winner to Send Purdue to Elite Eight Came in Fitting Fashion

Trey Kaufman-Renn made a promise to Matt Painter before the season started. When Purdue brought in Oscar Cluff to fill the five position, the senior forward from Sellersburg, Ind., guaranteed that he'd be a more effective rebounder at the four spot.

It only feels appropriate, then, that Kaufman-Renn's game-winning shot in the Sweet 16 against Texas came via a tip-in. The 6-foot-9 forward fought off Dailyn Swain when Braden Smith's shot went up, giving himself plenty of space to tip the ball back towards the basket and through the net.

With that basket, Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, leading Purdue to a 79-77 victory over Texas to advance to the Elite Eight. When the Longhorns' desperation heave missed, Kaufman-Renn was at the center of the celebration.

"I'm just excited we won the game," Kaufman-Renn said after the game. "I was nervous, I was like, 'Man, I've gotta get back on defense now.' I didn't know how many seconds were left. It was cool. We're going to the Elite Eight."

TREY KAUFMAN-RENN GAME-WINNER 🚨

PURDUE ADVANCES TO THE ELITE 8 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CYj7ltsGXT
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

Purdue held a 77-74 lead with under 30 seconds to play, but Swain was able to get to the rim and draw contact on Oscar Cluff, getting the basket to go and stepping to the line for a tying free-throw attempt.

Swain converted and Purdue utilized a timeout to draw up a play with 11.9 seconds remaining.

Senior guard Braden Smith was the one to take the final shot, getting to his right side and getting a clear look at the basket. The shot didn't fall, but Kaufman-Renn put himself in position to rebound the miss.

Kaufman-Renn has heard all too frequently from coach Matt Painter about those second-chance opportunities, especially late in games. On Thursday night, those comments from the head coach became a reality.

"You give the ball to Braden, I think he can go by any player in the country. We have plays designed for him to do that," Kaufman-Renn said. "I thought he got a good shot, and then, Coach [Painter] always says, a lot of times it's not the first shot that goes, it's the tip-ins at the end of games. He's said that throughout my four years here, so it's kinda cool to actually experience that."

This season, Kaufman-Renn has pulled down 306 rebounds, 70 more than he had one season ago. Thursday night's was the most important one of his career, and it kept Purdue's Final Four hopes alive.

What Braden Smith saw on the final play

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates after defeating the Texas Longhorns. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Painter put the ball in the hands of his point guard, and rightfully so. He's the best decision-maker in college basketball, owns the NCAA's all-time assist record, and has been Purdue's leading scorer all season long.

It was up to Smith to make the final decision on Thursday night.

Smith liked the matchup and was able to get by Texas defender Chendall Weaver. He got a good look at the basket, but the shot just didn't fall.

"I was under the rim, and I just saw. I was like, 'Please get in there, please get in there.' And it did," Smith said of Kaufman-Renn's tip-in. "The only thing I have to do is, I have to get it up there. I can't get it blocked, so there's opportunities like that for them to get the tip-in. It left the hand and, honestly, I thought it was in. I was hopping excitedly. But it was off and Trey tipped it in perfectly."

Smith put up big numbers himself, scoring 16 points and dishing out five assists. Most importantly, though, he only had two turnovers for the Boilermakers.

While Kaufman-Renn will get all the attention for his game-winning play, Smith gets one more assist for giving his teammate an opportunity to win the game. This one just won't go in the record book.

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