Texas Point Guard Played Through Major Injury in Loss to Purdue

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope laid it all on the line in the final game of his college career.

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope walks off the court after losing to the Purdue Boilermakers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns had their 2025-26 season end in heartbreak on Thursday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in the game-winning basket for No. 2 Purdue with 0.7 seconds left, giving the Boilermakers a 79-77 win over No. 11 Texas.

The Longhorns came up just short of advancing to the Elite Eight, but still nearly pulled out the win despite guard Jordan Pope dealing with a major injury.

Jordan Pope Reveals He Played on Broken Foot vs. Purdue

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope celebrates a made three point basket Thursday, March 26, 2026, during a Sweet 16 game against the Purdue Boilermakers at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pope suffered an injury late in the Round of 32 against Gonzaga but never seemed to worried that he could miss time.

Most assumed it was just a minor ankle injury, but Pope revealed after the loss to Purdue that he suffered a broken foot.

"I think I can clear the air now. Five minutes left against Gonzaga, I broke my foot, a complete break, so it was definitely tough," Pope said. " ... Credit to my training staff, Warren (Young) and our doctor. They did a lot of work the last, whatever, four days, 24/7, giving me treatment. Just giving me a chance really to be questionable for the game. So just credit to those guys that got me ready. Thankfully I was able to go out there and play."

Pope ended up finishing with 12 points on 4 of 9 from deep in his final game as a Longhorn. Despite the loss, he will be remembered by Texas fans for laying it all on the line in the biggest moment of the season.

Pope said he only knew about 30 minutes before the game that he'd be playing. The Longhorns originally listed Simeon Wilcher as the official starter before changing it back to Pope a few minutes later.

Texas head coach Sean Miller applauded Pope for his toughness while speaking to the media after the game.

"It was his choice to play," Miller said. "I don't know how many guys that I've coached under these conditions on this stage would have chosen to play. It would have been very easy for him just to say, made the Sweet 16, I'm not going to be 100%, I don't know how I'll look, and because of that, I can't go. But he gave us everything and gave us the opportunity to win."

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