Purdue win’s on Tip-in at the Buzzzer, Illinois and Iowa Advance to Elite Eight in Thrilling NCAA Tournament Action
Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) tips in the game-winning shot over Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Illinois defense stifles Houston’s championship hopes
The NCAA tournament delivered another night of drama and upsets as four teams punched their tickets to the Elite Eight. Illinois flexed its defensive muscles against Houston, while Iowa benefited from a bizarre late-game sequence to outlast Nebraska in a thrilling finish.
Third-seeded Illinois eliminated last year’s national runner-up Houston with a commanding 65-55 victory in the South Region semifinals. David Mirkovic led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while the Illini’s suffocating defense held the Cougars to just 34% shooting in their lowest-scoring game of the season.
« I think it’s a mental focus, » Illinois coach Brad Underwood said about his team’s defensive performance. « We’ve been very good at times defensively. It’s just sustaining it. We’ve got very capable defenders, we’ve got size and length, and we just got to make shots difficult. »
The victory marks Illinois’ 11th Elite Eight appearance and second in three seasons under Underwood. Keaton Wagler added 13 points and 12 rebounds, joining Mirkovic as the first pair of freshman teammates to each record a double-double in the same NCAA tournament game since 1972-73.
Iowa capitalizes on Nebraska’s costly mistake
In one of the strangest sequences in tournament history, ninth-seeded Iowa defeated Nebraska 77-71 after the Cornhuskers were caught with only four players on the court during a critical possession. With 58.8 seconds remaining, Alvaro Folgueiras scored an uncontested layup and completed a 3-point play to extend Iowa’s lead to six points.
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg took full responsibility for the blunder. « Put that one on me, » he said. « It was a miscommunication and I’m the head coach, so put that one on me. »
Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz was stunned by the sequence. « I was pretty shocked to see [Folgueiras] wide open, » Stirtz said. « I didn’t even know they had four players until we were in the locker room. »
The victory sends Iowa to its first Elite Eight since 1987, making the Hawkeyes the lowest-seeded Big Ten team to reach this stage. They’ll face Illinois on Saturday in an all-Big Ten showdown.
Arizona and Purdue complete first half of Elite Eight field
Top-seeded Arizona dominated Arkansas 109-88 behind a record-setting balanced attack. Six Wildcats scored at least 14 points, marking the first time in NCAA tournament history a team achieved this feat. Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each contributed 21 points in the blowout victory.
Meanwhile, Purdue Boilermakers survived one of the tournament’s wildest finishes, escaping Texas Longhorns 79–77 on a last-second tip-in from Trey Kaufman-Renn with just 0.7 seconds left. It was the kind of sequence March is built on — a scramble, a second effort, and one final bounce that decided everything.
For long stretches, Purdue looked in control, but Texas kept hanging around, turning the final minutes into a possession-by-possession battle. The closing sequence felt inevitable in that way — chaotic, tense, and ultimately decided at the rim.
Okay not a dunk but that’s STILL OUR GUY @jmilly2410 https://t.co/8pOvlh33Gf
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) March 27, 2026
The win pushes the second-seeded Boilermakers into the Elite Eight, where a high-level clash awaits against Arizona Wildcats — another matchup that has all the ingredients of a classic March Madness game.
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