Boilers Bounced by Buzzer-Beater, Houston Heads to Final Four

The Purdue Boilermakers gave everything they had in their Sweet 16 clash, but a last-second inbounds play left their title hopes grounded. Houston edged Purdue 62-60 at Lucas Oil Stadium, punching their ticket to the Elite Eight and later the Final Four.

Fletcher Loyer led Purdue with 16 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn added 14, and Braden Smith dished out 15 assists. The Boilers battled back from a 10-point deficit to tie the game, but the Cougars capitalized on a defensive miscue with under a second left. Purdue finishes the season at 24-12, exiting the tournament with heads held high.

Houston then defeated Tennessee 69-50 to reach their seventh Final Four. They’ll meet Duke, who dominated Alabama 85-65 behind Cooper Flagg’s brilliance. Auburn survived Michigan State 70-64, while Florida fended off Texas Tech 84-79.

Final Four matchups (Saturday, April 5 in San Antonio):