Jaden Ivey, No. 3 Purdue Defeat No. 6 Texas; Will Face Saint Peter’s in Sweet 16 | Bleacher Report

Impressive showings from Marcus Carr and Andrew Jones weren’t enough for the sixth-seeded Longhorns, which have not made the Sweet 16 since 2008.

Notable Player Stats

• Jaden Ivey, G, PUR: 18 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
• Trevion Williams, F, PUR: 22 PTS, 7 REB
• Zach Edey, C, PUR: 11 PTS, 10 REB
• Marcus Carr, G, TEX: 23 PTS, 6 AST, 4-of-8 3PT
• Andrew Jones, G, TEX: 17 PTS, 2 STL, 2 BLK 

Trevion Williams Starts, Jaden Ivey Finishes for Purdue

To say Sunday was not a banner day for the Big Ten would be quite the understatement after Illinois lost to Houston, Ohio State lost to Villanova, Michigan State lost to Duke and Wisconsin lost to Iowa State.

If Purdue was going to be the conference’s savior, Ivey and Edey needed to lead the way. Instead, Ivey didn’t attempt a single field goal in the first half as Texas swarmed to cut off his driving lanes and outside shots.

Enter Williams, who came off the bench and put on a clinic of footwork and baby hooks in the post while staking the Boilermakers to a 36-30 halftime lead. His 14 points by intermission were even more important given Ivey’s lack of production, but it felt as if the stars would need to be bigger factors in the second half if Purdue was going to advance.

That felt especially true with Carr and Jones dialed in on the other end for Texas, as the Big 12 representative battled back to take the lead.

Enter Edey controlling the boards and consistently getting to the free-throw line en route to a double-double and Ivey throwing down a dunk and assisting on three-pointers from Eric Hunter Jr. and Ethan Morton all while Williams continued to play well.

Ivey also mixed in a clutch three-pointer as Purdue built a double-digit lead in the final three minutes and appeared to put the game away, but the Longhorns put the pressure back on with one more run to cut the deficit to three.

There was no question where the ball would go in those final moments, and Ivey hit the biggest shot of the game with a triple from the top of the key. The East bracket is wide open for the Boilermakers thanks to a Cinderella run from Saint Peter’s, and if the Boilermakers continue to get what Williams and Ivey provided on Sunday, they’re strong enough to reach the Final Four.

Free-Throw Disparity, Lack of Balanced Scoring End Texas’ Tourney

Consistency was the issue for Texas this season, with up-and-down stretches throughout and three straight losses heading into the tournament.

But the NCAA tournament offers a blank slate, and Texas opened with a win over a red-hot Virginia Tech team that won the ACC tournament. Sunday, though, brought a more daunting task.

The Longhorns appeared to be up to the challenge when they jumped out to a 14-8 lead over the Boilermakers in the first five minutes, but the inconsistency that defined their season came back in a big way.

They went ice cold and didn’t score a single point for more than nine minutes while Purdue went on a 20-0 run. However, Texas responded with a 10-2 run to stay within striking distance heading into the second half.

Carr and Jones were the only Texas players with more than three points deep into the second half. Yet they were effective enough to give the Longhorns the lead when Jones drilled a triple with less than 15 minutes remaining.

However, relying on two outside playmakers to generate much of the offense also left Texas at a severe disadvantage at the free-throw line. Purdue shot 46 free throws to Texas’ 12, which is a daunting formula to overcome against any team, let alone one filled with a number of difference-makers like the Boilermakers.

The Longhorns finally got some secondary scoring from Courtney Ramey and Christian Bishop, plus a four-point play from Jase Febres, as they stayed close all the way to the final minutes.

Still, 40 combined points from Carr and Jones and 31 from the rest of the team was ultimately too much for Texas to overcome with Ivey taking over in crunch time.                        

What’s Next?

Purdue will try to play Cinderella spoiler in the Sweet 16 when it faces the 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Friday.