Purdue fans heartbroken over last-second Sweet 16 loss

What an impressive season. And what a terrible way for it to end.

Did Purdue end up on the wrong side of a few bogus calls, especially on balls tipped out of bounds? Yes. Was there an offensive foul on Houston's last possession that probably should have given the ball back to the Boilermakers? Also yes.

That's not necessarily Houston's fault — the refereeing has been exceptionally suspect all tournament — but it still makes the Sweet 16 loss sting that much more.

If we have to give credit to the Cougars, their nation-leading defense was as tenacious as advertised, they managed to score points despite an off night for leading scorer L.J. Cryer, and Kelvin Sampson also drew up a brilliant out-of-bounds play on the game-winner. Should Houston have even had possession of the ball on that game-winner? Probably not, but I digress.

This was an incredible season for the program following the loss of all-time great Zach Edey, and it nearly culminated in a return trip to the Elite Eight. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, and Purdue fans were quick to share their thoughts on the end of the season.

Purdue fans upset over refereeing, last-minute loss in Sweet 16

As you might expect, much of the ire on social media was directed at the refs, who swung the game way too far in Houston's favor in a two-point contest.

Other fans were happy to show their pride in the team, which took the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region down to the final buzzer.

With the season now over, Purdue fans can begin looking ahead towards the 2025-26 season. The program is still establishing its recruiting class and transfer portal presence, but fans can be sure this performance against Houston has made the Boilermakers a premier destination in college basketball.

Of course, the team's dynamic duo of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn will also be returning for their senior campaigns. Smith led the Big Ten in assists and steals this season (313 and 78, respectively), earning conference Player of the Year honors. He also became just the fourth college basketball player ever to total 300+ assists in a single season.

As for Kaufman-Renn, the junior forward led the team in points (20.1) and rebounds (6.5) per game. He stepped up big time in the NCAA tournament, posting 19.0 points per game.

With Matt Painter still leading the charge, the team should like its chances at getting back to this stage next year. The Boilermakers will surely be motivated to help their coach improve on his 2-6 all-time Sweet 16 record after receiving the short end of the stick this year.