ST. LOUIS — Purdue basketball was a play away from the Elite Eight last March Madness.
The shot that put the Boilermakers in that position against No. 1 seed Houston came from Cam Heide.
The basket, a corner 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining in a Sweet 16 game inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, was the last for Heide in a Purdue uniform.
Houston scored a game winner with less than a second remaining off an inbounds play and Heide entered the transfer portal five days later.
Heide is now a starter at Texas. On Thursday night, he sent the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 with a 3 from the corner that put the dagger in Gonzaga.
“Almost the same exact shot he hit against Houston last year that almost took us to the Elite Eight,” Purdue senior guard Fletcher Loyer said. “That’s awesome for him, but now we’ve got to go play him. So it’s pretty crazy, a small world, but I’m happy for him.”
Loyer and Heide were close friends. On Thursday, March 26, they’ll be adversaries after the Boilermakers’ 79-69 win over Miami in the Round of 32.
Heide played 75 games with Purdue, including eight starts, over the previous two seasons after redshirting in the 2022-23 campaign. This season, Heide found a larger role with the Longhorns, starting 28 games and averaging 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds.
“I’m glad he’s happy. Obviously, having success,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Sometimes those guys, they transfer and they might play more, they might shoot more, but now he’s somewhere with a great coach and a great program.”
There will be a few friendly exchanges, but Purdue, like Texas, is on a business trip in San Jose, California.
The Boilermakers are making their seventh Sweet 16 in the past nine NCAA Tournaments, but only twice have they won the Sweet 16 matchup.
“I’m really excited to match up with them,” sophomore guard CJ Cox said. “Texas is a really good team. Going into the game, being mentally and physically prepared.”
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: What Purdue basketball said about facing Cam Heide in March Madness