WEST LAFAYETTE — Michigan State's defense lived up to its hype.
Purdue basketball went ice cold in a late crucial stretch on Thursday, Feb. 26, going more than four minutes without a field goal before a late-game blitz that came up just short.
The eighth-ranked Boilermakers saw another opportunity to bolster its NCAA Tournament seed slip away in a 76-74 loss to the No. 13 Spartans at Mackey Arena.
Michigan State took advantage of Purdue turnovers, translating nine Purdue giveaways into 19 points.
Still, Purdue had two late opportunities, the first a close-range miss by Trey Kaufman-Renn with eight seconds left. Cam Ward missed the front end of a one-and-bonus, setting up one more crack for Purdue.
Braden Smith's buzzer-beating 3-pointer went long, giving Michigan State its first win at Mackey Arena since February 20, 2014, which includes seven losses to Purdue and an NCAA Tournament First Four loss to UCLA in 2021.
The loss drops Purdue, the preseason favorite to win a conference title, to fifth in the Big Ten standings with three games remaining.
Purdue basketball turning point vs Michigan State
The Boilermakers had Mackey Arena rocking early, leading 13-6, but a turnover and three missed shots on four straight possessions played into a 10-0 Spartans run. That set the stage for a continuous punch-counterpunch game.
Purdue's 39-36 halftime lead vanished on a Jordan Scott 3-pointer. Purdue regained the lead briefly, but Michigan State's 7-0 run after Jack Benter's go-ahead 3 put the Spartans up 62-56.
Purdue was left chasing that gap the rest of the night.
How many assists did Braden Smith have vs Michigan State?
Braden Smith became the fifth player in men's Division I history with 1,000 career assists when he set up Trey Kaufman-Renn on a three-on-one fastbreak. Kaufman-Renn scored on a goaltend for Smith's sixth assist.
Smith finished with 10 assists and now has 1,004 career assists. He needs 72 to tie former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076.
Congrats to @BoilerBall's Braden Smith on reaching 1,000 career assists 👏 pic.twitter.com/sYj90Apt5h
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 27, 2026
3 Purdue basketball stars vs Michigan State
Braden Smith: Smith was Purdue's leading scorer with 12 points, completing a double-double. He also had five rebounds.
Oscar Cluff: The senior center was a go-to early, making five straight shots. Cluff missed his final four, though, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds and a block.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: In what appeared like a quiet night for the redshirt senior forward, Kaufman-Renn still posted 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
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: Purdue basketball rally falls short against Michigan State