Butler had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Purdue made it through to the Round of 16 without their senior center.
When the news went out shortly after Purdue’s win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday, it sounded definitive that Isaac Haas, the Boilermakers’ starting center, would not be able to return for the remainder of the N. C. A. men’s basketball tournament.
Yet there was Haas, warming up on the court Sunday before the No. 2 Purdue faced No. 10 Butler, wearing a brace on his newly fractured right elbow.
Haas’s inspirational attempt at an improbable comeback was ultimately thwarted when the N. C. A. ruled that his brace did not conform to safety standards. But Purdue managed to advance to the Round of 16 without him, beating the Bulldogs, 76-73.
The game was competitive until its final second and just after time expired Kamar Baldwin released a heave from almost half-court which rattled around the rim. It was a near-miss that had the potential to send the game to overtime and was reminiscent of the shot by former Butler star Gordon Hayward in the national title game in 2010.
Purdue had led by as much as 10 in the second half, but the Bulldogs fought to keep it close. After three consecutive Boilermakers turnovers in the final two minutes, it was 73-71 with 42 seconds remaining when Kelan Martin (29 points) missed a 3-pointer that would have given Butler its first lead since early in the half. On the next possession, Purdue’s Dakota Matthias hit a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining to push the lead to six.
The Boilermakers, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, wound up 11 of 24 from beyond the arc, and 50 percent from the field. Even without Haas, their 7-foot-2 center, they outrebounded the Bulldogs, 30-28, and got to the free-throw line more often, while Butler missed its last nine 3-point attempts.
Haas, who broke the elbow during the second half Thursday, could barely lift his right arm above his head and planned to shoot only with his left hand. But the thought of him trying to grit through a matchup in the paint with a physical Butler team might have been enough to rouse his teammates.
His replacement, 7-foot-3 freshman Matt Haarms, was active defensively, blocked two shots, and added seven points and six rebounds.
Vincent Edwards led Purdue with 20 points, while also producing four rebounds and a crucial block on a layup attempt by Baldwin with 1 minute 31 seconds remaining that would have tied the game.
