Purdue stunned by tiny Valparaiso in double OT upset after buzzer-beating three-pointer

It might be November, but it already feels a bit like March. On Friday, Purdue was stunned by Valparaiso men’s basketball in a Madness-worthy upset off a three-pointer that barely beat the buzzer. The Beacons’ 83-80 win came after the team forced overtime, and then double overtime, off late shots. In double OT, with the game still tied with four seconds left, junior guard Justus McNair took the ball down the court and banked a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer to take down the Boilermakers. Valpo (as the school is colloquially called) drove an hour and a half south from Valparaiso, Indiana to play the Boilermakers for their second game of the season. But instead of a cupcake matchup early in the regular season, Purdue found itself outscored 38-26 in the second half after a late surge from the Beacons. With a minute left, McNair scored a jumper that tied things up at 58-all. The Boilermakers were not able to get a game-winning score despite multiple chances, which sent the game to the first overtime. Though Purdue took the lead yet again, Valpo kept the Boilermakers within two scores and eventually pulled back within three points. Rakim Chaney was given a one-and-one from the free throw line to get closer, but he missed his first shot. However, Chaney managed to get his own rebound, and circled out for a three-pointer that rolled around the rim and in, beating the buzzer and forcing double OT. In double OT, though, it was the Beacons who had Purdue on the back foot, pulling to a slight lead before the Boilermakers tied things up. A hook shot from junior Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen with four seconds left set up McNair for his game-winning moment, and an absolutely massive upset for Valparaiso, a university with an undergraduate enrollment just above 2,000 students. Other than double overtime, Valpo did not lead at all during the game — and yet they still managed to pull off the win. The Beacons, who play in Division I’s Missouri Valley Conference, are now 2-0 to start the 2026-27 season. Purdue drops to 0-2 on the season after the loss: The Boilermakers opened the year with a matchup against No. 15 Gonzaga, but narrowly lost. Though wildly unexpected, Valpo’s victory is not the first major upset of the season, after Oklahoma was stunned by East Texas A&M at home on Monday. Considering the men’s basketball season is only a week in, it spells well for more early madness going forward.