Matt Painter updates status of C.J. Cox after Purdue guard exits with knee injury vs. Miami

Matt Painter provided an update on Purdue‘s C.J. Cox after a knee injury limited the sophomore guard to just 18 minutes of the Boilermakers’ 79-69 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 win over Miami.

“He hyperextended his knee, so we’ll kind of see how treatment goes and everything to see what his status is,” Painter said, according to the Journal and Courier’s Sam King.

Early in the second half, Cox drove for a layup but ended up injuring his right knee. He immediately went down in pain and began clutching it, but was ultimately able to walk off under his own power. Cox, who had 11 points in 18 minutes, eventually returned to the bench but didn’t play for the rest of the afternoon.

Purdue update on CJ Cox from Matt Painter: “He hyperextended his knee, so we'll kind of see how treatment goes and everything to see what his status is.”

— Sam King (@samueltking) March 22, 2026

Cox later confirmed to The Athletic’s CJ Moore that he had indeed hyperextended his knee, saying that he “could have returned” to the game but “trusted his teammates” in his absence. He also told Moore that he “expects to be” available on Thursday night against Texas in the Sweet Sixteen.

Purdue’s CJ Cox told me he hyperextended his right knee on his last step when he was going up for the layup. He said he could have returned but trusted his teammates to get the job done. Cox had his knee wrapped in ice. Did not have any imagining done yet.

— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) March 22, 2026

Cox has been a key part of Painter’s starting rotation during his second season. He came into Sunday having started all 36 games for the Boilermakers while averaging 24.4 minutes and 8.4 points per game.

During Purdue’s first-round win over Queens, Cox scored 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range.