The Elite Eight is set! After two more days of madness, nail-biters, and upsets, eight programs will meet this weekend to earn trips to the Final Four. Here's the breakdown of Thursday and Friday's results:
March Madness: Sweet 16 recap, looking ahead to the Elite Eight
Saint Peter’s def. Purdue 67-64, will face North
Carolina
Happy National Peacock Day! Shaheen Holloway and the Saint Peter's
Peacocks have stunned another powerhouse, defeating the No. 3 seed
Purdue Boilermakers 67-64 to advance to the Elite Eight. They have
now beaten Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue en route to becoming
the very first No. 15 seed to make the Elite Eight in NCAA
Tournament history. Daryl Banks III led them in scoring with 14
points, while Doug Edert provided 10 huge ones off the bench.
Arkansas def. Gonzaga 74-68, will face Duke
In a fast-paced game for most of the night, JD Notae, Jaylin
Williams and Trey Wade knocked off the No. 1 overall seed. Williams
said after the game, "We've been disrespected the whole year, so
it's just another thing for us.” Notae led the way with 21 points
on 9 of 29 shooting from the floor, while Drew Timme posted 25
points in (potentially) his final game for the Zags. This one had
the internet buzzing - what a win for Eric Musselman and
co.
Duke def. Texas Tech 78-73, will face
Arkansas
This game was a heavyweight fight from start to finish. Texas Tech
held a four-point lead at the half, but Paolo Banchero took over
down the stretch, finishing with 22 points in the win. Jeremy Roach
also played a huge role in this one with 15 points and 5 assists.
Coach K and his Blue Devils survive and advance to a meeting with
Arkansas. Must-see television ahead.
Houston def. Arizona 72-60, will face
Villanova
Kelvin Sampson is having, arguably, the best coaching season in
America. He and the Cougars led wire-to-wire in this one to defeat
the Wildcats, whom many had as their championship pick. Jamal Shead
led the way with 21 points while Kyler Edwards posted 19. Another
‘Culture Win’ for the Cougars as they will meet Collin Gillespie
and Villanova in the Elite Eight.
Villanova def. Michigan 63-55, will face
Houston
The Wildcats took the lead with 3:42 to go in the first half and
never looked back. They remained in control the rest of the way
behind 22 points from Jermaine Samuels and 15 from Justin Moore.
This ends the Wolverines' run, which has been nothing short of
impressive. Villanova will now meet Houston in the Elite Eight in a
matchup of two of the most disciplined, well-coached teams in the
country.
Kansas def. Providence 66-61, will face Miami
(FL)
The Jayhawks advance to their first Elite Eight since 2017 behind
Remy Martin’s 23 points, a season-high for him. They only got 19
combined points from Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and David
McCormack, but were able to hold on down the stretch. The Jayhawks
are the only No. 1 seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament, and they
are currently the betting favorites to win it all.
North Carolina def. UCLA 73-66, will face Saint
Peter’s
UCLA led 64-61 with 2:08 to play, but Caleb Love had other plans.
He would catch fire from deep and hit two huge shots with just
under a minute to play, giving his team the 67-64 lead. Armando
Bacot would add a putback with 0:15 to play to make it a five-point
game. That would be enough to hold off the Bruins. Love led the way
with 30 points in an incredible performance, propelling the Tar
Heels into a meeting with Cinderella, the Peacocks from Saint
Peter’s.
Miami (FL) def. Iowa State 70-56, will face
Kansas
The Hurricanes have advanced to the first Elite Eight in their
program's history. Senior guard Kameron McGusty led all players
with 27 points in this one, something he’s accustomed to. A Sam
Waardenburg three and Jordan Miller alley-oop extended Miami's the
lead to 13 points with under 2:00 to play, which sealed the deal.
Jim Larranaga and co. will play the final No. 1 seed in the field,
Kansas, for a spot in the Final Four.
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater & family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. Order online now!