Of course, Cinderella missed the Sweet 16 this year. Our consolation prize? A weekend of high quality hoops. On Thursday night, three teams from the heartland, all from the Big Ten Conference, hosted the meeting.
No. 2-seeded Purdue made a last-second tip-in to overtake No. 11 Texas, No. 3 Illinois took out No. 2 Houston, and No. 9 Iowa surprised everyone, making its first Elite Eight since the 1980s.
In the next few days, there are more star alignments to come. At the end of the weekend, the Final Four will be set. We’ve got you covered below and, as always, on NBC News.
Sweet 16 Roundup
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A Big Ten Conference school hasn’t won an NCAA men’s basketball national championship since 2000, but if Thursday is any indication, this could be the year that changes.
The first day of the Sweet 16 games ended with three victorious teams from the Big Ten – Purdue, Illinois and Iowa. With Purdue and Illinois facing off in the final South Regional game on Saturday, at least one Big Ten team is guaranteed to advance to the Final Four.
Against No. 2 seed Houston, No. 3 Illinois broke its last 65-55 victory open in the second half, holding the Cougars scoreless for nearly seven minutes of game time. Illinois has players recruited from Eastern Europe, and currently plays as well as any team in America.
No. 2-seeded Purdue had the best finish of the night after appearing to be headed for another early exit. In the last six contests as a No. 3 or better seed, Purdue had lost in the Sweet 16 or earlier four times.
On Thursday, the Boilermakers were on the ropes again after No. 11 Texas tied the game with 11.9 seconds to play. But he was given one final spot, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn made a tip-in at the last second, on a teammate’s miss, to give Purdue a 79-77 victory.
“It’s time to win,” Kaufman-Renn said. “It’s our job to make big plays at big times.”
Next up for Purdue: Arizona, which crushed Arkansas, 109-88, to hold all the Razorbacks unseeded Darius Acuff Jr. check.
Meanwhile, Iowa advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 with a 77-71 win over hated rival Nebraska.
It was a magical first season for the Iowa City, Iowa-born coach. Ben McCollum. McCollum spent 17 seasons coaching at the Division II level, winning four national titles and 80.8% of his games, before getting his first crack at Division I in 2024. You have proven to be a quick study.
A preview of the Sweet 16
Just like Thursday, we’ve identified some key players who could swing tonight’s Sweet 16 contests.
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s: If the Red Storm are going to have any chance, they’re going to need a big night off Zuby Ejiofora 6-foot-9 senior forward. Ejiofor scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the previous round against Kansas. Now you will fight inside with the new Blue Devils, Cameron Boozer.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama: Yaxel Lendeborg can do almost everything on the basketball court. Standing 6-foot-9, weighing 240 pounds, he is a force driving the rim. He can come out with a change. But if he makes 3-pointers, again, like he did in the last round against Saint Louis, Michigan will be hard to beat.
No. 2 Conn vs. No. 3 Michigan State: Tom Izzo depends on the guard Jeremy Fears Jr. running the Spartans’ offense, and Fears tallied 27 (!) assists in the first two rounds of the tournament. In the crunch, expect the ball in Fears’ hands.
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee: The Cyclones lost Joshua Jefferson ankle injury in the first round of the tournament. It is expected to be a game time decision tonight. Jefferson averaged 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Whether he plays — and if so, at what level — could mean Iowa State makes its first Elite Eight since 2000 or heads home.
What we learn
With baseball closed next winter, the Dodgers owner believes “we have to come up with something that will give us some balance.”
Baseball’s new automated challenge system forces teams to decide which players will have the green light to initiate challenges.
Tom Brady He says he asked about coming back to play when he was a minority owner.
American hockey hero Jack Hughes he finally fixed the teeth he broke in the gold medal game.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm He is suing his parents for millions, accusing them of misusing his money.
Big-budget college basketball rosters are on the rise, but so are women’s basketball. But the Reddit co-founder’s funding helped turn Virginia’s fortunes around.
Speaking of women’s college basketball, the UConn coach Geno Auriemma he thinks that in the new revenue-sharing era, “Title IX legislation is probably over.”
Interesting story here. Sports writer Tyson Alger hit the driving range with Derek Radleycoach of the powerhouse women’s golf team at the University of Oregon.
What we are watching
The Sweet 16 continues tonight. Can Rick Pitino and the Johnnies keep their magic going against top-ranked Duke? Later, there was a nasty encounter between two fiery coaches, Dan Hurley (Conn) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State). Bless the referees who work in that game.
All times are Eastern:
- 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John’s, on CBS
- 7:35 p.m.: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama, on TBS
- 9:45 p.m.: No. 2 Conn vs. No. 3 Michigan State, on CBS
- 10:10pm: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee, at TBS
That’s it for now! We will be back on Monday.
