Men’s and women’s top seeds fend off challengers to advance to NCAA’s Elite 8

• Friday’s NCAA tournament action featured four games in both the men’s and women’s brackets. The top seed in each region advanced to the Elite Eight.
• In the men’s bracket, Auburn, Michigan State, Tennessee and Houston used some clutch shooting to win against tough competition.
• On the women’s side, Duke, South Carolina, LSU and UCLA are moving on to the weekend.

Friday, March 28, featured Sweet 16 action in the NCAA tournament for both the men’s and women’s brackets. A total of eight games were played involving some of the tournament’s biggest favorites, most of whom are now moving on.

What went down in the men’s South region?

The 2-seed in the men’s South region, Michigan State, met a tough challenge. Ole Miss went up by ten in the first half of their regional semifinal. The Spartans got it together in the locker room and closed the gap in the second half. From there, it was a back-and-forth game with eight ties down the stretch. In the final four minutes, Michigan State hit five straight baskets to pull out the 73-70 win. Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo will be making his eleventh Elite Eight appearance in 27 seasons but his first since 2019.

“I love these guys because they keep grinding; they kept grinding, getting close before half was very critical,” said Izzo. “At halftime, we felt like we could drive the ball a little bit more. Trey drove it; these guys drove it, Jace made some big shots, Cohen [made a] couple big blocks and Jaden made a big three, and then those free throws at the end.”

Michigan State will meet the Auburn Tigers next. The top two seeds matching up Sunday, March 30, in Atlanta for a ticket to the Final Four. The Tigers got hot from three-point land and used an 20-2 second half run to come from behind and beat Michigan in the late game.

Was it Tennessee or Kentucky in the Midwest bracket?

The SEC put a record fourteen teams in the tournament this year, and half of them advanced to the Sweet 16. Two of them, Tennessee and Kentucky, met for the third time this season Friday, March 28, in the Midwest bracket. Kentucky won the first two meetings, but this one was all Tennessee. They built a 19-point first-half lead and cruised to a win from there. Zakai Zeigler had 18 for the Vols and talked about not wanting to lose three straight to their rivals.

“I feel like coming out this game, we really wanted to set the tone and show them who we were. The first two times we played them at their place and our place, we didn’t play Tennessee basketball,” Zeigler said. “We knew regardless of what happened, we were going to go out and play Tennessee basketball on the offensive end and the defensive end, and I feel like we did a great job of that tonight.”

Tennessee is back in the Elite Eight for the second straight season and third time in program history. They’ll take on the top seed, Houston, on Sunday, March 30, for a chance to go to the Final Four. After a slow start, the Cougars beat the 4-seed Purdue with a second-half rally.

How did the women’s Sweet 16 kick off?

In the Women’s Sweet 16, Duke and North Carolina renewed their rivalry with a defensive battle. Duke led by eight at halftime and finished with a 10-6 advantage in the fourth quarter to win 47-38. It was the lowest-scoring regional semifinal in tournament history.

The top seed in that same region, South Carolina, escaped with a 71-67 win over Maryland. The Gamecocks, who have won two of the last three national championships, closed with a 12-7 run to advance to the weekend. Dawn Staley’s team knows exactly what it takes to win the title.

“People thought we had the easiest region. I didn’t think so. It’s not easy at all. It gets harder because we got to play Duke. I just think our team has been through so much like they know they’re unshakable, you know, they’re unflappable,” Staley said. “Our conference gives us a lot of confidence to be able to be in a tight-knit game and find a way to win because that’s what it’s about at this stage of the game.”

LSU and UCLA also advanced for the women. Their tournament’s Sweet 16 games continue Saturday, March 29, while the men tip off the Elite Eight.