Half of the Elite Eight on both the men's and women's side is set after a Saturday of action. On the women's side, UConn, Baylor, Indiana and Arizona are in, while on the men's side, Oregon State, Baylor, Arkansas and Houston punched their ticket.
Who will join them on Sunday? From the South Carolina-Georgia Tech women opening the day to the USC-Oregon men closing it, will keep you updated with quick recaps from all eight of the day's games. A full schedule for Sunday is also below.
Women: No. 1 South Carolina 76, No. 5 Georgia Tech 65
The Yellow Jackets could never quite get over the hump against the Gamecocks, who generally held Georgia Tech an arm's length away to earn a trip to the Elite Eight. Despite a relatively quiet afternoon for star Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere led the way, combining for 32 points. Cooke had a huge day from behind the arc, connecting on five of her six three-point attempts to set the tone for the South Carolina offense. —
Men: No. 1 Gonzaga 83, No. 5 Creighton 65
This was a complete and utter domination by Gonzaga. The Bulldogs started the game on a 9–2 run and never looked back, never trailing in the game and leading by as many as 27 to advance to the Elite Eight. Gonzaga has now reached the Elite Eight in four of the last six NCAA tournaments. Creighton was able to hang in during the first half of this one behind some big shots by star point guard Marcus Zegarowski. But the Bluejays couldn’t handle Drew Timme on the inside, as the sophomore big man posted 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead the way for the Zags. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points and eight assists for Gonzaga, which shot 59.6% from the field as a team. —
Women: No. 1 Stanford 89, No. 5 Missouri State 62
The top-seeded Cardinal cruised in this one with a dominant performance on both ends. Missouri State scored just 37 points through the first three quarters and Stanford's offense lit up the Lady Bears' D from the perimeter, sinking 15 of its 32 three-point attempts. The Cardinal's balanced offense lived up to its reputation, with Hannah Jump (17 points) coming off the bench to lead four Stanford players in double figures. Missouri State grabbed 18 offensive rebounds but struggled to finish inside the arc, going just 12 for 49 on twos. —
Men: Michigan 76, Florida State 58
Michigan suffocated Florida State on one end of the floor and baffled a usually-stingy FSU defense on the other en route to a dominant Sweet 16 victory. The story of the tournament for the Wolverines has been the ability for different players to step up on different nights, and Sunday was Brandon Johns’s time to shine. The junior forward posted a season-high 14 points and was one of seven Michigan players with six or more points in the win. FSU turned the ball over 14 times and struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end, an issue compounded by foul trouble for RaiQuan Gray and Scottie Barnes. And while the Seminoles hung within striking distance for the early stages of the second half, Michigan pulled away with a 14–4 run that put this one out of reach. —
Women: No. 2 Louisville 60, No. 6 Oregon 42
It was the Dana Evans show on Sunday, with Louisville's star senior going off for 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting to help bury the Ducks in the Sweet 16. Defensively, the Cardinals clamped down to hold a short-handed Oregon team to a brutal day from the field, not helped by in-game ankle injuries to Nyara Sabally and Maddie Scherr. Without those two, the Ducks didn't have the firepower to deal with Evans and Louisville on either end, with the Cards securing an Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 seed Stanford. —
Men: No. 11 UCLA 88, No. 2 Alabama 78
This game produced multiple March moments to remember, namely a buzzer-beating three by Alex Reese to tie the game for Alabama and send the game to overtime. But the Bruins dominated the extra session, outscoring the Tide 23–13 to advance to the program’s first Elite Eight since 2008. In the end, No. 2 seed Alabama’s undoing was at the free throw line, where the Tide shot just 11 for 25 and missed key freebies late. But the Bruins’ poise was admirable, particularly to fight back after blowing an 11-point halftime lead and dealing with the adversity of a win ripped from their grasp to advance. All five UCLA starters scored in double figures and bench player David Singleton also pitched in 15. The Bruins will take on Michigan for a spot in the Final Four. —
Women: No. 6 Texas 64, No. 2 Maryland 61
Another big upset in San Antonio! The No. 6 Longhorns held Maryland to a season-low 61 points and made big plays late to reach their first Elite Eight in five years. The Terrapins scored the game’s first nine points, triggering a Vic Schaefer timeout less than three minutes into the game. But the Terps, winners of 15 straight, went cold after the strong start and shot just 5 for 22 from deep in the game. Meanwhile, Texas continued to chip away, creating a back-and-forth final quarter of action. The defining moment: A steal from Kyra Lambert that turned into a transition layup with 45 seconds to go that gave UT a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Next up for the Longhorns is a date with No. 1 South Carolina. —
Men's: No. 6 USC 82, No. 7 Oregon 68
What a time to be in SoCal! USC and UCLA are each among the final eight teams standing after the Trojans knocked off Pac-12 foe Oregon. After the Ducks poured in 95 points against Iowa, Oregon looked confused much of the way attacking the long, athletic USC defense. The Trojans held Oregon to just 37.7% shooting from the field, the team’s worst mark of the season. Meanwhile, USC got a combined 42 points from grad transfers Isaiah White (Utah Valley) and Tahj Eaddy (Santa Clara), who are relishing their moment in the March spotlight. And while he had a quiet day scoring, potential top NBA draft pick Evan Mobley was hugely impactful, posting 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. The Trojans now get their crack at undefeated Gonzaga for a spot in the Final Four. —
