Well, we’re halfway through the Elite Eight.
While the other two regions will battle it out on Friday night, four teams are now just a single win away from securing a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
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No. 9 Iowa rallied back from an early double-digit hole and used a massive run late to get past Nebraska first on Thursday night. The Hawkeyes took advantage of an awful defensive blunder by Nebraska down the stretch, too, in which the Huskers only sent four defenders out onto the floor after a timeout. It marks the Hawkeyes’ first trip to the Elite Eight since 1987.
They’ll take on No. 3 Illinois in the next round at the Toyota Center. The Illini held on late to beat Kelvin Sampson and No. 2 Houston in their home city 65-55. Illinois beat Iowa by six points in their regular season meeting back in January.
Then, in San Jose, it was No. 2 Purdue who had to fight to get past Texas. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a putback game-winner with less than a second left to give the Boilermakers a 79-77 win over the Longhorns. Purdue has now won 10 NCAA tournament games over the past three seasons, including its run to the title game in 2024.
The Boilermakers will get No. 1 Arizona in the Elite Eight on Saturday in San Jose. The Wildcats had no issue getting past No. 4 Arkansas in their Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday night.
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Here’s everything you need to keep up with the first half of the Elite Eight this weekend.
How to watch, follow the Elite Eight
All times ET
Saturday, March 28
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois
When: 6:09 p.m.
Where: Toyota Center | Houston, TX
TV: TBS/TruTV
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona
When: 8:49 p.m.
Where: SAP Center | San Jose, CA
TV: TBS/TruTV
Announcers: Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
