Sweet 16 shocks
The NCAA Men’s Sweet 16 produced four teams already through to the Elite Eight — Illinois, Iowa, Arizona and Purdue — as the tournament moves into weekend play (espn.com). Bracket trackers and live coverage are running on ESPN, NCAA.com and CBS Sports for every upset and tip time this weekend (cbssports.com).
Illinois turned a scoreless stretch into a 17‑0 second‑half run to pull away for a 65‑55 win over Houston at the Toyota Center, with freshman David Mirkovic posting a 14‑point, 10‑rebound double‑double. (espn.com, fightingillini.com) (espn.com) Iowa rallied late to beat Nebraska 77‑71 in Houston, senior guard Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 20 points while Alvaro Folgueiras added a key 16, sending Iowa to its first Elite Eight since 1987. (espn.com, hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com) (espn.com) Arizona overwhelmed Arkansas 109‑88 in San Jose, with freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat each scoring 21 and Arizona becoming the first team in NCAA tournament history to have six players score at least 14 points in the same game. (espn.com) (espn.com) Purdue survived a 79‑77 thriller against Texas when Trey Kaufman‑Renn tipped home the game‑winner with 0.7 seconds remaining; Kaufman‑Renn finished with 20 points and Purdue moves on to face Arizona in the West regional final. (espn.com, nba.com/AP) (espn.com) The Elite Eight schedule pins Iowa vs. Illinois Saturday at 5:09 p.m. CT from the Toyota Center on TBS, and Arizona vs. Purdue is set Saturday night in San Jose (5:49 p.m. MST reported), with both winners advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis. (hawkeyesports.com, arizonasports.com, ncaa.com) (hawkeyesports.com)
