The Elite Eight is set.
The Auburn Tigers and Houston Cougars advance with wins over Michigan and Purdue, respectively, which means the four No. 1 seeds make up half of the remaining NCAA tournament field. The 2-seed Tennessee Volunteers and Michigan State Spartans are also moving on as March Madness rolls into its final seven games.
All four winners of Friday’s games will play again Sunday. Relive all of the night’s action with analysis from each of the four matchups, plus an archive of real-time updates.
Go to: Elite Eight matchups and schedule | Friday results and analysis | Relive the action
Friday results, analysis
Final: Houston defeated Purdue 62-60
How Houston won: Purdue played Houston down to the wire, but the Cougars held the Boilermakers off thanks to a Milos Uzan game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds in regulation. It was a back-and-forth game, featuring 10 lead changes in the first half alone. Houston eventually built its largest lead — 10 points — with just 7:59 remaining. A 9-1 run from the Boilermakers from there brought them close before a Camden Heide 3-pointer tied it at 60 with 0:35, but the Cougars’ final inbound play punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. Uzan finished with a game-high 22 points. — ESPN Staff
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Houston draws up great play to score winner with under a second left
Milos Uzan gets the ball back off the inbounds pass and scores to put Houston up two on Purdue with 0.9 seconds left.
Houston’s key against Tennessee in the Elite Eight: Second-chance points. As it usually is under Rick Barnes, Tennessee has one of the elite defenses in the country — but one of the Volunteers’ weaknesses at that end of the floor has been on the glass. And that could play right into Houston’s hands, given the Cougars’ dominance on the offensive glass. They average 12.5 offensive rebounds per game, score 13.1 second-chance points and rank 11th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. Tennessee has tightened up a bit on the defensive glass in the NCAA tournament, but Houston’s incredible aggression and emphasis in that aspect of the game is an entirely different task. The Cougars annihilated Purdue on the glass Friday, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds and turning them into 20 second-chance points. They also earned the final out-of-bounds play after Joseph Tugler crashed the offensive glass to keep the possession alive. — Jeff Borzello
Final: Auburn defeated Michigan 78-65
How Auburn won: In the second half, Tahaad Pettiford hit a turnaround jumper after he was fouled, then made a gesture as if he were taking a phone call. Perhaps he was envisioning calling NBA teams, because his breakout performance against Michigan might have changed his future. Auburn overcame a sloppy first half (32% from the field) as Pettiford, Denver Jones and Johni Broome combined to score 62 points and deliver a stunning come-from-behind performance at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where it sounded like a Tigers home game, just over 100 miles from campus.
Auburn’s defensive adjustments on Danny Wolf mattered, too. After his layup at the 13:06 mark, Michigan had a seven-point advantage. From there, Auburn worked to deny his touches and force him into tough shots. Wolf didn’t score again.
Overall, the Tigers who showed up in the second half looked like the same ones who were the No. 1 team in the country for nearly three months, and at one point, the favorites to win the national title. — Myron Medcalf
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Tahaad Pettiford heats up with back-to-back tough buckets
Tahaad Pettiford takes over late, scoring on back-to-back possessions to keep Auburn in control.
Auburn’s key against Michigan State in the Elite Eight: Take advantage of Michigan State’s 3-point issues. Michigan State is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, making just six treys per game (332nd) at a 31.1% clip (318th). The Spartans are elite at creating second-chance opportunities and getting to the free throw line, but the Tigers can hold an edge from the perimeter. They are capable of getting hot from 3, having made double-digit 3s four times in their past 10 games.
Pettiford is a dynamic shotmaker and Denver Jones made four 3s in the win over Michigan. Auburn shot better than 37% from beyond the arc and made more than nine 3s per game in SEC play. — Jeff Borzello
Final: Tennessee defeated Kentucky 78-65
How Tennessee won: Tennessee jumped out to a double-digit lead within the first eight minutes and didn’t look back, extending the advantage to as many as 19 points and never letting the game get within single digits in the second half. It was a complete effort for the Volunteers, who held a 34-24 edge on the glass while shooting 50.9% from the field to punch their ticket to their second straight Elite Eight. Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with 18 points, adding four assists to claim the SEC record for most in a single season. Chaz Lanier also finished in double figures with 17 points, while Jordan Gainey added 16 off the bench. — ESPN Staff
Tennessee’s key against Houston in the Elite Eight: Win the point guard battle. Zakai Zeigler has been incredible in the NCAA tournament, averaging 15.0 points and 9.3 assists to only 2.3 turnovers. He had 18 points and 10 assists against Kentucky, and he can create issues on the defensive end. Houston will look to disrupt Tennessee’s offense at the point of attack — and that’s Zeigler. Milos Uzan has been one of the best point guards in the country over the second half of the season, going for 22 points and six assists against Purdue on Friday, including the game-winning shot. Without Zeigler being able to get the ball effectively to the Volunteers’ shooters, their offense won’t be as efficient as it needs to be against the Cougars. — Jeff Borzello
Final: Michigan State defeated Ole Miss 73-70
How Michigan State won: Before Friday’s matchup against Ole Miss, Tom Izzo said this Spartans team is one of the most “connected” Michigan State squads he has ever coached. That chemistry proved to be vital in overcoming a double-digit deficit against the Rebels.
Just after Jaden Akins scored on a go-ahead layup late, Tre Holloman cut off Ole Miss star Sean Pedulla on a shot that would have tied the game. Jase Richardson made big plays. Coen Carr‘s second-half dunk electrified the Spartans fans at State Farm Arena, too. It wasn’t always pretty (Michigan State missed 11 of its first 17 field goal attempts), but that’s how these blue-collar Spartans (36-30 advantage in points in the paint) prefer to win — and why they are on their way to the Elite Eight for the 11th time under Izzo. — Myron Medcalf
Michigan State’s key against Auburn in the Elite Eight: Hit the offensive glass. It’s not a surprise to see a Tom Izzo-coached team get an edge on its opponent via the offensive glass. Michigan State was the best offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten, while Auburn ranked near the bottom of the SEC in defensive rebounding. The Spartans score more than 13 second-chance points per game, while the Tigers rank in the bottom 50 nationally at the other end, allowing more than 12 second-chance points. Michigan State has to capitalize on this edge.
Michigan had two 7-footers against Auburn and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, but got only nine second-chance points and was outscored in that category by 12. The Spartans are unlikely to become an elite 3-point shooting team in the next 36 hours, so crashing the offensive boards will be key.— Jeff Borzello