play0:30Darius Acuff Jr. comes alive late to fuel Arkansas to Sweet 16Darius Acuff Jr. shows up with a few clutch baskets down the stretch to help the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16.
play0:20David Mirkovic’s steal sparks another Illinois fast-break slamDavid Mirkovic gets the steal and sets up his teammate Zvonimir Ivisic for the dunk.
play0:24Matas Vokietaitis scores down low for LonghornsMatas Vokietaitis grabs the rock and lays it up for Texas vs. Gonzaga in the first half.
play0:19Emmanuel Sharp’s fancy footwork gets him to the rackEmmanuel Sharp spins and weaves through traffic to make the layup.
play0:17Cameron Boozer’s dunk keeps Duke rolling in 2nd halfCameron Boozer elevates and throws down a two-handed slam dunk for Duke.
play0:16Coen Carr imitates MJ with roaring jamCoen Carr takes flight and sticks his tongue out like Michael Jordan for a Spartans slam.
Nebraska wins as Vanderbilt’s 49-foot heave narrowly misses (0:32)Braden Frager scores the go-ahead basket for Nebraska in the final seconds, while Tyler Tanner’s heave almost drops as the Cornhuskers outlast the Commodores. (0:32)
Darius Acuff Jr. comes alive late to fuel Arkansas to Sweet 16Darius Acuff Jr. shows up with a few clutch baskets down the stretch to help the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16.
Darius Acuff Jr. shows up with a few clutch baskets down the stretch to help the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16.
David Mirkovic’s steal sparks another Illinois fast-break slamDavid Mirkovic gets the steal and sets up his teammate Zvonimir Ivisic for the dunk.
Matas Vokietaitis scores down low for LonghornsMatas Vokietaitis grabs the rock and lays it up for Texas vs. Gonzaga in the first half.
Emmanuel Sharp’s fancy footwork gets him to the rackEmmanuel Sharp spins and weaves through traffic to make the layup.
Cameron Boozer’s dunk keeps Duke rolling in 2nd halfCameron Boozer elevates and throws down a two-handed slam dunk for Duke.
Coen Carr imitates MJ with roaring jamCoen Carr takes flight and sticks his tongue out like Michael Jordan for a Spartans slam.
ESPN reporters were on-site across the country to break down how each of Saturday’s second-round games was won. Our expert analysts also weigh in on each winner’s chances to advance to the Elite Eight.
Darius Acuff Jr. comes alive late to fuel Arkansas to Sweet 16
Arkansas can advance if Acuff continues to excel in high-pressure moments and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Ewin (14 points, 12 rebounds), Billy Richmond III (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Meleek Thomas (19 points) showed the winning blueprint for the Razorbacks because it’s never five-on-five against them. Opponents will try to stop one of the best players in America with an all-hands-on-deck approach, creating opportunities for everyone else. — Myron Medcalf
How Illinois won: Another potential Cinderella saw its glass slipper shattered, as VCU’s run ended against a dominant Illinois team. Andrej Stojakovic had 21 points to lead the Illini, who turned a two-point deficit with 3:09 to go in the first half into an easy win, outscoring the Rams by 23 over the final 23 minutes. Zvonimir Ivisic stole the show with a monster dunk in the second half that signaled an unofficial end to VCU’s hopes; he finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. — David Hale
David Mirkovic’s steal sparks another Illinois fast-break slam
David Mirkovic gets the steal and sets up his teammate Zvonimir Ivisic for the dunk.
Matas Vokietaitis grabs the rock and lays it up for Texas vs. Gonzaga in the first half.
How Houston won: The last time Houston and Texas A&M met in the NCAA tournament (second round in 2024), the Cougars outlasted the Aggies in a high-flying classic in which the two teams combined for 195 points. This time, though, Houston won convincingly — thanks in large part to a 19-4 run that occurred after Texas A&M cut the Cougars’ lead to one point with 7:40 left in the first half.
Emmanuel Sharp’s fancy footwork gets him to the rack
Emmanuel Sharp spins and weaves through traffic to make the layup.
How the Cougars can advance to Elite Eight: Their defensive strength is their advantage when they force opponents to play methodically and measured. Texas A&M entered its second-round matchup against Houston having played one of the fastest tempos in America, but the Cougars locked the Aggies into a 65-possession affair and recorded a subpar 87 points per 100 possessions. Houston will have to deploy the same method against Illinois.
Cameron Boozer’s dunk keeps Duke rolling in 2nd half
Cameron Boozer elevates and throws down a two-handed slam dunk for Duke.
How Michigan State won: Jeremy Fears Jr. cemented his place in Michigan State history as the Spartans marched on to the Sweet 16 with a win over Louisville. With his 16 assists, Fears became the first Big Ten player in the past 50 years with 27 dishes over a two-game NCAA tournament span, passing Michigan State’s Magic Johnson (25 in the 1979 Sweet 16 and Elite Eight). Fears’ 16 assists also is the most by a Big Ten player in an NCAA tournament game in the past 50 years.
Forward Coen Carr also played a significant role in the win, recording his first career double-double (21 points and 10 rebounds). He joins Carson Cooper, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds against North Dakota State in the first round, to become the first Michigan State duo with 20-point double-doubles in an NCAA tournament since 1979 (Johnson and Greg Kelser).
The absence of guard Mikel Brown Jr. caught up to Louisville as Michigan State was able to limit the Cardinals’ offense, which had averaged 79 points per game without him (41.3% from the field). Louisville also sent Michigan State to the foul line a significant amount, with the Spartans making 14 of 19 (Cardinals were 4-of-6 from the line). — Alaina Getzenberg
Coen Carr takes flight and sticks his tongue out like Michael Jordan for a Spartans slam.
How the Spartans can advance to Elite Eight: Personnel matchups generate the most headlines during the NCAA tournament, but coaching matchups are equally — if not more — impactful. During a head coaching tenure that began in 1995, Tom Izzo developed an uncanny ability to zero in on an opposing team’s top players and create problems for them. That’s the Spartans’ ticket to another Elite Eight appearance.
The Wolverines had nine blocks, their most in an NCAA tournament game since blocks were first tracked in 1985-86, and outrebounded the Billikens 42-27. Lendeborg scored 25 points and became the first Michigan player with 25-plus points and no turnovers in an NCAA tournament game since Glen Rice (1989). Michigan is now the first Big Ten team to record back-to-back NCAA tournament games with 90-plus points since title-winning 1989 Michigan. — Alaina Getzenberg
How Arkansas won: Darius Acuff Jr.’s talent was on full display in Portland. With the score tied at 83-83 and High Point on the verge of shocking the nation again, the Arkansas freshman guard scored seven consecutive points to help his team advance to the Sweet 16. Acuff finished the game with 36 points and scored 12 of the Razorbacks’ 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation. He also had six assists to join Chris Paul as the only freshmen to begin their NCAA tournament career with consecutive 20-point and five-assist games since freshmen became fully eligible in 1973, per ESPN Research. Acuff’s stellar outing might have overshadowed Rob Martin, who led High Point with 30 points, five assists and four rebounds. Martin scored 18 points in a back-and-forth second half and received a loud ovation from the crowd at Moda Center for his memorable performance. — Ryan McFadden
How the Razorbacks can advance to Elite Eight: With his team battling High Point late and Rob Martin playing like an NBA All-Star, Darius Acuff Jr. never flinched as his late buckets sealed Arkansas’ fifth Sweet 16 appearance in six years. The projected NBA lottery pick’s impact was evident on Malique Ewin’s missed attempt. Acuff drew three defenders before passing it to Ewin late in the game. High Point was hoping to stall not only one of the best point guards John Calipari has coached, but one of the most efficient and effective freshman point guards in recent college basketball history.
How Nebraska won: Before Thursday night, Nebraska had never won an NCAA tournament game. Two days later, thanks to Braden Frager’s layup with 2.2 seconds left, the Cornhuskers are heading to the Sweet 16. They traded blows with Vandy until the end, even surviving a buzzer-beating heave from beyond half court by Tyler Tanner that ricocheted in and out to seal the victory in front of a raucous arena packed with Nebraska fans. The Huskers muscled their way to the second weekend of the tournament thanks to a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures, including 15 each from Frager and Pryce Sandfort. Nebraska controlled the paint, outscoring Vanderbilt 38-22 down low while shooting 56% from the floor. — Brooke Pryor
How the Cornhuskers can advance to Elite Eight: Nebraska picked up its first NCAA tournament win in program history Thursday, then doubled its total in drama-filled fashion Saturday. What will the Cornhuskers need to do to win a third — likely against Florida? Their success this season has been primarily predicated on two factors: 3-point shooting and defense. They rank top 15 nationally in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point attempt rate and percentage of points generated off 3-pointers. They have four players who made 50 or more 3s this season, and they’ll likely have to make double-digit 3s to win next week. Nebraska was No. 1 in the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency, holding opponents to below 30% from 3-point range and forcing turnovers on nearly 20% of possessions. — Jeff Borzello
How the Fighting Illini can advance to Elite Eight: After Illinois got off to a 14-5 start against VCU, it seemed as if the Illini might enter halftime with a substantial edge, but the Rams slowed the game down and upped their defensive pressure to enter the break down seven points. Ten minutes into the second half, VCU trailed by 22 points and seemed to know its Sweet 16 dreams had been deferred. That’s how quickly the game can turn against Illinois, which owns the best offense in America. That’s the Illini’s advantage against a Houston team prone to extensive scoring droughts.