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.
Relive all of Friday 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 | Results and analysis | Relive Friday night’s 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 .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 back within single digits 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
Final: Auburn defeated Michigan 78-65
How Auburn won: In the second half, Tahaad Pettiford hit a turnaround jumper after he was fouled, and made a gesture as if he was 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
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
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 for the Spartans 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