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From men’s basketball Cinderalla team Loyola Chicago and Cameron Krutwig taking down No. 1 Illinois in the second round to Jordan Nixon leading Texas A&M past Iowa State with 35 points and a game-winner in overtime in the women’s competition, we have finally made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournaments.
The weekend will display breakout players in Indianapolis such as Oral Roberts’ Kevin Obanor and UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, while Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers go head-to-head for the first time in San Antonio.
With so much action going on Saturday, USA TODAY Sports is breaking down all the results and how they affect the respective brackets below. Here’s the latest from the Sweet 16:
NCAA women’s tournament
No. 1 UConn 92, No. 5 Iowa 72
The UConn Huskies have done it again. They have rolled past their opponent to make it to their 15th consecutive Elite Eight appearance. UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark were the freshmen stars poised to steal the show in this highly anticipated Sweet 16 tip-off, but beating the Hawkeyes was a full-squad effort.
UConn guard Christyn Williams, a former No. 1 recruit, led the team with 27 points, and Bueckers showed her all-around game with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Guard Evina Westbrook (17 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists) was just one rebound shy of a triple-double, and freshman forward Aaliyah Edwards shined early and ended with 18 points.
UConn will play Baylor on Monday for a spot in the Final Four.
No. 2 Baylor 78, No. 6 Michigan 75 (OT)
The Baylor Bears edged the Michigan Wolverines in a thrilling overtime finish to advance to the Elite Eight. Baylor was led by NaLyssa Smith (24 points), Moon Ursin (20 points) and Dijonai Carrington (19 points). Smith also tied a tournament record by going 11-for-11 from the field.
Michigan had an answer for the defending national champions until the end, as the Wolverines produced a 23-point fourth quarter (compared to 16 for Baylor). Michigan’s Big Ten player of the year Naz Hillmon (16 points) and Leigha Brown (23 points) almost led an upset but were stopped with 0.9 seconds remaining when the Wolverines inbounded the ball to Brown, whose 3-point attempt came up short.
The Bears will play UConn on Monday.
No. 4 Indiana 73, No. 1 North Carolina State 70
Indiana women’s basketball is headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history following a 73-70 win against No. 1 seeded North Carolina State in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
Despite struggling late to hold onto a lead that was as large as 14, Indiana got a crucial stop on the final possession following senior guard Ali Patberg splitting a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game.
The story of the game for the Hoosiers was once again the defense after forcing 17 Wolfpack turnovers in a game that was filled with runs.
— Stefan Krajisnik, Special to the Indianapolis Star
No. 3 Arizona 74, No. 2 Texas A&M
Adia Barnes had some glory days as a player at the University of Arizona. Now she’s experiencing success in a another realm — that of coach.
Barnes’ tenacious Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in history, turning back No. 2 seed Texas A&M 74-59 Saturday night in Mercado Region play at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Wildcats (19-5) advance to Monday’s Elite Eight showdown against No. 4 seed Indiana, a 73-70 upset winner over No. 1 seed NC State earlier in the night.
Once again it was senior All-American Aari McDonald heading the effort with 31 points — highlighted by six 3-pointers — which extended her streak of games scoring in double digits to 90 games. She did that easily with 19 points in the opening half alone. For good measure she also had five rebounds and two steals.
— Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic
NCAA men’s tournament
No. 12 Oregon State 65, No. 8 Loyola Chicago 58
The No. 12 seeded Beavers stifled Loyola Chicago early with a zone defense and fed off star Ethan Thompson on offense to upset the Ramblers 65-58 in the Sweet 16 at Indianapolis.
Loyola Chicago had one of its worst shooting games of the season, only going 5-for-23 from three-point range (22%) and managing a season-worst 16 points in the first half. The Ramblers (26-5) sliced a second-half double-digit lead to three points off an alley-oop with 3:27 remaining. But Oregon State (20-12) made the offensive plays down the stretch it needed to reach its first Elite Eight since 1966.
No. 1 Baylor 61, No. 5 Villanova 51
It wasn’t easy, but Baylor’s quest to reach its first Final Four in 71 years is still alive after the No. 1-seeded Bears got past No. 5 Villanova 62-51 in the Sweet 16 of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
To stay alive, the Bears needed to stage a big comeback in the second half as Villanova took a 30-23 lead into halftime.
With their tournament lives on the line, Baylor came out more aggressive on offense and defense in the second half. The Bears started attacking the basket instead of relying on their outside shot that had gone cold.
Their first 24 points of the half came from in the paint, mostly in drives after getting past defenders. Pressure on Villanova ball handlers forced numerous turnovers, fueling the turnaround.
— Erick Smith
No. 3 Arkansas 72, No. 15 Oral Roberts 70
Arkansas was down by 12 points five minutes into the second half Saturday and was on the verge of being on the wrong side of a historic upset. But much like its previous two NCAA Tournament games, the Razorbacks stormed back for a 72-70 victory to advance to the Elite Eight.
Devonte Davis made a game-winning basket with four seconds left to secure the victory in the Sweet 16 at Indianapolis, while dispatching the tournament’s Cinderella No. 15 seed Oral Roberts, which was trying to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight.
Arkansas advances to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995. Oral Roberts star Max Abmas, the leading scorer in the country, missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer as time expired.
— Erick Smith
No. 2 Houston 62, No. 11 Syracuse 46
Houston executed its game plan – smothering Syracuse sharp-shooting guard Buddy Boeheim – and walked away with a 62-46 win on Saturday to advance to the Elite Eight of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
It’s Houston’s first Elite Eight since 1984 – when the Cougars lost to Georgetown in the national championship game.
The No. 2 seeded Cougars (27-3) limited Boeheim to 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting, including 1-for-9 on 3-point attempts. In the first two games, the coach’s son torched his opponents with 13 made triples for 55 points. But Houston wasn’t about to let the No. 11 seeded Orange (18-10), once a bubble team that upset No. 6 San Diego State and No. 3 West Virginia to get here, ruin its March Madness aspirations.
— Scott Gleeson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament scores: How Sweet 16 results affect both brackets
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