The first half of the Elite Eight is set.
The Duke Blue Devils and Alabama Crimson Tide, who each scored at least 100 points in their wins on Thursday, will face off Saturday. And the Texas Tech Red Raiders mounted the second-biggest comeback in Sweet 16 history for the chance to take on the Florida Gators.
Find analysis from our reporters on-site in Newark, New Jersey, and San Francisco below, plus a play-by-play of the major highlights and nuggets from all four games.
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Thursday results, analysis
(10) Arkansas vs.
(3) Texas Tech
Final: Texas Tech defeated Arkansas 85-83 in OT
How Texas Tech won: For most of the second half, Arkansas looked like it was cruising to the Elite Eight in its first season under John Calipari. The Razorbacks led by as many as 16 points and had a 13-point lead with 4:43 to go -- then Texas Tech caught fire. A 10-0 Red Raiders run made it a three-point game with 2:06 remaining, setting the stage for a memorable finish in San Francisco. A Darrion Williams 3-pointer tied the score with nine seconds left and Arkansas' erratic, last-ditch effort to win in regulation failed. Williams delivered, again, in overtime with the game-winning bucket with seven seconds left. Texas Tech's win stands as, perhaps, the game of the tournament with JT Toppin, Christian Anderson and Williams all scoring at least 20 points in the second-largest Sweet 16 comeback in NCAA tournament history. -- Kyle Bonagura
Texas Tech's key to Elite Eight matchup against Florida: Composure from Elijah Hawkins. Texas Tech's comeback from a double-digit deficit in the second half demanded an abundance of resilience -- the Red Raiders won that game because their top players made key plays down the stretch. But it wasn't the best night for their point guard. Hawkins finished 1-for-10 from the field with five rebounds and five turnovers after averaging 15.0 points, 8.5 assists and 1.0 rebounds in the first two rounds. His poise helped Texas Tech reach this stage, but he just never seemed comfortable Thursday. Hawkins will have to put that effort behind him to get ready for Florida on Saturday. -- Myron Medcalf
(4) Arizona vs.
(1) Duke
Final: Duke defeated Arizona 100-93
How Duke won: Duke had Cooper Flagg and Arizona didn't. It was a virtuoso performance from the freshman phenom, who finished with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocks -- also hitting the buzzer-beating 3 at halftime that gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead. The Wildcats didn't have an answer for him, using several different players to guard him at various points. They wouldn't get closer than five in the second half, which didn't happen until the final couple of minutes. The Blue Devils had too much offensively. They shot 60% from the field, 58% from 3 and ended up closing the free throw gap that the Wildcats created in the first half. Expect more points when Duke faces Alabama in the Elite Eight on Saturday night -- both teams reached 100 on Thursday. -- Jeff Borzello
Cooper Flagg drops 30 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds in Duke's victory over Arizona.
Duke's key to Elite Eight matchup against Alabama: Khaman Maluach's continued growth. Maluach's first exposure to basketball was at a basketball camp operated by Luol Deng, the former Duke and NBA star, in 2019. The 7-foot-2 standout and projected lottery pick has displayed impressive growth as a freshman with the Blue Devils, but it's clear he is still learning. On Thursday, he picked up his fourth foul with eight minutes to play against Arizona because he was careless as he tried to force a turnover. Maluach is gifted, but he has to be more cautious, so he is available when Duke needs him. On the flip side, he did demonstrate the skills that have made him a pivotal player for the Blue Devils, scoring on putbacks and alley-oops and post-ups while altering shots and blocking others. He has left his mark and continues to grow -- the latter could be the reason Duke reaches the Final Four. -- Myron Medcalf
(6) BYU vs.
(2) Alabama
Final: Alabama defeated BYU 113-88
How Alabama won: The Crimson Tide put on an unprecedented shooting display, setting the NCAA tournament record for made 3s -- with more than seven minutes still on the clock. They finished with 25 made 3-pointers, beating the record of 21 set by Loyola Marymount in 1990. Mark Sears played like the first-team All-American that he is, making 10 3s and finishing with 34 points and eight assists to become the first player in NCAA tournament history to have eight 3s and eight assists in a game.
BYU, which entered the contest ranked in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointers per game, simply couldn't keep up. The Cougars went just 1-for-13 from 3 in the first half and couldn't string together enough stops defensively in the second half to get closer than seven points.
Alabama will have to hope it saved enough made 3s for Saturday, when the Tide will look to get to their second consecutive Final Four. -- Jeff Borzello
Mark Sears connects from deep as Alabama sets a single-game NCAA tournament record for 3-pointers in a game.
Alabama's key to Elite Eight matchup against Duke: Guards must continue to take pressure off Mark Sears. Midway through the season, Nate Oats benched Sears for the second half of an SEC game. The conversation around that moment centered on the head coach's relationship with his star player, but there was another factor at play: Sears was frustrated because teams were relentless as they tried to stop him. That defensive approach against Alabama doesn't work when both Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway make an impact, though, which is exactly what happened in Thursday's historic blowout of BYU. While Sears was unstoppable, both Holloway (23 points) and Youngblood (19 points) made it impossible for BYU to focus solely on the AP All-American. If Sears continues to get help from his backcourt mates, Alabama might not lose another game. -- Myron Medcalf
(4) Maryland vs.
(1) Florida
Final: Florida defeated Maryland 87-71
How Florida won: Florida let Maryland stick around for a half but quickly showed its superiority after that in what turned into a drama-free 16-point win in San Francisco. Will Richard led the Gators with 15 points, but they had five players in double figures, showcasing the depth that helped them earn a No. 1 seed. The lopsided win came despite iffy ball security, though, as Florida turned the ball over 17 times. The Gators outscored Maryland in the paint (38-30), got 29 points from their bench and shot the ball well from deep (11-of-28) in a comprehensive win to advance to the Elite Eight. -- Kyle Bonagura
Florida's key to Elite Eight matchup against Texas Tech: Alex Condon staying on the floor. During a February matchup against Mississippi State, Condon suffered a sprained right ankle. The injury affected the 6-foot-11 big man throughout the season and he tweaked the same injury in the first half of Thursday's win over Maryland. Florida was noticeably less efficient and effective while Condon remained on the sideline earlier in the game, and when he returned, the Gators widened the gap against the Terrapins. Per EvanMiya.com, Condon is the 15th-most impactful player in college basketball -- he is ranked ahead of stars like Hunter Dickinson and Ryan Kalkbrenner in the site's BPR ratings. As Thursday showed, the Gators will need Condon healthy and available on Saturday to reach their peak. -- Myron Medcalf