Ncaa

• Third-seeded Illinois beat Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on March 26, 2026, in Houston. • David Mirkovic led Illinois with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as the team showcased strong defense to eliminate last year's national runner-up. • The win advances Illinois (27-8) to its 11th Elite Eight, facing ninth-seeded Iowa on Saturday to determine a Final Four participant.

• The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament continues with St. John's facing Duke in a Sweet Sixteen matchup scheduled for Friday, March 27 at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS from Washington. • This Sweet Sixteen round features multiple games across the day, including Alabama vs. Michigan at 7:35 p.m. ET on TBS and TRUTV from Chicago. • The Sweet Sixteen represents a critical stage where 16 teams compete for spots in the Elite Eight, with each victory bringing teams closer to the Final Four.

• No. 2 seed Vanderbilt beat seventh-seeded Illinois 75-57 in Nashville to advance to the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA tournament. • Mikayla Blakes led Vanderbilt with 25 points in the decisive victory. • This SEC matchup underscores Vanderbilt's strong postseason run in the latest tournament action.

• Fifth-seeded St. John's defeated Kansas 67-65 in San Diego on Sunday with Dylan Darling's driving layup as time expired, marking their first Sweet 16 since 1999. • Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the Red Storm (30-6), who blew a 13-point lead but rallied under coach Rick Pitino. • The victory highlights St. John's rapid resurgence to college basketball prominence in three seasons.

• Women's NCAA tournament second round play continues Monday, March 23, with eight games scheduled across ESPN and ESPN2, featuring matchups including Alabama at Louisville (noon ET) and Virginia at Iowa (2 p.m. ET). • Additional second round games include Notre Dame at Ohio State, Kentucky at West Virginia, Syracuse at UConn, Illinois at Vanderbilt, Southern Cal at South Carolina, and Oklahoma State at UCLA. • The women's tournament second round concludes Monday's schedule, with the most successful teams advancing to regional play in subsequent rounds.

• Houston Cougars, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, defeated Texas A&M 88-57 on March 22 in Oklahoma City to reach the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight year. • Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points, Chris Cenac Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds, while Milos Uzan contributed 15 points in the decisive victory. • The win highlights Houston's continued dominance in March Madness, setting up a matchup in the Houston regional on March 26.

• The No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines (32-3) play the No. 9 seed St. Louis Billikens (29-5) in a second-round Midwest Regional matchup at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, with tip-off at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday. • Michigan defeated Howard 101-81 in the first round, while St. Louis dominated Georgia 102-77 Thursday night, with DraftKings projecting Michigan as a 12.5-point favorite. • Key performers include Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr., who posted 21 points and 10 rebounds in the first round, and St. Louis's Dion Brown, who led the Billikens with 18 points against Georgia.