Advertisement

Sweet Sixteen: Michigan State, Auburn, Kentucky advance; Duke survives

By Connor Grott

March 29 (UPI) -- The Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament concluded Friday night with Auburn, Michigan State, Kentucky and Duke advancing to the Elite Eight.

Auburn exploded for 97 points and raced past top-seeded North Carolina as the Tar Heels became the first No. 1 seed to fall in this year's tourney.

Advertisement

Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils survived another last-second shot attempt to defeat fourth-seeded Virginia Tech.

Michigan State also cruised to a Sweet 16 win with a 17-point victory over No. 3 LSU. Kentucky edged Houston late in the second half to reach the next round.

Below is a roundup of the scores from Friday's games of the Sweet 16 and a brief recap of each game.

No. 2 Michigan State 80, No. 3 LSU 63

Aaron Henry, who caught the wrath of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo in a verbal exchange earlier in the NCAA tournament, led the Spartans to a victory over the LSU Tigers.

Advertisement

Henry had a team-high 20 points with eight rebounds and six assists to push MSU into the Elite Eight. Spartans standout point guard Cassius Winston had 17 points and eight assists.

Michigan State sophomore forward Xavier Tillman tallied 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while freshman Gabe Brown added 15 points off the bench.

Sophomore guard Tremont Waters led the third-seeded Tigers with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting. Kavell Bigby-Williams had 11 points and Naz Reid added 10.

Michigan State plays No. 1 Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday. It's the sixth NCAA tournament matchup between the schools and first since 2015.

No. 5 Auburn 97, No. 1 North Carolina 80

Auburn reached the Elite Eight for the first time in 33 years after a red-hot shooting performance. The Tigers went 17-of-37 from 3-point territory and cruised to an upset win over top-seeded North Carolina.

Despite the victory, Auburn suffered a major loss with the injury of sophomore forward Chuma Okeke. Okeke sustained a serious non-contact knee injury and didn't return to the game. He led the Tigers with 20 points and 11 rebounds before his exit.

Advertisement

Auburn advances to take on SEC rival Kentucky on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.

No. 1 Duke 75, No. 4 Virginia Tech 73

Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils survived another upset after a late shot fell short again. The Hokies drew up an inbounds play with 1.1 seconds remaining that gave Ahmed Hill an easy layup at the rim.

Hill's shot, much like UCF's last-second attempts against Duke in the second round, never found the bottom of the net.

Williamson had 23 points and six rebounds and impacted the game in a variety of ways, including a spectacular block in the first half.

Tre Jones had 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds. RJ Barrett had a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists. Duke forward Cam Reddish missed the game with a knee injury. His status for the Blue Devils' next game is uncertain.

No. 1 Duke plays second seed Michigan State in the regional final Sunday. The Blue Devils are 4-1 in NCAA tournament games against the Spartans.

Advertisement

No. 2 Kentucky 62, No. 3 Houston 58

Kentucky's Tyler Herro drilled a 3-pointer with 25.8 seconds left to lift the Wildcats into the Elite Eight. He led the team with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

PJ Washington, who made his return after missing UK's first two tourney games with a foot injury, had 16 points and two boards. Wildcats senior forward Reid Travis had a team-high 11 rebounds and six points.

Kentucky battles SEC foe Auburn in the Elite Eight on Sunday. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers twice in the regular season.

Latest Headlines