Recap: March Madness Sweet Sixteen, Day 1 | Arizona, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa advance

Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in the game-winning basket to lead Purdue over Texas and into the Elite Eight.

What we know about Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen games:

We opened with a pair of close contests, as Trey Kaufman-Renn (20 pts, 8 reb) tipped in the game-winner to help Purdue defeat Texas 79-77, while Iowa took control late to dispatch Nebraska 77-71.

In the second half of the evening, Illinois locked Houston down 65-55 and Arizona outpaced Arkansas 109-88.

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our recaps of every NCAA Tournament game here

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MARCH 27 / 12:29 ET

Arizona outscores Arkansas

Koa Peat and Arizona shared the ball and dominated an offensive showcase to defeat Arkansas and advance to the Elite Eight.

Arizona had six players score 14+ points, led by Brayden Burries (23 pts on 7-of-11 shooting), and shot 64% from the field as they defeated Arkansas 109-88.

It was the first time since 1997 that six players scored in double figures for a team in a single game.

It's ALL

@ArizonaMBB

so far in the second half 🤯

#MarchMadness

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— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)

March 27, 2026

“I’m having the most fun in my life,” said Koa Peat (21 pts on 8-of-11 shooting). “I love these guys.”

“They are complete. They play inside-out. They don’t take bad shots,” said Charles Barkley. “You can’t run up and down the court with them.”

Darius Acuff Jr. (28 pts) was the top man for the Razorbacks.

Arizona last advanced to the Elite Eight in 2015.

This is the 12th time in program history that Arizona has advanced to the Elite Eight and the first under Tommy Lloyd.

MARCH 27 / 12:20 ET

Illinois defeats Houston

Jake Davis, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, Keaton Wagler and their Illinois teammates are advancing to the Elite Eight.

David Mirkovic (14 pts), Keaton Wagler (13 pts) and Andrej Stojakovic (13 pts) carried the Fighting Illini into the Elite Eight 65-55.

Illinois held Houston to 34% shooting from the field, taking control despite the Cougars taking 13 more shots on the night (64 to 51).

HUGE threes from the Illini 👀

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Illinois last advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024, when they fell to UConn.

In this millennium, they had two other classic runs — 2005, behind the backcourt of Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, and 2001, led by Frank Williams and Brian Cook.

It’s the 11th time in school history that they’ve advanced to this stage of the tournament.

MARCH 26 / 11:36 ET

A 17-0 run for Illinois

To take a 44-26 lead with 11:52 to go in the second half.

What an effort from the Fighting Illini, who have caught fire against Houston.

MARCH 26 / 11:20 ET

A taste of the physicality

“There are bodies everywhere — carnage,” Robbie Hummel just said of the action in Illinois-Houston. It’s been a battle all night.

The Fighting Illini have opened the half on a 9-2 run to take a 33-26 lead.

MARCH 26 / 11:09 ET

Illinois grinds out lead over Houston

24-22, as both teams battle to find their shooting stroke.

Illinois put together a 10-2 late in the half to take the lead, but Kingston Flemings (7 pts) brought Houston back at the buzzer.

It was the lowest-scoring half of the tournament so far.

Kingston Flemings beats the halftime buzzer 🚨

Gritty one in Houston 😬

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MARCH 26 / 11:03 ET

Arizona runs out to early lead

Jaden Bradley and Arizona are up on Darius Acuff Jr. and Arkansas at the half of their Sweet Sixteen contest.

54-43, with Ivan Kharchenkov (11 pts, 3 ast) and Motiejus Krivas (10 pts, 5 reb) leading the way. The Wildcats are shooting 64% from the field and 15-of-17 (88%) from the free throw line.

Darius Acuff Jr., the fourth-leading scorer in the nation during the regular season, has 11 for the Razorbacks.

Jaden Bradley off glass 😮‍💨

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MARCH 26 / 10:41 ET

Arizona hot early against Arkansas

38-27 with 5:47 to go in the first half, as the Wildcats are shooting 67% from the field.

They’ve got a 20-14 lead in fast break points in a contest of two teams that

thrive on the run

MARCH 26 / 10:27 ET

Illinois and Houston in a defensive struggle

12-10 Illinois with 10:00 to go in the first half, as these teams go head-to-head in a physical battle.

Houston, playing close to home in the Toyota Center, is characterized by their pressure defense.

Illinois (84.7 ppg in the regular season, 17th in the nation) was one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.

MARCH 26 / 9:33 ET

Purdue wins with a late tip

Trey Kaufman-Renn spurred Purdue to the Elite Eight with this tip-in against Texas.

Trey Kaufman-Renn (20 pts, 8 reb) tipped in the game-winning field goal with 0.7 seconds remaining, lifting the Purdue Boilermakers to the Elite Eight over Texas in a thriller.

TREY KAUFMAN-RENN GAME-WINNER 🚨

PURDUE ADVANCES TO THE ELITE 8 🤯

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“We have so much experience with these guys… It’s our job to make big plays in big moments,” said Kaufman-Renn, noting the love his teammates have for one another. “I don’t feel like we had any nerves. That’s a really good team we just played. Stuck to our game plan, pulled it out.”

Fletcher Loyer (18 pts) and Braden Smith (16 pts) were difference-makers out of the backcourt for Purdue.

Tramon Mark (29 pts) was valiant for Texas in defeat.

The Longhorns outshot the Boilermakers from deep (11-of-25, 44% to 4-of-20, 20%) but gave it back at the free throw line (8-of-15, 53% to 15-of-20, 75%). Purdue also had 22 second-chance points during the contest.

Purdue last went to the Elite Eight in 2024, when they advanced to the National Championship game, falling to UConn. This is the seventh time in program history they’ve made it this far.

MARCH 26 / 9:28 ET

Iowa advances to first Elite Eight since 1987

Alvaro Folgueiras and Iowa defeated Nebraska to head to the Elite Eight.

The Hawkeyes took control in the last few minutes to win 77-71, as Bennett Stirtz (20 pts) led coach Ben McCollum’s Iowa squad into the Elite Eight, overcoming Pryce Sandfort (25 pts) and Nebraska.

FOLGUEIRAS CATCHES THEM OFF GUARD 😳

Nebraska only had 4 defenders on the floor.

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Iowa outshot Nebraska, knocking down 52% of their field goals, and going 13-of-30 (43%) from 3-point range to overcome the Cornhuskers’ 52-43 advantage on the glass.

Tate Sage (19 pts) and Alvaro Folgueiras (16 pts) were huge off the bench for the Hawkeyes.

The 1987 Iowa Hawkeyes featured a number of future NBA players, including B.J. Armstrong, Kevin Gamble and Brad Lohaus.

MARCH 26 / 9:19 ET

Iowa and Nebraska dueling as well

65-all with 2:41 to go in Houston, as the first two games of the Sweet 16 turn into thrillers.

MARCH 26 / 9:06 ET

Texas and Purdue going down to the wire

70-all with just over four minutes to go in San Jose.

Nine ties and 15 lead changes so far — the game hangs in the balance.

MARCH 26 / 8:30 ET

Nebraska leads Iowa

Bennett Stirtz and Iowa are trailing at the half, as Pryce Sandford and Nebraska have earned a small lead.

46-43 at the break. Bennett Stirtz (10 pts) is going off once again for the Hawkeyes, but Nebraska’s controlled the glass and Pryce Sandfort (11 pts on four shots) has paced them in scoring.

We've got a good one in Houston 🍿

Iowa beats the buzzer to cut the lead to 3 at halftime 👀

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MARCH 26 / 7:45 ET

Purdue up at the half

Fletcher Loyer and Purdue are leading at the half over Texas.

39-35 over Texas. Fletcher Loyer (13 pts, 3 3PM) got off to a hot start for the Boilermakers, while Tramon Mark (12 pts) nearly matched him for Texas.

Fletcher frees up off the double screen 🎯

@BoilerBall

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March 26, 2026

MARCH 26 / 6:30 ET

A key to watch for each of tonight’s contests

Braden Smith, who recently became the Men’s NCAA Division I all-time assist leader, will lead the Boilermakers against the Longhorns in the opening contest of the night.

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas, 7:10 ET (CBS)

Purdue point guard Braden Smith recently set the all-time NCAA career record for assists (1,083), leading the Boilermakers to the best offensive rating in the nation in the regular season (131.9). Can Texas disrupt his rhythm?

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa, 7:30 ET (TBS / truTV)

These rivals split their season series 1-1 and advanced to the Sweet 16 with clutch heroics —

Alvaro Folgueiras’s corner 3-pointer

to lift Iowa,

Braden Frager’s slashing layup

to win it for Nebraska.

Can Nebraska break Iowa’s defense, which was the best in the Big Ten?

They shot 5-of-24 (20.8%) from 3-point range in the first game of the season series, a 57-52 loss, but went 10-of-27 (37%) in the second, a 84-75 win. Their season average from deep was 35.5%.

No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas, 9:45 ET (CBS)

Which team will thrive in transition? Both can run. Arkansas had the second-most fast break points per game in the country (19.03) while Arizona was 20th (14.97).

No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois, 10:05 ET (TBS / truTV)

This will be a de facto home game for Houston, as it’ll be held in the Toyota Center, home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. Can the Fighting Illini handle the Cougars’ pressure defense and the roar of the crowd?

MARCH 26 / 6 ET

Get tapped in for tonight’s action

With the CBS Sports HQ crew.

MARCH 26 / 5:30 ET

Welcome to the Sweet 16!

The Sweet Sixteen tips off tonight on CBS, TBS and truTV.

It’s one of the great nights on the college basketball calendar, as eight of the best teams in the nation square off with hopes of surviving and advancing in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Here’s the complete schedule: