NCAA Tournament: Duke, Michigan State through to Elite Eight

Results

2 Gonzaga 74, 11 UCLA 62

Gonzaga upends UCLA, punches ticket to Elite Eight

4 Louisville 75, 5 NC State 65

Louisville pulls away from NC State to get back to Elite Eight

1 Duke 63, 5 Utah 57

Winslow paces Duke over Utah in Sweet Sixteen dogfight

7 Michigan State 62, 3 Oklahoma 58

Michigan State shakes off slow start to take down Oklahoma

12:24 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State will face Louisville on Sunday to decide the East Region.

12:22 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State struggled from the free throw line on the night but hit its final six shots from the charity stripe to closeout the game.

12:21 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Tom Izzo through to the Elite Eight for the ninth time.

12:19 a.m. ET (Bottero) - 7 Michigan State 62, 3 Oklahoma 58

12:18 a.m. ET (Bottero) - A couple more free throws from Michigan State ups its lead to four.

12:17 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Valentine hits on both of his free throws and Oklahoma goes the other way and hits a quick bucket. 

12:16 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Good defense from Oklahoma forces Michigan State into a long-range shot but the Spartans grab the board and Denzel Valentine will go to the line with 25 seconds remaining.

12:14 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Looked like Michigan State was ready to pull away in Syracuse but Oklahoma's Buddy Hield knocks down a triple and that prompts a timeout. Spartans ahead 58-56 with a minute to play.

12:13 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke advances to take on Gonzaga in the South Region final on Sunday.

12:12 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke's Jahlil Okafor limited to six points, but Jusitse Winslow made up for that with 21 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.

12:10 a.m. ET (Bottero) - 1 Duke 63, 5 Utah 57

12:09 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Looked like we had a final score but officials cal the players out of the locker room for a couple more free throws from Duke. Those that bet Duke as 5-point favorites happy to see this. Those that bet Utah plus-5 are about to lose it.

12:06 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State's lead is three points on the other side of the under-4 timeout. Spartans shooting 3-of-10 from the free throw line. Sooners 12-of-14 from the line.

12:02 a.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke's lead up to 62-55 after a trip to the free throw line. Only 20 seconds remain for the Utes to mount a comeback.

11:58 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State building a bit of a margin in Syracuse. Spartans lead Oklahoma 51-47 in a game that's been tight throughout.

11:54 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Utah not ready to call it quits. Duke's lead is down to six inside of 50 seconds.

11:50 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Utah in some trouble as the Utes are starting to foul with 1:50 to play. Duke ahead 54-45.

11:45 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State takes its first lead of the game inside the final 10 minutes of the second half. Spartans lead 44-42. Setting up for a thrilling finish in Syracuse.

11:40 p.m. ET (Bottero) - With Utah on a 9-0 run, Duke's Justise Winslow takes matters into his own hands, takes the ball into the lane and scores, plus the foul. Duke ahead 51-43 entering the under-4 timeout.

11:38 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Michigan State's battled all the way back in Syracuse. All tied up with Oklahoma, 39-39.

11:36 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Utah making a bit of a run. Seven consecutive points for the Utes. Duke's lead is down to eight with 5:36 remaining, prompting a Duke timeout.

11:34 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Jahlil Okafor with just six points on the night, but fellow big Justise Winslow has made up for that with 18 points, nine boards, two blocks, and a steal.

11:29 p.m. ET (Bottero) - At the under-8 timeout in Houston. Duke comfortably ahead 49-34. Things are looking grim for the Utes.

11:24 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Utah forgets to cover Amile Jefferson and he throws down a fierce dunk, extending Duke's lead to 47-34 and prompting a timeout.

11:23 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The second half is underway in Syracuse. Oklahoma in front of Michigan State 31-27.

11:22 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Looks like Duke's Grayson Allen may have hurt his left hand or wrist after falling to the court. He checks out immediately but stays on the bench and isn't being checked out by the training staff.

11:17 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke in front 41-34 at the under-12 timeout. Utes just won't go away.

11:12 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Dallin Bachynski picks up his first foul of the game as he jostles with Jahlil Okafor for position in the post. Okafor taking up too much of Utah's attention. The Utes have limited him, but others are gashing them.

11:07 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke's taking every inch the Utes are giving up. Blue Devils take a 35-26 lead into the under-16 timeout.

11:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The second half is underway in Houston on the 1-5 matchup between Duke and Utah. Utes dominated the offensive glass in the first half, 12-5.

11:01 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Nothing doing after the break. Oklahoma takes a 31-27 lead into the break. The Sooners are 20-3 this season when leading at the break.

10:59 p.m. ET (Bottero) - A third timeout inside the final four minutes of the game in Syracuse. This time it's Oklahoma. Michigan State currently on a 6-0 run.

10:57 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Brilliant passing in transition by the Spartans as they knock down a second consecutive triple. So tough to keep them down for long.

10:54 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Denzel Valentine had been shooting 1-of-7 from the field before knocking down a triple from the wing to cut into Oklahoma's lead. TV timeout.

10:50 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Some uncharacteristically sloppy play from Tom Izzo's Spartans. Oklahoma leads Michigan State 31-21 with just over three minutes to play and Izzo calls a timeout after his defense surrenders another easy basket.

10:42 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke takes a 27-22 lead into the break, but Utah bit a double-digit deficit into the closing moments. Utes have to be happy with the tempo in that first half.

10:40 p.m. ET (Bottero) - At the under-8 timeout in Syracuse, Oklahoma leads 23-14. Sooners shooting 52.6 percent from the field, Michigan State shooting 27.3 percent.

10:35 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Dallin Backynski fights through contact in the lane and scores plus the foul. He completes the three-point play from the line. That's Jahlil Okafor's second foul of the game with both coming in the last couple minutes.

10:32 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Quinn Cook back out on the court for Duke. The trainers didn't even look at the ankle he rolled.

10:29 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke on a bit of a run entering the under-4 timeout. Blue Devils lead the Utes 25-17. Utah still shooting just 28 percent from the field.

10:28 p.m. ET (Bottero) - A 7-0 run in Syracuse has Oklahoma out in front of Michgian State 18-8.

10:26 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Quinn Cook landed on the foot of a defender and rolled his ankle. He'll come out of the game for now but it's a good sign that he was able to walk off the court under his own power.

10:25 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Utah kept Delon Wright on the floor with two fouls and the officials make a downright terrible call against him for his third as he fought for the ball on the ground. He'll have to sit the final five minutes of the half.

10:22 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Oklahoma and Michigan State aren't having the same offensive struggles they are in Houston. Sooners taking a 13-8 lead into the under-16 timeout.

10:17 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Duke taking a 14-10 lead into the under-8 timeout. Utah is shooting a cool 19 percent from the field.

10:16 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The late game in Syracuse is underway between Oklahoma and Michigan State.

10:14 p.m. ET (Bottero) - This game is playing out the way Utah would have wanted it too, but the Utes just can't seem to hit a shot. They're nearing a five-minute drought in made field goals.

10:09 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Things have settled down going into the under-12 timeout. Duke leads 10-8, but the slower pace favors Utah. Jahlil Okafor continues to be a force on the inside, though. He handles double-teams so well.

10:05 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The late game between Oklahoma and Michigan State has been pushed back to 10:15 p.m. ET.

10:02 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Took a while to get to the under-16 timeout. 14:21 to play and Duke's lead is just 3-2. Super fast pace being played which favors Duke, but team's are a combined 2-of-20 from the field. Early storyline to watch: Utah has six offensive boards.

10:00 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The sloppy play continues as they near the four-minute mark. The teams go a combined 0-for-11 from the field to start the game before Jahlil Okafor hits on a shot in the lane to give Duke a 3-0 lead.

9:57 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Sloppy first 1:54 in Houston. Littered with turnovers and personal fouls. Justise Winslow to the line for the game's first points.

9:53 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The South Region semifinal between No. 1 seeded Duke and No. 5 seeded Utah is underway in Houston.

9:50 p.m. ET (Bottero) - The tip of next game between Duke and Utah is scheduled for 9:53 p.m. ET.

No.4  Louisville d. No. 8 NC State, 75-65
9:45 p.m. ET (Murphy) - That will do it in Syracuse, as Louisville is on to the Elite Eight for the sixth time in the last 11 seasons and the third time in the last four. Montrezl Harrell led the way with 24-7-4 and Terry Rozier added 17-14-4 to lift the Cardinals, who held NC State to 38.3 percent shooting.

The Wolfpack went down firing, hitting 9-of-20 from outside, but it wasn't enoguh. Trevor Lacey hit 3-of-6 from outside for a team-high 18 points.

9:41 p.m. ET (Murphy) - NC State keeps fouling and Louisville keeps knocking just enough freebies down to stay comfortable. The Cardinals have hit 6-of-9 from the line in the game's final minute to close things out, leading 75-65 with 10 seconds to play.

9:37 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Caleb Martin just threw down a vicious jam on Louisville, but it's far too little, too late, stuck nine with 38.3 seconds to go.

9:35 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Scary moment for Louisville with Terry Rozier hitting the floor hard after being hit on a layup that extended the Cardinals lead to 10. He appears to be OK, and he hits the free throw to make it 70-59 for Louisville with 1:00 on the clock.

9:34 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Louisville lead has been extended all the way to eight, and Montrezl Harrell just missed an alley-oop (from an errant pass) that would have brought the house down.

9:26 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Anton Gill hadn't scored from Feb. 28 to the 5:54 mark of the second half. He's now scored seven of the team's nine points in a 2:30 span, helping make up for the absence of Wayne Blackshear (four fouls) and stretch the lead to 64-57.

NC State's on the ropes, down seven with 3:05 to play.

No. 2 Gonzaga d. No. 11 UCLA, 74-62
9:22 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Game, Bulldogs. This is the first time under Mark Few that Gonzaga has made the Elite Eight and their first time back since 1999, when they bowed out to Connecticut. Duke or Utah stands in the way of their first Final Four appearance.

Przemek Karnowski led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Byron Wesley added 14 and Domantas Sabonis scored 12 off the bench.

Credit UCLA for a decent fight and for even making the Sweet Sixteen, considering few thought they belonged in the field of 68. But a 38.8 percent mark from the floor and only three threes and seven made free throws, all while getting outrebounded appreciably, wasn't going to cut it. Tony Parker and Norman Powell each scored 16 in the loss.

9:20 p.m. ET (Murphy) - UCLA finally got off the schnide from 3-point range late but it hasn't been enough to comeback. They're down 12 with under a minute to go.

9:18 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Make it a 6-0 run for NC State over 2:30, and they're now back in front 54-53 with 6:56 to play. Trevor Lacey (16 points) and Kyle Washington (11) are carrying the scoring load, but it's Louisville's Montrezl Harrell leading all scorers with 19.

9:14 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Louisville's No. 5-ranked defense, on the other hand, has been game. NC State is shooting 37.8 percent, and only a 7-of-14 mark from outside is keeping them close. NC State is stuck four with 8:20 to go.

9:11 p.m. ET (Murphy) - NC State's run has been fun, but they really don't have the defense of a top contender. That's been evident when Louisville decides to drive, though that hasn't been as often as you'd expect with Terry Rozier and Quentin Snider a combined 9-of-21.

9:09 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Louisville's one-point lead could be a little more secure were they not 9-of-15 from the line and 2-of-11 from outside. It's a good thing they've defended so well, holding the Wolfpack to 36.4 percent.

9:07 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Domantas Sabonis has also had a solid game down low for Gonzaga with 10 points and seven rebounds. The interior has been a huge edge all game for the Bulldogs, who have 17 offensive rebounds and are a plus-14 on the glass overall.

9:04 p.m. ET (Murphy) - It might be a ballgame in Houston, with Gonzaga now up 62-47 and just 4:01 left in the game. Over in Syracuse, Louisville has pulled back ahead of NC State with a 47-43 lead and 12:26 on the clock.

9:00 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Also five stars? The performance of Przemek Karnowski, who is 8-of-11 for 18 points with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. It's 57-45 Gonzaga with 5:28 to play.

8:59 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Diamond Stone, a 5-star recruit with a 5-star name, just committed to Maryland.

8:53 p.m. ET (Murphy) - UCLA just went four minutes without a field goal again. This seems a bad strategy. They're stuck 14 with under nine minutes to go, and they're missing transition two-on-one layups.

8:50 p.m. ET (Murphy) - After leaving the game briefly due to a tweaked knee, Domantas Sabonis is out here throwing down for the Zags. His latest came courtesy a great dish from Przemek Karnowski, because of course it did.

It's 51-37 Gonzaga with 10 minutes to go, so the clock's ticking for the Bruins.

8:44 p.m. ET (Murphy) - UCLA just ended yet another long scoring drought, something they've had far too many of. This one lasted 5:01 and has them stuck 11 with 12:13 to play.

8:40 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Gonzaga's really settled back in, extending their lead back to nine at 43-34. The Bruins appear to be reeling a bit after an early run.

8:36 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Przemek Karnowski is beasting on the offensive glass right now. He just grabbed his third of the game, giving Gonzaga 12 on the night. None of the UCLA bigs can hang with him inside. He also has a team-high 12 points and two blocked shots.

8:33 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Gonzaga answered back quickly with a 4-0 mini-run to get their lead back to a more comfortable five points. And then Kevin Pangos stripped Norman Powell on a baseline drive.

8:29 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Just as one game heads to half, we come out of the break in Houston and oh look, UCLA is continuing their hot end to the first half with a 6-0 run. That forced a Gonzaga timeout, with the Bulldogs now clinging to a one-point lead.

8:24 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Don't turn your back on the Wolfpack. NC State has taken a 33-31 lead over Louisville to close out the half. A late run was punctuated by an Anthony Barber offensive rebound on his back kicked out for a huge Ralston Turner  triple.

NC State is shooting 35.5 percent overall but has hit 5-of-10 from outside, 6-of-6 at the line and have committed just two turnovers. That's how you make up for an opponent shooting 50 percent from the floor.

Trevor Lacey has a game-high 12 points for the Wolfpack.

8:17 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The Wolfpack and Cardinals just keep trading buckets, and it seems at every break, Louisville leads by one. It's 28-27 right now with 3:20 to go in the half. Trevor Lacey has nine points for NC State, which Montrezl Harrell has matched the other way.

8:13 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Montrezl Harrell mean mugs are the meanest mugs. He's got six points, two rebounds and four assists here in the first half.

8:11 p.m. ET (Murphy) - And we've got a shot-clock malfunction in Syracuse now, too. Not a good day for shot clocks. Or shooters.

8:09 p.m. ET (Murphy) - NC State has Louisville on the ropes a bit with a 7-2 run, forcing the Cardinals to take a timeout to settle down. It's 22-21 for Louisville with 6:15 in the half.

8:05 p.m. ET (Murphy) - UCLA built a bit of momentum as the half closed, cutting their deficit to 35-28. Norman Powell has 12 points and four rebounds for the Bruins while Byron Wesley leads the way with nine points for Gonzaga.

8:03 p.m. ET (Murphy) - NC State just went nearly six minutes between field goals. Apparently they're playing in Houston, too. That cold stretch has them stuck 22-17 with 7:30 to play in the first half.

8:02 p.m. ET (Murphy) -  Kevon Looney just flashed a nice bit of playmaking, dropping a dime off for Tony Parker (and-one) in close quarters. It's Norman Powell who's really getting things done, though, with 12 points. UCLA has cut the lead to 33-26 with a minute to go in the half.

7:57 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Can you wait for Furious 7? Me neither. I think Vin Diesel has more badass lines in the trailer than UCLA has field goals in the first half.

7:56 p.m. ET (Murphy) - More complaints about the setup in Houston.

7:54 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Gonzaga's starting to get things going now, opening up a 27-16 lead. That's the largest deficit of the tournament for UCLA, who's shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and is without a triple or free throw.

7:50 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Scoring! There's scoring in Syracuse! Louisville and NC State are on a bit of a run, pushing their score to 10-10 after eight minutes. That looks like the 1970s NBA next to UCLA-Gonzaga so far.

7:49 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Anyone else had enough of these Barkley-Jackson-Lee commercials? Yeah, me too. 

7:45 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Things are off to a comparably slow start with NC State up 5-4 over Louisville after more than four minutes of play. It's not gonna be a night for offense, it seems.

7:43 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Dammit, Norman Powell. Gonzaga and UCLA had missed a combined 20 field goals in a row, just three off the all-time record. And now they're on a roll, hitting three of five combined. That was 6:28 between field goals, yikes.

It's 20-12 Gonzaga with seven minutes to go in the half.

7:41 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Not to send your eyeballs elsewhere, but it's 2 Chainz night at the Atlanta Hawks game. Plan your night accordingly.

Also suggesting you flip the channel: Gonzaga has missed 10 consecutive field goals. The struggle is real.

7:39 p.m. ET (Murphy) - We've got action in Syracuse, with NC State opening their game against Louisville with a poor possession resulting in a late missed triple.

7:38 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Gonzaga and UCLA have combined to miss 12 consecutive field goals. Bryce Alford and Gary Bell Jr. have two early fouls each. It's an ugly one so far.

7:36 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Good news, NC State fans: Of the nine meetings between 8-seeds and 4-seeds in tournament history, 8-seeds have been victorious seven times, including just last year, when Kentucky beat Louisville.

7:35 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Much as I'm remiss to give Rovell any attention, this is just too good to pass up.

7:32 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Przemek Karnowski is off to a nice start for Gonzaga with four points, three rebounds and a block. He won't be mentioned for the rest of the live blog because I'm not about to spend my night spelling Przemek over and over.

Gonzaga leads 13-10 with 11:58 to go. The teams are shooting a combined 37 percent.

7:27 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Remember when Charles Barkley spoke fondly of the play of Cliff Alexander, even though Alexander wasn't playing? Well, Barkley's really cleaned up his act for the Sweet Sixteen.

7:25 p.m. ET (Murphy) - After a bit of a shot-clock malfunction, we're back underway, with another Norman Powell layup kicking things off. Not that many in attendance could see it.

7:23 p.m. ET (Murphy) - The first timeout couldn't have come quickly enough for UCLA, who trail 11-6 out of the gate. Pangos has five points to lead all scorers.

7:20 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Your boy Kevin Pangos is on the board early, with a triple and two early emo hair-flips. He's the school's all-time leading 3-point shooter, and UCLA would be well-served to not let him get hot.

7:19 pm. ET (Murphy) - A minor gripe to start the game: I really dislike the sunk-in sidelines. It makes the court look smaller on the broadcast and I spend most of the game worried someone is going to fall off the edge.

It's also quite empty at NRG Stadium, but that's to be expected with the enormous capacity for basketball.

7:17 p.m. ET (Murphy) - In the words of Tracy McGrady from that annoying old adidas commercial, "Welcome to Houston, baby!" UCLA and Gonzaga are underway, with Norman Powell opening the game with a layup that rolled around the rim two or three times before dropping.

7:10 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Wondering if we'll see the upset that escaped us Thursday? Oddsmakers seem to think the slate of games will be fairly tight, so it's definitely a possibility.

• No. 2 Gonzaga -11.5 vs. No. 11 UCLA
• No. 4 Louisville -2.5 vs. No. 8 NC State
• No. 1 Duke -5 vs. No. 5 Utah
• No. 3 Oklahoma +1.5 vs. No. 7 Michigan State

6:30 p.m. ET (Murphy) - Your three-day breather ended with a pretty good slate of games Thursday, which should have served as enough of an appetizer to whet your appetite for another crazy weekend

Friday's slate is a fun one, with UCLA-Gonzaga likely to prove entertaining, Utah-Duke including several marquee prospect showdowns and the East Region standings as wide open.

Check back in around 7:15 p.m. ET for the tip-off of the first game and the official start of the live blog.

6:00 p.m. ET (Bottero) - Thus far the NCAA tournament field has seen 56 teams go home as the 68-squad field has been whittled down 12.

On Friday night, another four teams will fall by the wayside and the four that emerge victorious will advance to decide their respective regions.

The East and South regions will do battle on this day. Here's a look at the night's slate.

Additional Reading

• A breakdown of the specific storylines to watch for Friday.
• Film Room session on how Michigan State initiates their offense.
• Morning Wrap-up from Thursday's games, and the schedule for Saturday's Elite Eight games.