Duke, Michigan Advance; Texas Stuns Gonzaga

0:00On March 22nd, number 1 seeds, Duke and Michigan survived tough tests from number 9 seeds to reach the Sweet 16 in the 2026 NCAA tournament. Duke pulled away from TCU with an 81-58 win after a close battle for 30 minutes. Michigan handles St. Louis 95-72 once their big men took over. Other top teams kept rolling too. Houston crushed Texas A&M 88-57 while number 3 Illinois beat VCU 76-55. Texas, a double-digit seed from the first four. Upset number 3, Gonzaga 74-68 for their first Sweet 16 trip since 20-23. Michigan State topped Louisville 77-69 behind record assist from Jeremy Fears Jr. Fans saw some breakout stars shine through. Duke Freshman-Cambuser dropped 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds mostly in the second half, sparking a comeback.

1:00Michigan's Yoxa Linda Bork and Ade Mara overwhelmed St. Louis with their size and passing. Fears' dish 16 assists for Michigan State, setting a school tournament record. These wins highlighted gaps between elite programs and rising ones. St. Louis showed promise for future runs despite the loss, but Texas A&M and Louisville got harsh lessons on needing more front court muscle-in. Today's game. Texas coach Sean Miller now eyes his ninth Sweet 16 overall. The bracket heats up with Duke facing Kansas or St. John's next and more match-up set after Sunday's games. Expect plenty more drama as the tournament pushes forward.