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March Madness scores, takeaways: Duke, Purdue advance as NC State continues historic run to Elite Eight

The Elite Eight field is now set with four more teams advancing on Friday

DETROIT -- Sweet 16 action continued Friday with more chaos and upsets. In the South Region, No. 11 seed NC State delivered a 67-58 upset over No. 2 seed Marquette to continue its improbable run, and No. 4 seed Duke knocked off top-seeded Houston to set up an all-ACC South Regional final on Sunday.

Duke advanced to the Elite Eight with a 54-51 win over Houston behind big performances from Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach. Houston All-American guard Jamal Shead suffered a severe ankle injury with 6:38 remaining in the opening frame and did not return. The Cougars are the second No. 1 seed to lose in the Sweet 16 after Alabama knocked off North Carolina on Thursday.

No. 1 seed Purdue avoided a letdown by defeating No. 5 seed Gonzaga 80-68 in a rematch of the opening round of this season's Maui Invitational. Purdue star and reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey scored 27 points, and co-star Braden Smith recorded a near triple-double with 14 points, 15 assists, and eight rebounds.

The Boilermakers will have a marquee showdown with No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight. The Volunteers eliminated No. 3 seed Creighton 82-75 behind 24 points from SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht.

1. NC State on a historic run

NC State was on the ropes in the ACC Tournament semifinals against Virginia less than two weeks ago. The Wolfpack trailed by three points in the closing seconds and needed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Michael O'Connell to force overtime. That victory over Virginia was part of five wins and five days at the ACC Tournament to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If O'Connell doesn't make that shot, NC State is likely playing in the NIT. Now, it will have a chance to return to the Final Four for the first time since 1983. 

2. Purdue's Smith, Edey dominate 

Purdue showed no signs of a letdown after a dominant win over Utah State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Edey continued his brilliance in March with 27 points to set up a date with No. 2 seed Tennessee. Smith set a Purdue NCAA Tournament record by dishing out 15 assists. After Gonzaga jumped out to a brief lead midway through the opening frame, it was all Purdue. The Boilermakers are on the verge of returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1980 and less than a year after being on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history against No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. 

3. Houston can't overcome Shead's injury

There aren't many players more valuable to their respective teams than Jamal Shead. The Houston All-American guard is the heart and soul of the top-ranked scoring defense in the country. After he exited against Duke, the Cougars never looked the same. Duke outscored Houston 44-35 in the final 26 minutes. The Cougars managed to force 14 turnovers, but it wasn't enough.

2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 TV schedule

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

Friday, March 29

CBS Sports was with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every Sweet 16 game on Friday. Scores, analysis and highlights from throughout the evening can bee viewed below. 

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Live updates
 

Marquette on upset alert

HALF: (11) NC State 37, (2) Marquette 24

Twenty minutes away from a potentially gigantic upset to kickstart the South Regional with No. 11 seed NC State leading 37-25 at halftime here in Dallas. Wolfpack did a nice job sharing the ball on offense and making Marquette uncomfortable. But it's Marquette's shot-making -- or lack thereof -- that has been the story so far.

Marquette guard Tyler Kolek has 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the first frame but non-Kolek Golden Eagles are 4-of-21 shooting at the break. That includes a dismal shooting performance from David Joplin, who missed all three of his free-throw attempts just before the break and is 0-of-6 from the field.

Marquette's offense has the explosive capability to climb back into this one but NC State has the momentum and defensive staying power to keep this one close. Could be in for a fun and frenetic finish. 

 

Gonzaga still ahead

10:57 1H: (5) Gonzaga 20, (1) Purdue 17

This hasn't been Zach Edey's best start. But the Zags are being tested in their ability to handle him with both Graham Ike and Ben Gregg on the bench. Gregg has two fouls and Few saw that Ike needed a breather. So the responsibility of defending Edey fell on lanky freshman Braden Huff for a spell entering the under-12 timeout. The Zags are shooting 61.5% from the floor, and they may have to sustain something north of 50% for the game to have a chance.

 

Zags surging amid foul trouble

15:33 1H: (5) Gonzaga 12, (1) Purdue 7

Gonzaga is running some good half-court offense early, and Ryan Nembhard just hit a transition 3. One problem for Gonzaga, though: Ben Gregg has two early fouls. That's huge in a bad way for the Zags. Dusty Stromer checked in for him, and it's now on Graham Ike to handle Zach Edey. Will be interesting to see if Mark few comes back with Gregg later in the half. Nonetheless, it was a strong start for Gonzaga, which is 5 of 6 from the floor.
 

NC State pacing things

U4 timeout: (11) NC State 26, (2) Marquette 19

Marquette has had its chances in this first half but NC State has so far done a great job defensively making the Golden Eagles uncomfortable. DJ Horne with 9 points and Casey Morsell with 8, but both have been quiet the last few minutes. Tyler Kolek finding his groove for Marquette but everyone else has struggled on the offensive side. 

 

NC State leading early

U12 timeout: (11) NC State 20, (2) Marquette 12

It's been all NC State in this one out of the gates. Marquette has struggled to generate offense and the Wolfpack have done a great job of sharing the basketball and making open looks when they present themselves. So far D.J. Horne has been the leader with nine points for the Pack on 3-of-6 shooting -- and 2-of-4 from deep. Golden Eagles star Tyler Kolek has seven points but everyone else for Marquette is so far just 2-of-9 from the field.

 

Pro-Purdue crowd

No surprise given Purdue's relative proximity to Detroit, but the Boilermakers faithful are out in force at Little Caesars Arena. This has been an excellent geographical path for Purdue, which began its run in Indianapolis last week. Perks of being a No. 1 seed. Tipoff is on deck here in just a few in what will amount to a quasi-road game for the Zags.

 

Tyler Kolek busy early 

U16 timeout: (11) NC State 9, (2) Marquette 7

Marquette guard Tyler Kolek the busiest -- and so far, best -- player on the floor in the opening few minutes of action here in Dallas. He's been in attack mode since the first whistle. Couple big drives finished with his own layup and an assist, among others. He's already up to five points and an assist. 

 

How Gonzaga saved its season to set up Sweet 16 rematch with Purdue in NCAA Tournament

Gonzaga will face No. 1 seed Purdue in a rematch of the opening round of the Maui Invitational. CBS Sports' David Cobb wrote about how the Bulldogs can pull off an upset.

March Madness 2024: How Gonzaga saved its season to set up Sweet 16 rematch with Purdue in NCAA Tournament
David Cobb
 

Purdue's Matt Painter among elite coaches in Sweet 16 seeking Final Four breakthrough

Purdue coach Matt Painter is in his 19th season without a Final Four. The Boilermakers came close before falling 80-75 in overtime against eventual national champion Virginia in the 2019 Elite Eight. Could this be the year that Painter leads his alma mater to the Final Four? CBS Sports' David Cobb has more:

March Madness 2024: Purdue's Matt Painter among elite coaches in Sweet 16 seeking Final Four breakthrough
David Cobb
 

How NC State coach Kevin Keatts went from the hot seat to a Sweet 16 matchup vs. Marquette

Only one double-digit seed reached the Sweet 16 in this year's NCAA Tournament: NC State. Only one team still in the hunt for a national championship lost seven of its last nine regular season games: NC State. And only one team won five conference tournament games across five days to earn a March Madness berth. I don't want to be repetitive so I'll let you take a stab at which team that is.

March Madness 2024: How NC State coach Kevin Keatts went from the hot seat to a Sweet 16 matchup vs. Marquette
Kyle Boone
 

Expert bracket reset

Perhaps you went a little too wild when you filled out your 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket this year. If you were projecting a plethora of upsets and thinking March might be especially mad, then your bracket by now might very well be busted to smithereens. With just 16 teams left standing, every top-two seed is still in the hunt, marking just the fifth time that has happened since NCAA Tournament expansion in 1985. 

The brackets from the CBS Sports crew:

March Madness 2024 picks: Experts predict winners of NCAA Tournament championship game
Kyle Boone
 

Storylines for Friday

The second and final day of the Sweet 16 has some intriguing storylines. Can Gonzaga upset Purdue? Who wins arguably the top matchup of the day between Duke and Houston? Will NC State continue its improbable run to the Elite Eight? CBS Sports' Chip Patterson has you covered.

2024 March Madness live stream: NCAA Tournament TV schedule, watch Sweet 16 streaming online Friday
Chip Patterson
 

Expert pick for Gonzaga-Purdue

Few teams were as impressive as Purdue over the opening weekend, and what the performances -- wins of 28 and 39 points -- highlighted the surrounding parts that make the Boilermakers a more well-rounded title contender than a year ago. The guards are older, the transfer additions have hit, and the team fits well around Zach Edey structurally on both offense and defense. Gonzaga has been playing like a different team since March 1, but Purdue has been playing a higher level all season -- and that will be on display on Friday night. Pick: Purdue -5.5

2024 March Madness predictions: Expert picks against the spread for Sweet 16, NCAA odds in Friday's games
Kyle Boone
 

How Kevin Keatts went from hot seat to Sweet 16

Two months ago, NC State seemed very unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament. 

Two weeks ago, an NCAA Tournament appearance seemed nearly impossible.

Here's how Kevin Keatts turned the Pack around late in the season and went from the hot seat to coaching one of the hottest teams in this year's March Madness. My dispatch from Dallas is below.

March Madness 2024: How NC State coach Kevin Keatts went from the hot seat to a Sweet 16 matchup vs. Marquette
Kyle Boone
 

Expert pick for Marquette-NC State

Trying to explain the unexplainable phenomenon of this Wolfpack team is impossible. Nothing about this NC State run -- a seven-game winning streak after losing seven of its final nine regular-season games -- makes a lick of sense. But I'm not fading them now. They have size to throw at Marquette, their guard play is vastly improved over the last month, and they're playing a free-flowing style that has translated to major success. Marquette will have its hands full Friday. Pick: NC State +6

2024 March Madness predictions: Expert picks against the spread for Sweet 16, NCAA odds in Friday's games
Kyle Boone
 

Ranking Sweet 16 games

CBS Sports' David Cobb ranked every Sweet 16 game in order. Houston's showdown with Duke checked in as the top matchup of the week.

The rest of the rankings:

March Madness 2024: Ranking all Sweet 16 games as NCAA Tournament rolls on to regional semifinals
David Cobb
 

Ranking NBA Draft prospects playing in the Sweet 16

The 2024 NBA Draft is less than three months away, so it's time to get familiarized with some of the upcoming prospects playing in the Sweet 16 this week. A handful of players projected to go in the first round are in action this week while their respective teams look to take one step closer to cutting down the nets in Phoenix on April 8.

March Madness 2024: Ranking top 10 NBA Draft prospects to keep an eye on during the Sweet 16
Cameron Salerno
 

Sweet 16 scouting report

The 2024 NCAA Tournament began with 68 teams last week, and the bracket has now been reduced to the Sweet 16. Here is a quick scouting report of every team still playing in the NCAA Tournament.

2024 NCAA Tournament bracket: Scouting each team in the Sweet 16 as March Madness rolls on
Cameron Salerno
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