By: BHS Sports Staff
April 2, 2026
Two weekends of March Madness are complete, and now, only four teams remain. Let’s recap how the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games unfolded for each region.
*South Region: This region saw three B1G teams advance to the Sweet 16 with Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois, along with the Houston Cougars out of the XII conference. Iowa versus Nebraska saw a high-scoring first half, and the Cornhuskers held the lead for the majority of the game. However, in the final minutes, the Hawkeyes rallied, led by Alvaro Folgueiras, who hit a clutch three-pointer when Nebraska only had four defenders on the court. How does this happen? Anyway, the Hawkeyes advanced, 77-71. The second matchup saw the higher seeds Illinois and Houston. A strong defensive half with a combined 46 points, the Fighting Illini came alive in the second half, led by David Mirkovic, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Fighting Illini advanced to the Elite 8, knocking off the Cougars, 65-55. Now for the Elite 8 matchup between two B1G teams. The Hawkeyes continued their run by holding a four-point lead at halftime, but their Cinderella story had no gas left, as Illinois rallied to advance to their first Final Four since 2005.
*West Region: This region saw the top two seeds, Arizona and Purdue, make it to the Sweet 16, plus Arkansas and the lowest seed, Texas. Arizona has had one of the most dominant offenses of the tournament, and they continued their onslaught by putting up 109 points against the Razorbacks with six players in double figures. On the other hand, Texas and Purdue was a close game with the Boilermakers holding a small lead for the majority of the contest. However, the Longhorns grabbed the lead late into the game, and with things going back-and-forth, it came down to the final seconds with the game tied at 77. Purdue had one final possession and scored the game-winning tip-in with 0.7 seconds left to escape and advance to the Elite 8. For a chance at a trip to the Final Four, the top two seeds faced off, and Purdue held a seven-point lead at the half over Arizona. Things were looking good for Purdue; however, the Wildcats rallied in the second half, outscoring the Boilermakers 48-26. Arizona was heading back to the Final Four with a decisive 79-64 victory.
*East Region: This region had the top teams advance (Duke, UConn, Michigan State) to the Sweet 16 with the exception of Kansas, who was replaced by St. Johns. The Red Storm and Blue Devils played a very competitive, back-and-forth game with both teams getting multi-possession leads, but the game came down to the wire. The Blue Devils survived 80-75 off the backs of Isaiah Evans’ 25 points and Cameron Boozer’s 22 points and 10 rebounds. UConn and Michigan State saw the Huskies grab a 19-point lead in the first half but later dropped to eight at the break. In the second half, the Spartans tried to spark a rally, but their big first half deficit was too difficult to overcome, as the Huskies advanced with a 67-63 win. The top two seeds in the region had arguably the best game of the entire tournament. The Blue Devils had a 19-point lead in the first half, and it seemed like things were going to go similarly to the Spartans-Huskies Sweet 16 matchup. With a 15-point lead at halftime, Duke was in good position to advance. However, the Huskies started to rally, and a costly turnover by Cayden Boozer in the final seconds with Duke up two led to UConn’s final possession and a Hail Mary heave by Braylon Mullins with 0.3 seconds left to stun the Blue Devils and propel the Huskies to the Final Four.
*Midwest Region: Lastly, the Midwest Region consisted of Michigan, Iowa State, Alabama, and Tennessee. The Crimson Tide seemed in control in the first half against the top-seeded Wolverines as they held a one-possession lead with 20 minutes in the books. However, Alabama’s offense in the second half took a big hit as the Wolverines gained control and defeated the Crimson Tide 90-77 to advance to the Elite 8. On the other end of the bracket, the Volunteers and Cyclones went back-and-forth in the first half with the lower seeded Volunteers clinging to a one-point lead at the half. In the second half, Tennessee came out strong, looking to knock off Iowa State, and sure enough, the Vols showed up and got the 76-62 win. The Elite 8 matchup between Michigan and Tennessee saw utter dominance by the Wolverines, who had a 48-26 halftime lead. They continued their assault in the second half, led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 27 points, and earned the dominating victory, 95-62.
Now with the Final Four all set, who will prevail? Below is the current leaderboard plus championship picks from The Return of the Eye sports staff, Mr. Holko, and Mr. Urig.
- Reese – 14: Arizona (One healthy leg and a one-point lead for the sophomore.)
- Mr. Holko – 13: Michigan (Go Blue!)
- Mr. Urig – 13: Arizona (Bandwagon pick.)
- Jacob – 11: Arizona (Should probably consult Mr. Abramovic for future brackets.)
- Nicolle – 10: Arizona (10 is the current number of points on her driving record.)
Will it be Connecticut, Illinois, Arizona, or Michigan? We will find out on Monday evening when the champion is crowned in Indianapolis.
Here is the upcoming schedule for Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics:
- April 2: Softball @ Columbia (5:00)
- April 2: Baseball vs. Oberlin (5:00)
- April 4: Baseball vs. Euclid (11:00)
- April 6: Softball @ Lorain (5:00)
- April 7: Baseball vs. Beachwood (4:30)
- April 7: Softball @ Beachwood (5:00)
- April 8: Baseball @ Beachwood (4:30)
Go Canes!
{For up-to-date events and schedules, visit Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 