NCAA Tournament

Behind stellar efforts from forward Angel Reese and guard Flau'jae Johnson, the third-seeded LSU Tigers beat the No. 2 UCLA Bruins 78-69 in a hard-fought battle in the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Saturday.

Both Reese and Johnson recorded double-doubles for the victorious Tigers, as Reese finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, and Johnson contributed a game-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds.

Reese was in foul trouble for much of the game and picked up her fourth foul less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, but she managed to remain productive in the final frame and came through in clutch moments, including scoring six points over the last 10 minutes.

While Reese fouled out with 31.5 seconds remaining, the Tigers were up by six points and were able to hang on.

Fans heralded Reese's performance on X, praising her for being able to elevate her game in the big moments:

While Reese was at her best in the fourth quarter, LSU likely would not have been within striking distance if not for Johnson's play earlier in the game.

Johnson was quiet for much of the fourth quarter, but she did provide one of the biggest buckets of the game, extending the LSU lead to four with 44 seconds remaining on a tough layup:

Like Reese, Johnson received her flowers from those who watched the game and commented on her effort on X:

LSU trailed 67-64 with 2:51 left in the game, but the Tigers went on a 14-2 run the rest of the way to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.

The Tigers came to play on Saturday, and they will face either No. 1 Iowa or No. 5 Colorado for a spot in the Final Four.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current NFL on CBS color commentator Tony Romo spoke to the Duke men's college basketball team following the Blue Devils' 54-51 upset win over No. 1-seeded Houston in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on Friday night.

Romo, who was a star basketball player at Burlington High School in Burlington, Wisconsin, in addition to playing football, told the players that he is a Duke fan and joked that he was teaching head coach Jon Scheyer how to play basketball while the players were "in diapers."

Additionally, Romo praised the team's defensive effort, telling them that they "ain't losing" their Elite Eight matchup against No. 11 NC State on Sunday if they continue to play with that level of intensity.

The Blue Devils enjoyed a strong season prior to the NCAA tourney, but they entered March Madness on something of a low note, losing their regular-season finale to North Carolina before falling to NC State in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.

Duke has been locked in during the NCAA tournament itself, though, beating No. 13 Vermont 64-47 in the first round and No. 12 James Madison 93-55 in the second round before clipping the Cougars on Friday.

The Sweet 16 game was a battle of attrition in many respects, as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm and Houston lost its best player in guard Jamal Shead due to a sprained ankle.

Duke and Houston both shot exactly 40.8 percent from the field, but Houston made just two of its eight three-point attempts, whereas Duke went 6-of-17, which was perhaps the biggest difference in the game.

Center Kyle Filipowski rose to the occasion for the Blue Devils, leading all scorers with 16 points, including going 3-for-5 on three-pointers, and adding nine rebounds.

Shead's injury likely played a big role in Houston's loss, but even prior to the injury, he was struggling mightily against Duke's stout defense, going 1-of-5 from the field for two points in 13 minutes.

Duke is a significantly better seed and will be favored to win Sunday against NC State, but the Wolfpack are looking more and more like a team of destiny.

Their only path to the NCAA tournament was to win the ACC tournament, and they shocked the college basketball world by doing exactly that and winning five games in five days.

NC State is on an eight-game winning streak, and a victory over Duke in the ACC tournament is part of it.

Still, Duke can take a lot of positives from its effort in beating a top seed in Houston, and as Romo mentioned, the Blue Devils will be tough to beat if they continue to defend at an elite level.

NC State continued its tremendous March Madness play on Friday, as the No. 11 seed Wolfpack took down No. 2 Marquette by the final score of 67-58.

With the win, NC State advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986.

Senior guard DJ Horne led the Wolfpack in scoring with 19 points, shooting 4-7 from behind the arc despite shooting 6-15 overall. He added five rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Senior forward Mohamed Diarra was unstoppable on the glass, finishing with a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points of his own.

Meanwhile, fellow forward D.J. Burns was able to consistently find open teammates when he saw extra defensive attention and finished the contest with seven assists. He also recorded four points and four rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field.

NC State jumped out to an early 20-10 advantage with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Although Marquette stayed within striking distance for most of the second half, the Golden Eagles were never able to take the lead after halftime.

College basketball fans were amazed with the upset victory by the unlikely ACC tournament champions as the Wolfpack continued their incredible run.

NC State remains the lowest-seeded team still standing in the NCAA tournament. Now, head coach Kevin Keatts' squad will await the winner of Friday night's matchup between Duke and Houston in the Elite Eight.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark isn't currently focused on a $5 million offer to join the BIG3 league, telling reporters on Friday that she's concentrating on the Hawkeyes' 2024 NCAA tournament run instead.

"I honestly don't talk about those things with really anybody," Clark said, per TMZ Sports. "I have other people that deal with it. They haven't said a word to me about it. And, my main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that."

On Wednesday, BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube confirmed earlier reports about the offer and wrote that "Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

The 22-year-old wasn't aware that the offer was coming before it was announced, telling the media on Friday that she found out at "the same exact time you all did."

The offer consists of all $5 million guaranteed, with Clark scheduled to play in eight regular-season BIG3 games and potentially two playoff games if she accepts (via TMZ). The league would also reportedly allow her to pursue a WNBA career while under contract.

Clark officially declared for the WNBA draft on Feb. 29 and is still in the midst of another tremendous season with Iowa. She became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer on March 3 and won her third consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award.

In 35 starts, Clark has averaged 31.8 points and 7.3 rebounds while dishing out 8.8 assists per game. She's remained a deadly long-range shooter, hitting 37.9 percent of her 13.6 three-point attempts per game.

It's understandable that Clark is focused on the NCAA tournament for now, as the Hawkeyes are looking to avenge their title game loss in 2023. Iowa is currently set to face off against Colorado in the Sweet 16, with tipoff at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Following the Hawkeyes' current tournament run, Clark will likely take a longer look at the large offer to join the BIG3 if she's able to maintain her upcoming WNBA career as well.

RJ Davis had been one of the best players in college basketball all season, but on Thursday his shot wasn't falling as No. 4 seed Alabama beat No. 1 North Carolina 89-87 in the Sweet 16.

Davis was a dreadful 0-of-9 from deep and just 4-of-20 from the field in the loss. He nearly made up for his sluggish performance with some clutch free throws down the stretch, but those free throws were irrelevant after Davis took and missed two ugly shots as the Tar Heels trailed in the final minute.

The ACC Player of the Year had an outstanding campaign, but unfortunately for him, fans will remember his poor shooting night that cost North Carolina a shot at the Elite Eight.

With the win, Alabama will take on No. 6 Clemson in the Elite Eight with a chance to go to their first Final Four in program history.