The 2026 NCAA men’s tournament continued Thursday with four games in the Sweet 16 in the West and South Regionals. No. 2 seed Purdue held off upset-minded No. 11 Texas, while No. 9 Iowa rallied to beat No. 4 Nebraska in the early games. Then, No. 3 Illinois overcame a slow start and used 17–0 run to beat No. 2 Houston, while No. 1 Arizona steamrolled No. 4 Arkansas. Before Friday’s game, get up to date with Sports Illustrated’s preview coverage: Bryan Fischer reseeded the field after the first two rounds, and Fischer joined Pat Forde and Kevin Sweeney to make Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and national championship picks. Plus, check out five bold predictions for the Sweet 16 from Patrick Andres. Here’s everything we saw on Thursday.
Men’s March Madness Sweet 16 recap
More March Madness From Sports Illustrated
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as March Madness Sweet 16 Recap: Iowa Rallies, Purdue Hits Game-Winner, Illinois Overcomes Slow Start, Arizona Rolls.
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