2023 March Madness Elite Eight highlights: SDSU tops Creighton, Miami beats Texas
The 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament continued Sunday with the final two games of the Elite Eight.
Kicking things off, the South Region took center stage, as 5-seed San Diego State defeated 6-seed Creighton in a last-second thriller in Louisville, Kentucky to advance to its first Final Four in school history.
In Kansas City, 5-seed Miami (Fla.) used a shocking second-half comeback to stop 2-seed Texas in the Midwest Region.
The first two Final Four teams were decided Saturday, when 9-seed Florida Atlantic continued its Cinderella run by taking down 3-seed Kansas State in a nail-biter and 4-seed UConn dominated 3-seed Gonzaga with a whopping 28-point win. This will be the first time since seeding began in 1979 that no 1-seed will take part in the Final Four.
Follow along with the most up-to-date bracket here.
Here are the highlights!
No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 88, No. 2 Texas 81
Buckets in bunches
Both squads had the hot hand early on, as 3-pointers rained down at T-Mobile Arena. Texas took a three-point lead midway through the first half on this trey from the left hash.
On the mark
Texas had several responses to Miami's fiery shooting, as evidenced by this jumper from Timmy Allen.
High-percentage look
There's just something about that corner 3. Arterio Morris knocked down what some call the most efficient shot in basketball to put the Longhorns up 39-33 with just under two minutes left in the opening half.
Sticking with it
Miami bought itself a late bucket on this nice turnaround jumper to slim Texas' lead. The Canes went into halftime down eight, 45-37.
Elevate, detonate
Dillon Mitchell got some serious air as Texas opened the second half in stunning fashion with this alley-oop.
Carrying the load
Marcus Carr did his best Steph Curry impression to continue Texas' momentum, gracing the net with another big-time 3 to put his team up double-digits. He had 15 points midway through the second half.
Rock the rim!
Miami came up with a pair of clever inbounds plays to stay within striking distance. First, this thunderous throwdown on a lob …
… Then a sneaky pass off a defender's back to get a layup.
High-flying!
It's a bird, it's a plane … Nope! Just Mitchell soaring through the air yet again. The dunk put Texas up 10 with 8:54 to play in the second half.
Here comes Miami!
Miami got a huge ignition boost after the previous play, going on an 8-2 run guided by tough shot-making to close the gap to just two.
Hurricane time
Miami's 3-point total in the second half: zero. And yet, the squad managed to string together two after two to come back and overtake Texas.
The Canes scored a whopping 51 second-half points to stun the Longhorns and reach the Final Four for the first time in program history.
No. 5 San Diego State 57, No. 6 Creighton 56
Spin cycle!
The Bluejays were pulling out all the stops early, getting out to a 6-5 lead at the first official TV timeout.
Family affair
Creighton sophomore forward Arthur Kaluma and San Diego State senior guard Adam Seiko were putting their sibling rivalry to the test early, as the brothers went head-to-head in the first half on multiple occasions.
Too smooth
SDSU didn't take its foot off the gas as things continued, keeping Creighton within arm's reach from the jump.
Making moves
The Bluejays did begin to put some distance between themselves and the Aztecs midway through the first half, despite SDSU's best efforts to keep things close.
Star power
Creighton star center Ryan Kalkbrenner continued to heat up as the first half wound down, coming down with one huge dunk after another to extend the Bluejays' lead.
One down, one to go
The Aztecs made some adjustments late in the frame, allowing them to close the gap slightly.
Still, Creighton was firing on all cylinders and led by five points, 33-28, at the break.
Building momentum
The Aztecs started the second half in style, but the Bluejays certainly didn't let them have all the fun.
Just like that, it was a one-point game, 35-34.
Follow the leader
Then, with 6:44 to play, SDSU took a 46-45 lead after an all-out effort from the Aztecs late in the frame.
All or nothing
The Aztecs and the Bluejays were trading buckets down the stretch, eventually knotting things up at 54-all with less than two minutes remaining. SDSU still had a few tricks up its sleeve when it mattered most, regaining the lead shortly after.
Laser focused
Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman made the game-tying layup with 32 seconds on the clock …
Rising to the occasion
… but SDSU had the last word.
With one second remaining in regulation, Darrion Trammell stepped up to the free-throw line and drained the final and most important basket of the night, handing the Aztecs a last-second 57-56 victory.
No. 4 UConn 82, No. 3 Gonzaga 54
Hot start
It was a back-and-forth battle from the very beginning. Adama Sanogo blocked a shot and UConn got out in transition as Joey Calcaterra hit a reverse layup to give the Huskies a 19-15 lead.
Finding a rhythm
Gonzaga took its first lead of the game, 22-21, late in the first half — courtesy of Malachi Smith's smooth 3-point jumper.
Building momentum
The Zags' lead was short-lived, however, as the Huskies got back in the driver's seat in no time.
Zeroing in
Gonzaga got a scoring boost late in the frame from star forward Drew Timme, who helped keep things close.
Widening the gap
As the first half came to a close, UConn extended its lead with ease. It was a seven-point game at the half, 39-32.
Pouring it on
Things went from bad to worse for Gonzaga in the second half.
The Huskies went on back-to-back 8-0 runs to take a commanding 60-38 lead en route to a 28-point win.
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 79, No. 3 Kansas State 76
We're off!
FAU was first to strike in this one, making a splash with a smooth 3-pointer right out of the gate to set the tone early.
Heading into Thursday's tilt, a 9-seed had faced a 3-seed twice before in the Elite Eight (since 1985), with No. 9 teams going 0-2 in those games. The Owls were determined from the start to challenge that narrative — and they did just that.
Back and forth
The Wildcats responded in a big way by going on a quick run to regain the lead, but it was short-lived.
FAU answered with a 10-2 run midway through the first half to take a 22-18 lead at the second official TV timeout.
Clawing back
K-State wasn't backing down, however, coming up with one crafty basket after another to keep FAU within arm's reach.
Neck and neck
The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead, 32-31, as the first half wound down.
One down, one to go
FAU quickly put a stop to the run and retook the lead, thanks to the fancy footwork of breakout star guard Johnell Davis.
The Owls led at the break, 42-36.
However, it was Wildcats guard Markquis Nowell who led all scorers in the first half with 15 points.
Eyes on the prize
Kansas State got the second-half scoring started, opening the frame with a quick 6-0 run to take a 44-42 lead.
All gas, no brakes
FAU responded with a monster block to stop K-State's momentum before taking the lead right back, 47-44.
Star of the show
As the second half got underway, Nowell continued to pour it on for the Wildcats with one clutch play after another.
All-out effort
Both teams traded 3-pointers — some from way downtown — back and forth to keep things close midway through the second half. Then, Kansas State took its largest lead of the game, 57-50, with 12 minutes to play.
No quit
With momentum on their side, the Wildcats continued to show up in big moments. Forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin made a statement with a tough and-1, followed by a massive rejection that brought K-State fans to their feet.
Anyone's game!
The Owls still had a few tricks up their sleeve as things continued, draining a couple of 3s to make it a one-point game.
FAU was back in front, 64-63, with roughly six minutes remaining after a clutch dunk from center Vladislav Goldin.
Too close!
FAU extended its lead to 72-64 with 2:44 to go, but K-State went on an immediate 5-0 run to keep things competitive.
Wild ending
One moment, the Owls led by five points. The next, the Wildcats had pulled within one after Cam Carter's opportune 3.
It remained a one-point game until there were just nine seconds left in regulation, as both teams battled until the very end. Ultimately, the Owls had a little more left in the tank, narrowly edging the Wildcats by three points, 79-76.
With the win, a 9-seed advanced to the Final Four for just the third time in the history of the men's tournament.
Read more:
- Why Drew Timme's final collegiate act is worthy of everyone's attention
- King of New York: Markquis Nowell's epic show at MSG is one for the history books
- UConn's run to Elite Eight shows power of talent, toughness and identity
- Texas vs. Xavier: For Souley Boum, Sean Miller and Rodney Terry, happiness is all about fit
- Exclusive: Ed Cooley on why he left Providence for Georgetown
- Big East makes waves during a week of seismic change
