The men's Elite Eight is set. Illinois upset second-seeded Houston. Duke survived St. John's in a game that ended with a technical foul and a confrontation at the scorer's table. Michigan pulled away from Alabama in the second half. UConn held off a Michigan State comeback. Tennessee handled Iowa State. And when the bracket dust settled Saturday night, four of the eight remaining teams were from the Big Ten. [1] [2]

Illinois 71, Houston 59 was the most complete performance of the day. The Illini shot 49 percent from the floor, forced 16 turnovers, and never trailed after the 8:42 mark of the first half. Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 23 points and played the kind of defense that the stat sheet cannot capture. Houston, the overall number-two seed, looked like a team that had peaked two weeks too early. [1] [3]

Duke 74, St. John's 69 was the opposite. The Blue Devils trailed by nine with 6:14 remaining and reeled off a 15-2 run that included three consecutive three-pointers from Caleb Foster. The ending was contentious: a loose-ball foul with 11 seconds remaining sparked a heated exchange between both benches, and the referees issued a double technical. Duke made both free throws. St. John's, playing in what would have been a home-crowd atmosphere in the East Regional, left with a bitter taste and a legitimate argument about officiating. [2]

Michigan 82, Alabama 68 was a second-half demolition. The teams were tied at 34 at halftime. Michigan outscored Alabama 48-34 after the break, shooting 62 percent from the floor in the second half. The Wolverines' post depth, which was considered a liability entering the tournament, turned into an advantage against Alabama's undersized frontcourt. [1]

Sunday's Elite Eight games will decide the Final Four: Duke-UConn in the East, Arizona-Florida in the South, Illinois-Iowa in the Midwest, and Michigan-Tennessee in the West. The Big Ten guarantees at least one team in the Final Four. It could send three. [3]

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos