How every Sweet 16 game was won Friday -- and each winner's keys to Elite Eight - ESPN

The Elite Eight is set.

Duke held on to beat St. John's, Michigan pulled away from Alabama, UConn held off Michigan State's comeback attempt and Tennessee throttled Iowa State to reach the regional finals of the 2026 men's NCAA tournament.

ESPN reporters Adam Rittenberg and Jeff Borzello were on-site in Chicago and Washington, D.C., respectively, to break down how each of Friday's Sweet 16 games were won. Expert college basketball analyst Myron Medcalf also identifies keys for each winner to advance to the Final Four.

Click to relive the action

How Duke won: Duke heads to its third straight Elite Eight after a huge second half from three key players: Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster. Boozer started slowly, but he had 13 points and nine rebounds after halftime. Evans was terrific all game, scoring 25 points and hitting a massive step-back 3 to give Duke a 70-69 lead with 3:54 to go. Foster, who suffered a fracture in his foot just 20 days ago, was a game-changer in the second half, coming off the bench to go for 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting after halftime.

St. John's took a 10-point lead early in the second half after a flurry of Duke turnovers, but Foster settled down the Blue Devils, and the Red Storm's incredible 3-point shooting from the first half predictably cooled off. They went just 4-for-14 from 3 after making nine in the first half. — Borzello

Duke's Elite Eight opponent: UConn (5:05 p.m. on Sunday)

How the Blue Devils can advance to the Final Four: It's clear they aren't 100%. Patrick Ngongba II has played just 29 total minutes in two NCAA tournament games since returning from a right foot fracture that cost him five games. And though Foster scored 11 key points in the second half of their Sweet