2024 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game times, TV schedule announced for Saturday slate
Thursday marked the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, with four games highlighting the March Madness slate. It’s one step closer to the Final Four – with the road to Phoenix running through this weekend’s Elite Eight.
The NCAA has announced tip-off times for the first set of Elite Eight matchups, which will take place Saturday, now that the East and West regional finals are set. The winners will advance to the Final Four, and there could be some exciting matchups depending on how Thursday’s late games go. Here’s the full slate of games for Saturday. (All times Eastern)
2024 NCAA Tournament: East Region
1. UConn vs. 3. Illinois – March 30, 6:09 p.m., TBS/TruTV
West Region
4. Alabama vs. No. 6 Clemson – March 30, approx. 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/TruTV
Recapping Thursday’s Sweet 16 games
The early slate of Sweet Sixteen games featured a dominant performance from the tournament’s top seed and some history from the West’s No. 6 seed.
Clemson knocked off No. 2 seed Arizona in a 77-72 thriller in Los Angeles to move within one win of the Final Four. It marks the Tigers’ first Elite Eight appearance since 1980 in the days of Larry Nance.
Chase Hunter led the charge for Clemson on offense, pouring in 18 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing five assists. His biggest shot, though, came with 25 seconds left. That’s when he converted an and-1 to put the Tigers ahead 75-70 en route to the eventual 77-72 victory.
In the other game in that slot, UConn dominated San Diego State, coming away with the 82-52 victory thanks to a monster showing in the second half. Cam Spencer led the way with 18 points while Stephon Castle had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
That set the table for the late slate, which featured two of the most exciting matchups of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Alabama and North Carolina tipped off first in the second set of games, and it was one for the ages. The Tar Heels took a 54-46 lead into halftime, but the Crimson Tide found a rhythm in the second half. Grant Nelson led the late surge with 19 points after the break as Alabama rallied to stun North Carolina 89-87. As a result, UNC became the first No. 1 seed to fall this year.
At the same time, another thriller was happening in Boston where Illinois and Iowa State went down to the wire. However, free throw issues plagued the Fighting Illini and made things interesting down the stretch. Fueled by another huge day from Terrence Shannon, Illinois held on to make its first Elite Eight since a 2005 national championship appearance.