2023 March Madness scores, takeaways: Gonzaga, UConn, Kansas State, FAU move to Elite Eight in NCAA Tournament

Scores, highlights and analysis as four teams moved on to the Elite Eight with wins on Thursday

The 2023 NCAA Tournament resumed on Thursday with the Sweet 16 taking center stage, and the four-game slate gave college basketball fans a little bit of everything as we get down to the nitty gritty in March Madness. We saw games that will be considered instant classics, an underdog moving one step closer toward an improbable Final Four berth and a traditional power that continued to reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with. 

The Sweet 16 slate started off with all the fireworks as Kansas State outlasted Michigan State in overtime behind a historic performance from guard Markquis Nowell. The second game of the early window was less exciting, however, as UConn advanced to the Elite Eight in the West Region by drubbing Arkansas. In the late window, FAU kept its dream season alive by surging past Tennessee on the biggest stage of Madison Square Garden before UCLA and Gonzaga gave us another classic meeting for the memory banks with the Zags pulling out a 79-76 win behind a Julian Strawther 3-pointer with six seconds left. 

Half of the Elite Eight field is now set with four more teams set to punch their tickets on Friday. 

Big Ten's rough tournament

Michigan State down went down with a fight, but when the Spartans fell in overtime against Kansas State, it ended the Big Ten's representation in the NCAA Tournament. The league put eight teams into the Big Dance, but none of them will be playing in the Elite Eight. It also means this will be the fourth NCAA Tournament in a row without a Big Ten team in the Final Four. The league still has Wisconsin playing into the NIT semifinals, but that hardly atones for what is another disappointing showing from the league in the postseason.

SEC struggles

The SEC did well to place three teams into the Sweet 16, but both who were in action Thursday departed with uninspiring performances. Arkansas never led against UConn and looked woefully overmatched while Tennessee lost to FAU, a No. 9 seed, because of another offensively lifeless performance. No. 1 overall seed Alabama is still kicking, but entering their Friday contest against San Diego State, the Crimson Tide are officially the SEC's last hope in the NCAA Tournament.

New title winner

With Michigan State's elimination from the field, the coach of the 2023 national champions is guaranteed to be a first-time national title winner. Of the 12 teams still alive entering Friday's slate of four Sweet 16 games, none have ever won titles as a head coach. Furthermore, only three of the 12 still coaching made CBS Sports' preseason list of the profession's Top 25 And 1 coaches. They were Mark Few of Gonzaga (No. 2), Kelvin Sampson of Houston (No. 5) and Greg McDermott of Creighton (No. 25). However, after such strong seasons and deep postseason runs, it wouldn't be a stunner if the likes of Nate Oats (Alabama), Jerome Tang (Kansas State), Dan Hurley (UConn), Sean Miller (Xavier) and Jim Larranaga (Miami) make next year's list.

2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 TV schedule

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

Thursday, March 23

• (3) Kansas State 98, (7) Michigan State 93 -- Nowell powers Wildcats in OT classic
• (4) UConn 88, (8) Arkansas 65 -- Huskies trounce Razorbacks, advance to Elite Eight
• (9) FAU 62, (4) Tennessee 55 -- Owls continue dancing into Elite Eight
• (3) Gonzaga 79, (2) UCLA 76 -- Zags rally late to stun Bruins, advance to Elite Eight 

CBS Sports was with you the entire way updating this story with the latest from every Sweet 16 game on Thursday. 

[Mar 23, 2023 at 6:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

Kansas State vs. Michigan State prediction

Off the top, we have to give credit where it is due: Michigan State has been a fabulous story. It has played incredibly well to get to this point when the odds have been very much stacked against it to do so. However ... this feels like a situation where the wrong team is favored. Kansas State is playing hot and will have the two best players (Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson) on its side. If I'm getting 2 points on that side of things? Yeah, I'm just taking them. Pick: Kansas State +2 (Kyle Boone)

[Mar 23, 2023 at 6:20 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

Late betting action for MSU-Kansas State

Michigan State opened as a favorite somewhere between 1.5 points and 2.0 points but late action at Caesars Sportsbook has Kansas State as a narrow favorite now just before tip at KSU -1. Our entire panel was taking K-State to win straight up when it was 2-point dogs, so seems we were ahead of the curb on this one. 

[Mar 23, 2023 at 6:15 pm ET · David Cobb]

Tom Izzo in March 

When No. 7 seed Michigan State takes the court against No. 3 seed Kansas State at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, it will mark Tom Izzo's 15th Sweet 16 appearance in 28 seasons as the coach of the Spartans. The Hall of Famer has guided the program to 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and has a national title from 2000 to highlight his résumé. Here is a look back at some of his best coaching jobs from nearly three decades on the job. There are many to choose from, but here's one take on the five best in descending order.

[Mar 23, 2023 at 6:00 pm ET · David Cobb]

Ranking the Sweet 16 games

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament brings some whiplash for college basketball fans who are required to make difficult decisions with their remotes. The sheer volume of games makes it difficult to keep up as there are often four games going on simultaneously. But the Sweet 16 offers a chance to dig in and get to watch the action a little more closely. As the action approaches, let's take a closer look at which games are most compelling by ranking the Sweet 16 games in terms of watchability.

[Mar 23, 2023 at 5:45 pm ET · David Cobb]

Sweet 16 NBA Prospects

There are 16 teams left standing in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and as luck would have it, there also happens to be 16 -- give or take a few, of course -- standout NBA Draft prospects still in the March Madness hunt. So just like that, voila, the March Madness content gods have delivered. Sixteen prospects to watch in the Sweet 16. Here we go. The sixteen prospects are not evenly spread throughout the field before Ivy League hoops fans start scrolling -- No. 15 seed Princeton has none that made the cut, while Alabama, Houston and Arkansas all tied for the most with two

Click THIS LINK for Kyle Boone's full rundown of the prospects in action the next two nights.

[Mar 23, 2023 at 5:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

Resetting the bracket

While the NCAA Tournament is technically a single-elimination event, that doesn't have to apply to us. With 16 teams just remaining, it's time for a second chance. As Sweet 16 action approaches, our panel of experts are resetting their brackets and predicting how they see the Big Dance playing out from here. Here's the look at how our experts see the Regional action unfolding, as well as a lookahead to next week's Final Four in Houston.   

[Mar 23, 2023 at 5:18 pm ET · David Cobb]

Sweet 16 expert picks

March Madness enters its second weekend with six incredible days of 2023 NCAA Tournament action already in the books. We are down to the Sweet 16, and by the time Friday turns to Saturday, the Elite Eight will be left with equal opportunities to vye for the national championship. Thursday's action kicks off a two-day bonanza of third-round play that will either see some underdogs continue to flourish, some favorites knock the Cinderella off their mantles or perhaps a mix of both.