A last-second shot sent Purdue to the Elite Eight. Here’s how Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchups went down

By Kyle Feldscher, Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — For the last few days, the fans of 16 men’s college basketball teams haven’t been able to get one thought out of their heads: Two more wins until the Final Four.

For four teams – Iowa, Illinois, Purdue and Arizona – that number is down to just one.

After surviving the gauntlet that is the opening rounds of March Madness, the Sweet 16 is an accomplishment on its own and for some of these teams – the Hawkeyes especially – the Elite Eight is just a dream. But the chance to play for a national championship now doesn’t just feel like a far-off hope; it’s only one weekend away.

Here are tonight’s results:

Purdue calls game on Texas

No. 2 seeded Purdue shocked No. 11 seeded Texas 79-77 after Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn’s late basket won them the game with 0.7 seconds left.

It was a tightly contested matchup between the two programs and it all came down to the final seconds after Longhorns’ and-one foul with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 77.

Purdue star guard Braden Smith then received the inbounds pass and tried for a contested layup with seconds remaining when Kaufman-Renn tipped it in, securing the Boilermakers’ trip to the Elite Eight.

Kaufman-Renn finished with a team-high 20 points as Purdue will face the winner of Arkansas-Arizona on Saturday in San Jose.

Iowa’s Cinderella run continues

It was a Big Ten battle and a rivalry game in the Sweet 16.

And the game lived up to all the hype.

No. 9 seed Iowa stunned No. 4 Nebraska 77-71 to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years.

The Hawkeyes overcame a 10-point first half deficit late in the game and with just over three minutes left, they tied it up at 65.

But star Bennett Stirtz and Alvaro Folgueiras played hero yet again, leading Iowa to a 15-6 run to end the game and clinch the victory.

Stirtz finished with 20 points, and true freshman Tate Sage and Folgueiras combined for 35 points off the bench for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa will face the winner of Houston-Illinois on Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Arizona blasts Arkansas

The Arizona Wildcats are on the verge of their first Final Four since 2001 after rolling through Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

The Wildcats were never seriously tested by John Calipari’s Razorbacks, practically waltzing into the Elite Eight with a dominating win in San Jose. Brayden Burries paced Zona with 23 points as the Wildcats never trailed against the Hogs, eventually running away with it by a score of 109-88.

For a college basketball blue-blood, it’s been an unusually bleak stretch for the Wildcats as they advance past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015. But this season has looked promising from the very start as the Wildcats were infused with talented freshmen like Koa Peat.

Things seemed to simply be clicking on Thursday. Arizona shot 64% from the field and never really had to hit top gear against the Razorbacks. The stat sheet will show Arkansas matched up well – the rebounding and turnover columns were pretty even, and those are usually the places where games are won – but the Wildcats simply outclassed Calipari’s team in the paint and shooting from the floor.

Looming ahead for the Wildcats is the Purdue Boilermakers, who only just escaped No. 11 Texas earlier on Thursday. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten tournament earlier this month and are among the Big Ten teams making an impressive run in the tournament. They’ll have their workout cut for them if the Wildcats play like they did on Thursday.

Illinois outclasses Houston

The night’s final game was a doozy.

The No. 2 seeded Houston came into the matchup against No. 3 seeded Illinois the favorites, and playing in their home city, and were left stunned.

The Illini defeated the Cougars 65-55 to return to the Elite Eight for the first time in two years.

Houston struggled on offense, shooting 34% from the field but still kept it competitive despite Illinois’ multiple runs to extend their lead.

After a 17-0 run in the second half, the Illini found themselves with a 15-point lead. But Houston fought back, making it a seven-point game with just under two minutes to go.

However, Illinois was able to hang on behind David Mirkovic, Keaton Wagler and Andrej Stojaković’s combined 39 points.

The Illini will now face a Big Ten foe and Cinderella darlings, Iowa, in the Elite Eight on Saturday.

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