March Madness results, highlights from Thursday's 2024 NCAA Tournament games (March 21)

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Brendan OSullivan
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March Madness live bracket
(SN illustration)

Welcome to March. 

As fans have enjoyed buzzer-beaters, upsets, and conference championships, now is the time for the real test: the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday marks the beginning of the Round of 64 with 16 first-round games beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET. The final game doesn't tip off until around 10:05 p.m. ET, and you'll need a handful of TVs to catch all the action at once with multiple games overlapping.

MORE: Watch 2024 March Madness games live with Sling TV

No. 1 North Carolina is the top-seeded team on Thursday's slate, as the Tar Heels look to capture their seventh NCAA championship and first since 2017. No. 9 Michigan State kicks things off at 12:15 p.m. ET against No. 8 Mississippi State.

Perhaps the most anticipated game of the day is 12th-seeded McNeese facing fifth-seeded Gonzaga at 7:25 p.m. ET.

The Sporting News will have you covered with live results, updates, and highlights throughout the day.

LIVE: Follow March Madness scores and updates from Friday's games 

March Madness live bracket scores

March Madness 2024 printable bracket
(Sporting News)

Round 1: Thursday, March 21

All times Eastern

  • (9) Michigan State 69, (8) Mississippi State 51
  • (11) Duquesne 71, (6) BYU 67
  • (3) Creighton 77, (14) Akron 60
  • (2) Arizona 85, (15) Long Beach State 65
  • (1) North Carolina 90, (16) Wagner 62
  • (3) Illinois 84, (14) Morehead State 69
  • (11) Oregon 87, (6) South Carolina 73
  • (7) Dayton 63, (10) Nevada 60
  • (7) Texas 56, (10) Colorado State 44
  • (14) Oakland 79, (3) Kentucky, 75
  • (5) Gonzaga 86, (12) McNeese 65
  • (2) Iowa State 79, (15) South Dakota State 61
  • (2) Tennessee 83, (15) Saint Peter's 49
  • (11) NC State 80, (6) Texas Tech 67
  • (4) Kansas 93, (13) Samford 89
  • (7) Washington State 66, (10) Drake 61

MORE: Are there any perfect brackets left in 2024? 

NCAA Tournament results, highlights from today's games

All times Eastern.

(4) Kansas vs. (13) Samford

1:05 a.m.: The finish between Kansas and Samford will be discussed throughout the entire tournament. Samford's comeback hopes came up just short after a controversial foul call on a clean block by A.J. Staton-McCray. The Jayhawks escaped with a 93-89 win.

11:06 p.m.: Don't count out Samford just yet! After falling behind by 14, Bucky McMillan's team is within 8.

(7) Washington State vs. (10) Drake

12:30 a.m.: Washington State held off Drake's late comeback effort with a 66-61 victory. Senior forward Isaac Jones led the charge with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

11:15 p.m.: Washington State coach Kyle Smith says at halftime that "headband guy" Conor Enright is giving his team problems. Cougars lead by four, however.

(6) Texas Tech vs. (11) NC State

12:00 p.m.: NC State just keeps on rollin'. The Wolfpack handled Texas Tech, 80-67, behind 17 points and 12 rebounds from Mohamed Diarra.

11:11 p.m.: Darrion Williams drills a big three at the halftime buzzer to get some much-needed momentum back in Texas Tech's favor.

11:07 p.m.: NC State is starting to look as comfortable as it did in the ACC Tournament, getting contributions from plenty of players not named D.J. Burns.

(2) Tennessee vs. (15) Saint Peter's

11:38 p.m.: It's a 34-point win for the Volunteers, who get 23 points from Dalton Knecht. The Peacocks shot a dismal 29 percent from the field, including 16.7 percent from beyond the arc.

10:40 p.m.: This one is ALL Tennessee and has been from the start. The Volunteers have held a steady lead beyond 25 points and appear to be cruising to a matchup with Rick Barnes' former employer: Texas.

(12) McNeese vs. (5) Gonzaga

9:05 p.m.: Gonzaga is cruising as the game salts away, opening up a 25-point advantage over its overmatched opposition McNeese.

8:27 p.m.: The Bulldogs may be too much for the Cowboys to handle. Gonzaga is up 42-20 with four minutes remaining in the first half. Five Bulldogs have at least seven points.

7:54 p.m.: Gonzaga's offense is showing why it's been so good all season, scoring 11 points on four assists in the first four minutes to lead 11-6 over McNeese.

(15) South Dakota State vs. (2) Iowa State

8:30 p.m.: The Jackrabbits caught back up to the Cyclones before the half. South Dakota State trails 40-33 at the break.

8:03 p.m.: Look out below! Iowa State's Hason Ward slams it over the South Dakota State defense.

7:51 p.m: Iowa State isn't messing around in the Round of 64. The Cyclones lead 17-3 with 15:16 remaining in the first half.

(14) Oakland vs. (3) Kentucky

9:38 p.m.: Oakland does it! The Golden Grizzlies are out of the first round for the first time in program history!

9:30 p.m.: Sheppard's shot clanks wide! The Golden Grizzlies are on the brink!

9:27 p.m.: Cole answers with one of his own! The Golden Grizzlies' four-point lead is restored. There's just 30 seconds left. And Oakland is in the driver's seat!

9:25 p.m.: What a shot by Rob Dillingham, who cuts Oakland's advantage to just one point after sinking an off-balance three. 40 seconds left before the buzzer.

9:22 p.m.: Oakland can taste the champagne. The ragtag bunch is just three minutes and some change away from mounting one of the greatest upsets in tournament history. The Golden Grizzlies are up three. Gohlke has 33, 30 of which came from beyond-the-arc.

9:10 p.m.: The supporting cast is coming to life for the Golden Grizzlies. D.Q. Cole just sank a straight-line three-ball to push Oakland's lead to five. Upset alert is blaring here in Pittsburgh.

9:01 p.m.: Tough showing by freshman phenom Reed Sheppard. The SEC standout has zero points as we hit the nine-minute mark of the second half. If the Wildcats were to lose — they're down 57-52 at the moment — his struggles, coupled with Gohlke's scoring explosion, would serve as a good explanation for why.

8:48 p.m.: Gohlke hits another triple as the Grizzlies' lead bubbles back to four. He's up to 24 on the night — all threes.

8:17 p.m.: Oakland enters the half with a 38-35 lead over Kentucky. Gohlke is up to 21 points and seven 3-pointers. Antonio Reeves leads Kentucky with 14 points.

8:04 p.m.: Gohlke is unstoppable right now as Oakland holds a 31-28 lead with 3:32 minutes left in the first half. He's up to 18 points on six 3-pointers.

7:47 p.m.: Oakland is giving Kentucky a challenge in the first half. Jack Gohlke has 15 of Oakland's 23 points. Oakland leads 23-17 with 8:31 remaining in the half.

(10) Colorado State vs. (7) Texas

8:40 p.m: Texas in relative control as the clock dwindles down below three minutes. The Longhorns lead 50-38 with 2:16 left.

7:37 p.m.: Thought Virginia had a poor first half in the First Four? Colorado State has them beat. The Rams, who held Virginia to 14 points on Tuesday, scored just 11 points against Texas.

Texas leads 27-11 at the break. The Rams are shooting 5-of-27 from the field and 1-of-10 from 3. They also have 11 turnovers.

7:20 p.m.: The Rams haven't scored since the 15:17 mark — there's now 6:57 left in the first half. The Longhorns lead 16-8 and are on a 14-0 run.

7:06 p.m.: Colorado State holds the early advantage over Texas. The Rams lead 8-7 with 11:50 remaining in the first half.

(7) Dayton 63, (10) Nevada 60

6:49 p.m.: The Flyers pull off the comeback! Nevada misses two 3-pointers on the final possession as the clock expires. Dayton wins 63-60 and will play Arizona in the Round of 32.

6:47 p.m.: Santos nails both free throws to go up 63-60. Dayton timeout.

6:46 p.m.: Dayton forces a turnover while up 61-60. Nate Santos will go to the line with 1.5 seconds remaining. Nevada has no timeouts.

6:42 p.m.: DaRon Holmes II gets the and-1 to fall, and the Flyers take the 59-58 lead on a 20-0 run. Under two minutes to go.

6:36 p.m.: Don't count out Dayton just yet. The Flyers cut the lead to six with about four minutes to go. Nevada leads 56-50.

6:18 p.m.: Nevada is beginning to pull away, though there's still a lot of time left in the second half. The Wolf Pack lead 53-39 with 8:20 remaining.

5:44 p.m.: The Wolf Pack take a 34-25 lead into halftime after finishing on a 16-0 run, including by a pretty 3-pointer from Jarod Lucas.

4:52 p.m.: Dayton is red hot to start this matchup, shooting 5-of-7 from the field to lead 11-9 through the first four minutes of play. Nevada is shooting 4-of-7.

(11) Oregon 87, (6) South Carolina 73

6:22 p.m.: Couisnard finishes with 40 points as the Ducks win 87-73 overall over South Carolina. They advance to face No. 3 Creighton in the Round of 32.

6:01 p.m.: Couisnard reached 34 points, surpassing Tajuan Porter (33, 2007) for the most points in an NCAA Tournament game in Oregon history.

5:58 p.m.: Jermaine Couisnard is up to 32 points with six minutes left in the game. He drained a 3-pointer to surpass the 30-point mark, extending Oregon's lead to 70-57.

5:00 p.m.: South Carolina's Ta'Lon Cooper drains a 3-pointer from behind the half court line at the halftime buzzer! Oregon still leads 34-29 at the break.

4:50 p.m.: Oregon is on an 8-0 run with just under two minutes remaining in the half to lead 29-22. South Carolina has scored in nearly six minutes.

4:20 p.m.: South Carolina started the game trailing 5-0 but has since went on a 9-2 run to lead 9-7 with 14:31 left in the first half.

(3) Illinois 85, (14) Morehead State 69

5:30 p.m.: No. 3 seed Illinois closes out the 84-69 win, which included a triple-double from Marcus Domask (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). The last player with a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament was Ja Morant for Murray State in 2019.

5:24 p.m.: With less than four minutes left, Morehead State's upset hopes are all but gone, as the Illini hold an 81-58 lead. 

5:04 p.m.: Illinois has exploded out to a nine-point lead at 57-48 off a dunk by Dain Dainja with 12 minutes to go in the second half.

4:55 p.m.: Both sides are going back and forth still with Illinois leading 46-45 with 15 minutes left in the second half.

4:23 p.m.: Illinois heads into the half up one point, leading 39-38. Shannon has a game-high 19 points, and Riley Minix and Jordan Lathon each have 12 points for Morehead State.

4:11 p.m.: Illinois takes the lead with about six minutes remaining in the half. Terrence Shannon Jr. is up to 19 points as Illinois leads 36-31 with 3:22 until halftime.

3:45 p.m.: Morehead State jumped out to an early lead against No. 3 Illinois. The Eagles lead 17-13 with 13:06 remaining in the first half.

(1) North Carolina 90, (16) Wagner 62

4:44 p.m.: North Carolina defeats Wagner 90-62 and will face No. 9 Michigan State in the Round of 32.

4:33 p.m.: The Tar Heels are running away with the lead as the game clock dips below four minutes. North Carolina leads 82-56 with 3:16 remaining. RJ Davis has 22 points and Bacot has 20 points and 15 rebounds.

4:21 p.m.: North Carolina has control of this game, but Wagner is still sticking around the 15-point deficit mark through the second half. Bacot leads with 18 points and three other Tar Heels have scored double figures as they lead 63-48 with 10 minutes to go.

3:37 p.m.: Wagner is sticking around against North Carolina, down by 12 at halftime. The Tar Heels lead 40-28 at the break.

3:10 p.m.: Armando Bacot is leading the Tar Heels with eight points and four rebounds through the first 10 minutes of the first half. North Carolina leads Wagner 24-19.

(2) Arizona 85, (15) Long Beach State 65

4:15 p.m.: Arizona takes down Long Beach State 85-65 behind Boswell's 20 points.

3:58 p.m.: Just about everything is working for the Wildcats so far as they hold an 82-58 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game. Even Boswell, 6-2, got a "rare" dunk.

3:22 p.m.: The Wildcats are grooving in the second half, outscoring Long Beach State 14-2 to go up 55-37 with 16:13 remaining. Boswell and Keshad Johnson each have 13 points, and Pelle Larsson has 11 points. Caleb Love is up to seven points, seven rebounds and five assists.

2:52 p.m.: Arizona takes a six-point lead into halftime, headlined by Kylan Boswell's 11 points. Wildcats lead 41-35.

2:36 p.m.: Don't look now, but Long Beach State is leading Arizona 31-28 with under four minutes left in the first half.

2:07 p.m.: Long Beach State begins its March Madness run with fired coach Dan Monson. Arizona leads 9-5 in the first five minutes of play.

(3) Creighton 77, (14) Akron 60

3:37 p.m.: Creighton wins 77-60 as five players score in double figures. Ryan Kalkbrenner led with 23 points and added eight rebounds. Baylor Scheierman had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Trey Alexander scored 19 points.

3:26 p.m.: Creighton's offense fell flat a bit toward the end of the second half, but the Blue Jays still hold a 14-point lead at 72-58 with under three minutes remaining.

2:54 p.m.: The Blue Jays can't miss from 3. They're up to 9-of-12 shooting from distance as Creighton holds a 56-42 lead in the second half.

2:38 p.m.: Creighton leads Akron 39-34 at halftime, while shooting 60 percent from the field and 70 percent from 3.

1:48 p.m.: There is a lot of 3-point shooting in this contest. Akron is shooting 5-of-10 from deep, and Creighton is 3-for-3. The Blue Jays lead 21-19 with 11:26 left in the first half.

1:35 p.m.: The two offenses have started off strong to begin this matchup. Creighton leads 8-6 with 16:38 remaining in the half.

(11) Duquesne 71, (6) BYU 67

3:00 p.m.: The Dukes will keep dancing! Duquesne wins its first NCAA Tournament game in 55 years. Dukes defeat BYU 71-67.

2:56 p.m.: Dallin Hall buries a 3-pointer with 5.7 remaining to bring the score to 69-67 in favor of the Dukes. The Dukes will inbound after the timeout.

2:48 p.m.: The Dukes lead 63-60 with possession following a timeout. Just 44 seconds left in the game.

2:45 p.m.: BYU ties the game at 60-60 with 1:45 to go with a dunk by Fousseyni Traore.

2:41 p.m.: Robinson has been on fire against the Dukes, nailing his 25th point on this 3-pointer. BYU trails 58-56 with 3:01 remaining.

2:27 p.m.: The Cougars are clawing back behind Robinson's 22 points. The Dukes still lead 52-49 with 7:41 p.m.

2:10 p.m.: The two teams got tangled up earlier in the second half as the Dukes hold the lead.

2:04 p.m.: The Dukes keep extending their lead into the second half. They're leading 46-32 while shooting 50 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3. BYU is shooting just 33.3 percent and 31.3 percent, respectively.

1:34 p.m.: The Dukes hold a 38-30 lead at halftime behind Dae Dae Grant's 12 points and Necas' eight points. BYU is shooting just 34.6 percent from the field.

1:23 p.m.: Jakub Necas knocks down a 3-pointer to put the Dukes up 10. Duquesne leads 31-21 with 3:11 remaining in the first half.

1:11 p.m.: And there goes that BYU lead. The Dukes take back the lead and head into a timeout up 24-20.

1:10 p.m.: BYU went from scoreless in the first four minutes to taking the lead at the seven-minute mark. Cougars took a 20-19 lead over the Dukes.

12:55 p.m.: The Cougars are on the board as Jaxson Robinson knocks down two free throws to break the scoring drought.

12:50 p.m.: Duquesne has held BYU scoreless in the first 4:19 of the game. BYU is shooting 0-for-6 from the field, while Duquesne is shooting 3-for- to lead 7-0.

(9) Michigan State 69, (8) Mississippi State 51

2:14 p.m.: Michigan State wins its sixth straight Round of 64 game and moves on to face the winner of No. 1 North Carolina/No. 16 Wagner. Spartans win 69-51.

2:12 p.m.: Backups are entering the game on both sides as Michigan State leads 66-51 with under a minute remaining.

2:01 p.m.: Michigan State is looking to put Mississippi State away behind Walker and Akins' play. Akins knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 16.

1:43 p.m.: The Spartans lead 53-43 with 10:45 remaining in the second half, but it feels closer than a 10-point margin. Jaden Akins posterized the Mississippi State defense.

1:00 p.m.: Malik Hall caps off the Spartans' first half with a tough layup at the buzzer. Michigan State leads Mississippi State 31-24 at halftime. Tyson Walker has 10 points. Josh Hubbard has 13 points.

12:43 p.m.: Perhaps you've noticed Michigan State center Carson Cooper sporting a face mask for the opening March Madness game. He suffered a bloody nose during the Big Ten Tournament and will undergo a procedure after the season. Here's more on the new look. 

12:35 p.m.: The Spartans are off to a hot start, shooting 8-of-12 from the field to begin the Round of 64. Michigan State leads 20-8 with 10:20 remaining in the first half.

March Madness schedule today

Thursday, March 21

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
No. 9 Michigan State 69, No. 8 Mississippi State 51 12:15 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 11 Duquesne 71, No. 6 BYU 67 12:40 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 3 Creighton 77, No. 14 Akron 60 1:30 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 2 Arizona 85, No. 15 Long Beach State 65 2 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 1 North Carolina 90, No. 16 Wagner 62 2:45 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 3 Illinois 85, No. 14 Morehead State 69 3:10 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 11 Oregon 87, No. 6 South Carolina 73 4 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 7 Dayton 63, No. 10 Nevada 60 4:30 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 10 Colorado State vs. No. 7 Texas 6:50 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Kentucky 7:10 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 5 Gonzaga 7:25 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 15 South Dakota State vs. No. 2 Iowa State 7:35 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 15 Saint Peter's vs. No. 2 Tennessee 9:20 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 11 NC State vs. No. 6 Texas Tech 9:40 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 13 Samford vs. No. 4 Kansas 9:55 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 10 Drake vs. No. 7 Washington State 10:05 p.m. TruTV, Sling

March Madness schedule 2024

Round 1

Friday, March 22

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
No. 9 Northwestern vs. No. 8 Florida Atlantic 12:15 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 14 Colgate vs. No. 3 Baylor 12:40 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 12 UAB vs. No. 5 San Diego State 1:45 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 15 Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Marquette 2 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 16 Stetson vs. No. 1 UConn 2:45 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 11 New Mexico vs. No. 6 Clemson 3:10 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 13 Yale vs. No. 4 Auburn 4:15 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 7 Florida 4:30 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Nebraska 6:50 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 13 Vermont vs. No. 4 Duke 7:10 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 16 Grambling vs. No. 1 Purdue 7:25 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 13 College of Charleston vs. No. 4 Alabama 7:35 p.m. TruTV, Sling
No. 16 Longwood vs. No. 1 Houston 9:20 p.m. TNT, Sling
No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Wisconsin 9:40 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
No. 9 TCU vs. No. 8 Utah State 9:55 p.m. TBS, Sling
No. 12 Grand Canyon vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's 10:05 p.m. TruTV, Sling

Round 2

Saturday, March 23

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 12 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 2:30 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 5 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 6 p.m. TNT, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 7 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. TNT, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 9:30 p.m. TBS, Sling

Sunday, March 24

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 12 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 2:30 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 5 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 6 p.m. TNT, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 7 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. truTV, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. TNT, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 9:30 p.m. TBS, Sling

Sweet 16

Thursday, March 28

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 7 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 9:30 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 10 p.m. TBS, Sling

Friday, March 29

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 7 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 7:30 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 9:30 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 10 p.m. TBS, Sling

Elite Eight

Saturday, March 30

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 6 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. TBS, Sling

Sunday, March 31

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 2 p.m. CBS, Paramount+
TBD vs. TBD 4:55 p.m. CBS, Paramount+

Final Four

Saturday, April 6

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 6 p.m. TBS, Sling
TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. TBS, Sling

National Championship

Monday, April 8

Game Time (ET) TV/Live stream
TBD vs. TBD 9 p.m. TBS, Sling
Author(s)
Brendan OSullivan Photo
Brendan OSullivan

Brendan O'Sullivan is an editorial intern for Sporting News.