From The Sports Desk: Hoopin’ in the heartland

Sure, Cinderella missed out on the Sweet 16 this year.

Sure, Cinderella missed out on the Sweet 16 this year. Our consolation prize? A weekend of high-quality hoops. On Thursday night, three teams from the heartland, all hailing from the Big Ten Conference, dominated the proceedings.

No. 2-seeded Purdue made a last-second tip-in to outlast No. 11 Texas, No. 3 Illinois knocked off No. 2 Houston, and No. 9 Iowa surprised everyone, making its first Elite Eight since the 1980s.

Over the next few days, there are more stellar matchups to come. By the end of the weekend, the Final Four will be set. We have you covered below and, as always, at NBC News.

Illinois' David Mirkovic drives to the basket against the Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Kenneth Richmond / Getty ImagesA Big Ten Conference school hasn’t won the NCAA men’s basketball national championship since 2000, but if Thursday is any indication, this could be the year that changes.

The first day of Sweet 16 games ended with three victorious Big Ten teams — Purdue, Illinois and Iowa. With Purdue and Illinois facing each other in the South regional final Saturday, at least one Big Ten team is guaranteed to make the Final Four.