Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments kick into full gear. Here is what to watch for Saturday.

By Wayne Sterling, Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — Eight men’s college basketball teams are just one step away from clinching a spot to the Final Four in Indianapolis, but first, they have to take care of business in this weekend’s Elite Eight regional finals.

This year’s edition of the final eight features four Big Ten schools, three No. 1 seeds, two “Blue Blood” programs in Duke and UConn and one Cinderella, Iowa.

(9) Iowa vs. (3) Illinois

Saturday’s doubleheader starts with an all-Big Ten showdown between No. 9 Iowa and No. 3 Illinois.

Iowa looks to continue its Cinderella story as the highest seed remaining. The last time the Hawkeyes reached the Final Four was 1980, when Jimmy Carter was in the White House. The Fighting Illini are aiming to clinch its first Final Four berth since 2005.

The South Regional final tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center in Houston.

(2) Purdue vs. (1) Arizona

The nightcap features the third Big Ten school, No. 2 Purdue, taking on No. 1 Arizona.

Purdue is one win away from a Final Four in its home state of Indiana. The Wildcats have not gone past this round since 2015.

Can Purdue recreate Thursday’s magic with another game-winner?

The top two seeds in the West Regional face off at 8:49 p.m. ET from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Full men’s schedule for Saturday:

• South Region: No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
• West Region: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona, 8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

Four marquee games in women’s bracket

The women’s Sweet 16 closes out on Saturday with four games with two No. 1 seeds in action.

South Carolina, led by head coach Dawn Staley, will see her Gamecocks squad go into battle against No. 4 Oklahoma.

The Texas Longhorns will face off against SEC foe No. 5 Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Virginia will look to become only the second-ever 10 seed to make the Elite Eight, joining Oregon in 2017 to do so.

Here is the full women’s schedule on Saturday:

• Michigan 71, Louisville 52
• No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Texas, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
• No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
• No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 3 TCU, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

(6) Tennessee vs. (1) Michigan

Sunday’s first men’s game pits No. 6 Tennessee from the SEC and the fourth team representing the Big Ten, No. 1 Michigan.

Dusty May has the Wolverines on the brink of the Final Four, but Michigan will have to get past a physical Volunteers squad seeking the school’s first-ever Final Four.

The Volunteers and Wolverines face off at 2:15 p.m. ET from the United Center in Chicago.

(2) UConn vs. (1) Duke

The weekend closes with a heavyweight “blue blood” matchup. The overall No. 1 seed Duke, winners of five national championships take on UConn, winners of six titles.

The Blue Devils are seeking to advance to their second consecutive Final Four and 19th overall while the Huskies are aiming for the school’s eighth appearance.

The two teams square off at 5:05 p.m. ET from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

The Final Four is set for next Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with two semifinals games.

Two days later, a new national champion will be crowned.

Full men’s schedule for Sunday:

• Midwest Region: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Michigan, 2:15 p.m. ET, CBS
• East Region: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 Duke, 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Women’s Elite Eight tips off

The women’s Elite Eight will officially get underway on Sunday with two games:

• No. 1 UConn vs. No. 6 Notre Dame, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
• No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 3 Duke, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.