NCAA Tournament 2017: Thursday's Sweet 16 Scores, Updated Bracket and Schedule

Four teams will earn a place in the 2017 NCAA tournament regional final Thursday as the Sweet 16 tipped off.

Thursday's matchups include a nice mixture of traditional powers, such as the Kansas Jayhawks, Arizona Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs, as well as a pair of lower-seeded teams in the Xavier Musketeers and Michigan Wolverines. The Purdue Boilermakers, meanwhile, will be looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2000.

Below is a brief overview for how the night unfolded.

Sweet 16 Results

Region	Matchup	Result
Midwest	No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 3 Oregon	69-68, Oregon
West	No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 1 Gonzaga	61-58, Gonzaga
Midwest	No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Kansas	98-66, Kansas
West	No. 11 Xavier vs. No. 2 Arizona	73-71, Xavier

Sweet 16 Schedule

Region	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV Info
South	No. 4 Butler vs. No. 1 North Carolina	7:09 p.m.	CBS
East	No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 3 Baylor	7:29 p.m.	TBS
South	No. 3 UCLA vs. No. Kentucky	9:39 p.m.	CBS
East	No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Florida	9:59 p.m.	TBS

Thursday Recap

Oregon 69, Michigan 68

The Oregon Ducks held off a tough challenge from Michigan to reach the Elite Eight for the second year in a row.

Derrick Walton Jr. had a chance to win the game for the Wolverines in the final seconds. While he was the team's leading scorer (20 points), Walton's long two attempt hit the front rim, and Jordan Bell grabbed one of his 13 rebounds as time expired.

NCAA March Madness shared a replay of the finish:

Land of 10's Ben Axelrod noted how Thursday's game was another heartbreakingly close result for Michigan: 

Tyler Dorsey (20 points) again stepped up to help compensate for Chris Boucher's absence, registering his sixth straight 20-point game. Bell added 16 points to his excellent night on the boards to finish with a double-double.

Efficiency was the biggest key for Oregon as the Ducks avoided the upset. The No. 3 seed turned the ball over just five times and connected on eight of its 17 attempts from beyond the arc.

Gonzaga 61, West Virginia 58

The West Virginia Mountaineers demonstrated exactly how not to end a game, as they were unable to tie things up to force overtime against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

West Virginia had plenty of time to either get a two-point shot or create an open opportunity on the perimeter. Instead, Jevon Carter forced up a pair of ill-advised three-pointers that missed badly.

The Zags then smothered Carter, preventing the junior guard from getting another chance. His pass to Daxter Miles Jr. left Miles without enough time to get a shot up before the final buzzer:

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish doesn't think Carter's late-game mistakes will be soon forgotten:

The Mountaineers' high-pressure strategy nearly worked against the Bulldogs. Gonzaga turned the ball over 16 times, up from its season average of 11.3 per game.

The Zags didn't help themselves, either, by going 21-of-32 from the charity stripe.

In the end, Gonzaga did just enough to ensure advancement, with four of its five starters scoring in double figures. 

Kansas 98, Purdue 66

Outscoring the Boilermakers 51-26 in the second half, Kansas rolled to a 98-66 victory over Purdue.

The Kansas City Star's Jesse Newell noted how efficient the Jayhawks were at the offensive end:

Frank Mason III and Devonte' Graham each scored 26 points. Josh Jackson finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and collecting 12 rebounds. Lagerald Vick also came off the bench to post 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

As a team, Kansas shot 54.8 percent, including 53.6 percent from beyond the arc. It was an impressive performance against a Purdue team that ranked 17th in adjusted defense, per KenPom.com.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Jayhawks are the sixth team in tournament history to win each of its first three games by 20 points or more. That stat may be a bad omen, however, as ESPN Stats & Info also tweeted only one of the five teams before Kansas won a national title.

Xavier 73, Arizona 71

Sean O'Mara only scored eight points, but two of them were the difference as Xavier knocked off Arizona 73-71.

O'Mara sealed off Lauri Markkanen underneath the basket and scored with 44.1 seconds remaining in the second half to put the Musketeers ahead:

Kadeem Allen missed a chance to tie the game at the other end, and O'Mara grabbed the rebound.

The Wildcats remained alive after the junior forward was off on the front end of his one-and-one. Allonzo Trier's three-point attempt rimmed out, and Malcolm Bernard rebounded the ball for Xavier and ran out the clock.

The Musketeers did a great job negating Arizona's potent offensive duo of Markkanen and Trier. The two Wildcats stars combined for 28 points on 11-of-28 shooting.

Xavier wasted little time looking ahead to the Elite Eight:

The Musketeers will take on Gonzaga in a battle of two teams that have shattered the mid-major glass ceiling. It's somewhat ironic that two of the best programs never to reach the Final Four will be standing in one another's way Saturday.

An updated bracket is available at NCAA.com.