MARCH MADNESS: Houston KNOCKED OUT of NCAA Tournament by Duke without star point guard Jamal Shead… South Carolina women survive scare against Indiana

Houston was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Duke 54-51 on Friday night, as the Cougars played for most of the game without star point guard Jamal Shead, who suffered a right ankle injury.

Shead suffered the injury while driving to the hoop and sprained his ankle on the court. During halftime he was seen on a scooter and without a shoe on his right foot. He was in uniform on the bench during the second half, but did not play.

Duke advances to the Elite Eight, where it faced No. 11 seed North Carolina State, the highest seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils and Wolfpack played less than three weeks ago in the ACC Tournament, and NC State won.

In the women’s NCAA tournament, undefeated No. 1 seed South Carolina nearly blew a 22-point lead in the second half, but held on to defeat No. 4 seed Indiana, 79 -75.

The Gamecocks will face third-seeded Oregon State on Sunday. A win would mark the program’s third consecutive trip to the Final Four.

The other men’s Elite Eight game on Sunday will be between Purdue and Tennessee, who won with big second-half performances to defeat Gonzaga and Creighton respectively.

The Volunteers and Boilermakers will take on Tennessee looking for their first Final Four appearance in program history. Purdue has not reached a Final Four since 1980.

The NC State women’s basketball team also advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating second-ranked Stanford.

The Wolfpack will face No. 1 seed Texas, which defeated Gonzaga 69-47.