March Madness: NC State, UNC, Duke advance to Sweet 16 in NCAA Men's Tournament

RALEIGH, N.C. -- It is going to be an exciting weekend for college basketball with Round of 32 underway.

Duke, NC State and UNC have all advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

UNC

North Carolina beat Michigan State 85-69 in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, pushing the Tar Heels to the Sweet 16 while keeping them unbeaten in March Madness against Spartans Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.

The Tar Heels were the first of the Triangle schools to take the court in this year's tournament on Thursday.

Armando Bacot had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and North Carolina never trailed.

Armando Bacot had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and forward Jae'Lyn Withers turned in a solid all-around performance, sending UNC to a 90-62 victory over No. 16 Wagner in the first round.

The Tar Heels improved to 5-0 in the tournament against Izzo, including victories in the 2005 Final Four and 2009 title game. And they move on to the regional semifinals in Los Angeles, where they will face either Grand Canyon or Alabama on Thursday night.

NC State

DJ Burns Jr. scored 24 points, including a go-ahead putback that ignited a 9-0 run in overtime, and 11th-seeded North Carolina State beat 14th-seeded Oakland 79-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

The Wolfpack surged past No. 6 Texas Tech 80-67 on Thursday night in the first round.

Some felt NC State wasn't supposed to be here. The Wolfpack proved they belonged.

The team, who won five games in five days in the ACC Tournament to earn an automatic bid, didn't look hung over emotionally or physically while capturing their first March Madness game in nine years. Forward Ben Middlebrook scored a career-high 21 points.

N.C. State will face either second-seeded Marquette and 10th-seeded Colorado in Dallas on Friday in the South Region semifinals.

Duke

The Duke Blue Devils are advancing to the Sweet 16 after winning 93-55 in Sunday's match against James Madison.

Guard Jared McCain and forward Mark Mitchell each had 15 points, and No. 4 Duke opened with an uneven performance Friday night before pulling away from Vermont for a 64-47 victory.

Filipowski took only one shot and scored a career-low three points in almost 37 minutes, though the sophomore center and second-team All-American did grab 12 rebounds.

SEE ALSO | March Madness: Duke fends off Vermont 64-47, joins NC State and UNC in the second round

Associated Press contributed.