Melbourne's Alanna Smith starred in Stanford University's upset win over Notre Dame and Sudanese-born Ran Tut is riding high with the University of South Carolina but Sydney's Isaac Humphries tasted the bitterness of defeat when the University of Kentucky fell to North Carolina.
The NCAA women's and men's basketball tournaments' quarter-finals, known as the Elite Eight, lived up to their tradition of wild finishes and shock results on Sunday.
Smith's second-seeded Stanford beat number one seeds Notre Dame 76-75 to move just one victory away from playing for the women's national college title.
Stanford were down by 16 points in the second-half, but Smith scored twice in the final 51 seconds to reclaim the lead and help hold on.
"I was just trying to play my role on the court and whether that is playing good defence, staying on a shooter or posting up big and taking an open shot, that's what I'll do," Smith told reporters.
Smith's team-mate, guard Brittany McPhee top-scored with 27 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Baylor University's Queensland starting point guard Kristy Wallace struggled with seven turnovers and fouled out in her No.1 seeded team's 94-85 overtime loss to second-seeded Mississippi State.
Tenth-seeded University of Oregon, with three Australians on their roster - Jacinta Vandenberg, Morgan Yaeger and the injured Megan Trinder - will be hoping to pull off one of the biggest sporting upsets of 2017 when they play No.1 ranked University of Connecticut in their quarter-final on Monday.
Connecticut are looking for their fifth straight NCAA Championship and 11th since 2000, but Oregon have been giant killers in the tournament, beating No.2 seed Duke and No.3 Maryland.
In the men's tournament, Melbourne-raised Tut and his seventh-seeded South Carolina upset fourth-seeded University of Florida, featuring Sydney centre Gorjok Gak, 77-70.
South Carolina face No.1 seeds Gonzaga on April 1, with the winner taking on the victor of third-seeded Oregon and another one seed, North Carolina, for the national championship on April 3.
North Carolina won a thriller 75-73 against Humphries' second-seeded Kentucky.
Humphries had eight of his season-high 12 points in a three minute burst late in the game to give Kentucky a 64-59 lead, but North Carolina clawed their way back.
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