By: George Ahearn

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament has concluded, and we can finally take a breath and settle ourselves before we are thrown back into the fray on Thursday when the Sweet 16 kicks off. Before the “tournament inside the tournament” commences, let’s revisit the chaos of the first two rounds and detail what got each team to the second weekend.

Alabama Crimson Tide (one-seed)

Are you surprised? The No. 1 overall seed had matchups with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and then met the ‘Terps in the second round. Kevin Willard did an amazing job in his first year at the helm at Maryland, but they stood no chance against the Tide. Alabama dominated in their first-round matchup without freshman star Brandon Miller scoring a single point.

The story for the Tide has been the play of infamous mixtape legend Jahvon “Jelly JQ” Quinerly, who led Nate Oats’ squad with 22 points in a win in their second-round matchup – a year removed from tearing his ACL in last season’s NCAA tournament.

San Diego State Aztecs (5)

The path for the Aztecs has been less than daunting, as they faced 12-seed Charleston and 13-seed Furman. However – winning in this tournament can’t be overlooked – and they outlasted a feisty Cougar squad before dismantling a strong Furman team to advance to the Sweet 16.

When watching SDSU, their physical play has been apparent, and analysts have been describing their play as watching “grown men out there.” The Aztecs have been slightly disrespected all season, but their true test will come against Alabama in the Sweet 16.

Creighton Bluejays (6)

The Bluejays have paved their way to the Sweet 16 in two very different ways. In the Round of 64 against NC State, they leaned heavily on star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner – who had 31 points on 11 of 14 shooting. Then – in their second-round matchup against 3-seed Baylor – they relied on their hot shooting to upset the Bears, as they shot a flaming 45.8% from beyond the arc and went 22 of 22 from the charity stripe.

Creighton has displayed the versatility that makes their team so special in these first two matchups and have shown that when they put it all together, they are one of the most dangerous teams in the nation. 

Princeton Tigers (15)

For the third year in a row, we have a 15-seed in the Sweet 16. In their first-round contest against 2 seed Arizona, Princeton capitalized on poor shooting from Arizona and played stout defense to outlast the Wildcats and advance to the second round. Here, they displayed their clear offensive chemistry to dominate Missouri. Not outlast them, but dominate them.

Princeton is a 15 seed that has proven they belong – garnering the largest margin of victory for such a seed in tournament history against Missouri. Head coach Mitch Henderson has his alma mater playing their best ball in program history, and they will likely give the Bluejays a run for their money in an unexpected Sweet 16 matchup.

Florida Atlantic Owls (9)

Princeton may be the most shocking team in the Sweet 16, but FAU isn’t far behind. The Owls played the most electrifying game of the tournament in their Round of 64 win against Memphis, in which they won with a game-winning layup with three seconds on the clock after being awarded possession on a questionable jump ball call. They then faced FDU – who shocked the world by beating 1 seed Purdue –  and were able to survive the hostile crowd and the momentum-backed Knights to advance to the Sweet 16.

Their will to win is clear, and that will is what has driven them to early success in the Big Dance.

Tennessee Volunteers (4)

The ‘Vols came out the gates firing, creating an early, double-digit lead against ULL. Yet, the Ragin’ Cajuns came firing back – giving Tennessee a scare. However, the ‘Vols survived – settling into the tournament and preparing for a red-hot Duke team.

Without point guard Zakai Ziegler, the ‘Vols relied on their physical play to send them to the Sweet 16. They played “bully ball” against a young Blue Devils squad – especially with freshman center Kyle Filipowski – forcing him to shoot 6 of 16 from the field and 0 of 5 from beyond the arc. The ‘Vols also were supported by knockdown shooting from senior Olivier Nkamhoua – who tied his career-high with 27 points. 

Kansas State Wildcats (3)

The culture Jerome Tang has built in his first year at Kansas State is palpable. Locker room videos of the Wildcats players and coaches clapping to Lil Baby’s “Low Down” is a visible example of the culture Tang has instilled. They took care of Montana State before a second-round showdown with Kentucky was set in stone.

Floor general Markquis Nowell had a career-defining game – leading the Wildcats with 27 points and highlight-reel plays throughout the game. Oh, and he played all forty minutes. Nowell embodies the style of play the Wildcats wish to play with, and, as Tang said, they have some “dudes” that make them difficult to beat. 

Michigan State Spartans (7)

Shocked? You shouldn’t be. Tom Izzo does this in March. Their starting lineup is littered with upperclassmen and their backcourt duo of A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker lead the Spartans to wins.

In their matchup against Marquette, the nation’s sixth ranked three-point shooting team shot a measly 2 of 16 from behind the arc, yet were still able to upset 2 seed Marquette. How? Because of Tom Izzo and experienced starters – a recipe he has been using for a long, long time in March.

Houston Cougars (1)

Houston had early scares in their first-round matchup against Northern Kentucky when stars Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead both suffered injuries. It looked like the same injury history that has plagued the Cougars in the past. However, Kelvin Sampson’s unit overcame these injuries, and Sasser and Shead were on the court for their Round of 32 contest against Auburn.

The game was played in Birmingham – essentially rewarding the Tigers with home-court advantage, where they had been lethal all season. The Cougars used a dominant second half to run away from Auburn and send themselves to the Sweet 16. This is only the start for a Cougars team that has title aspirations. So, good luck to anyone facing this Kelvin Sampson squad – starting with Miami.

Miami Hurricanes (5)

The great Jon Rothstein has a slew of phrases to describe various college basketball teams. Yet, the best one may pertain to the Hurricanes. Rothstein describes the ‘Canes as having “more guards than Shawshank,” and this sentiment was never more evident than in their Round of 32 matchup against Indiana.

After a strong second half propelled them past feisty 12 seed Drake, they used their momentum from this comeback and decimated the Hoosiers. Head coach Jim Larranaga is aging like fine wine, and he has the ‘Canes in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. 

Xavier Musketeers (3)

The post-season looked bleak for the Musketeers midway through the second-half against 14 seed Kennesaw State, as they trailed by 13 points with little time left to save their season. Yet, Xavier rallied on the back of a 17-0 run to advance to the Round of 32, allowing for them to leave their tournament jitters behind and focus on Pitt, and that they did.

The legendary Ian Eagle made a “Boum goes the dynamite” call after a Souley Boum acrobatic layup put the Musketeers up 20 – summing up Xavier’s Round of 32 rout of Pitt. In Sean Miller’s return to Cincinnati, he’s put the X back on the map.

Texas Longhorns (2)

Texas expected to see themselves here. Rodney Terry’s team has experience throughout and each player has a specific role that comes together in a game – like they are each a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. They took care of business against Colgate and then conquered a red-hot Penn State team that was capable of competing with anyone in the nation.

They leaned on the Lamarcus Aldridge-esque play (in Kevin Durant’s words) of Dylan Disu, and he delivered down the stretch with 28 total points.

Arkansas Razorbacks (8)

After easily handling Illinois in the Round of 64, Arkansas looked to have their hands full in their second-round matchup against defending champions Kansas. However, the Muss-Bus rolled into a hostile crowd in Des Moines and conquered the Jayhawks. If you were to tell me the Razorbacks were to pull off this upset before the tournament, I would have assumed stellar performances from Ricky Council IV and Nick Smith Jr.; however it was Devo Davis and Jordan Walsh that shined.

Council still had 21, but Davis had a remarkably efficient 25. Walsh on the other hand, was the X-factor. He played exceptional defense against perennial player of the year Jalen Wilson and won the game on an outstanding tip-out.

The Razorbacks have put the pieces together and are capitalizing on the potential everyone knew they had before the season.

UConn Huskies (4)

Dominant second-halves have been the story for the Huskies, as through two games they’ve outscored their opponents 89-49 in the second. The Huskies have been HOOPING: there’s simply no better way to put it. Jordan Hawkins has been automatic, and the big fella Adama Sanogo (26 ppg in the Big Dance) has held it down in the interior.

They dominated a Saint Mary’s team that was underrated all season and finished the year ranked thirteenth in KenPom. As Iona head coach Rick Pitino said, this team has the tools to win it all.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (3)

After the ‘Zags dominated Grand Canyon in the Round of 64, they faced a difficult second-round test against a gritty TCU squad led by junior Mike Miles Jr. The story of this matchup? Timme Time. The mustached assassin went off for 28 points and eight boards – leading the ‘Zags to a three-point win.

The combination of Timme and coach Mark Few unsurprisingly led the ‘Zags to the Sweet 16 once again, but the question will be: is this finally their year?

UCLA Bruins (2)

Despite the slew of injuries thrown Mick Cronin’s way, he has his Bruins back in the Sweet 16. The season-ending injury to the PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year – Jaylen Clark – hasn’t yet held the Bruins back, and that can be attributed to the leadership of seniors Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. – two members of this Bruins squad who made the Final Four two years prior.

The hunger of these two have carried the Bruins to the Sweet 16, and a rematch of the Final Four from two years ago against Gonzaga will decide if they continue their push towards a title.