Men’s March Madness 2024: Sweet 16 tournament takeaways

The Sweet 16 just keeps smiling on underdogs.

Yes, overall No. 1 seed UConn advanced easily. Fellow top seed Purdue followed that example tonight with a convincing win over Gonzaga.

But the lower seeds have been holding their own, as well. The latest example is No. 11 seed NC State downing No. 2 Marquette.

The Wolfpack built a 13-point lead by halftime, and Shaka Smart’s team was never able to draw closer than six. Kevin Keatts has NC State playing in its first Elite Eight since 1986.

Already in this round we’ve seen Alabama upset top seed North Carolina, Clemson knock off No. 2 seed Arizona and Illinois defeat 2-seed Iowa State. This round has been dangerous for higher seeds.

Is it time to take NC State seriously now? Since the Wolfpack are one win away from the Final Four, it’s definitely time. The Wolfpack was wildly inconsistent during the regular season, but that was a long time ago now. NC State has won eight straight games. A loss in any of them, and the Wolfpack wouldn’t still be here. They’ve beaten several strong teams along the way in Duke, North Carolina and now Marquette. They entered the tournament as an 11-seed, but by they deserve some respect now.

What it means for NC State: The Wolfpack is on one of those seemingly improbable NCAA tournament runs that it made famous with its title in 1983. NC State proved against Marquette it can win without being perfect. The Wolfpack committed seven early turnovers and cooled off with their shooting after a hot start, but after taking an early lead, they never relinquished it. NC State will face the winner of the Duke-Houston game in Sunday’s Elite Eight game. The Wolfpack beat Duke two weeks ago in the ACC tournament. As for the Cougars, the magic seems to be on NC State’s side when these two teams meet in the NCAA tournament.

What it means for Marquette: The Golden Eagles had some big wins during the regular season and finished 27-10, but it was an ugly ending. As the South’s No. 2 seed, their season wasn’t supposed to end in the Sweet 16. Shaka Smart’s trip to the Final Four with VCU in 2011 seems like a long time ago. — Adam Teicher

Is this the same Purdue team from last year? Not at all. Sure, this team’s success is still built around Zach Edey, the Wooden Award winner, but Friday’s win showcased all the different ways the Boilermakers can hurt opponents. Matt Painter fed Trey Kaufman-Renn on consecutive possessions to neutralize Gonzaga‘s attempt to double Edey at the start of the second half. Braden Smith finished with 15 assists, one of the highest tallies in Big Ten history, and kept the Zags guessing every time he had the ball. Fletcher Loyer & Co. found space around the court as Purdue made nearly half of its 3-point attempts. Yes, Edey is the engine of this program, that’s obvious. But everything around him is quite different compared to last year. The collective…