Top takeaways from the Sweet 16

theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 and what it all could mean moving forward.

Offense beats defense

Pour one out for the purists who continue to insist that defense wins championships. Thursday night was a scoring fest, with three of KenPom’s top four offensive units in the nation advancing to the Elite Eight.

The headliner for the offense-versus-defense debate was the nation’s best offense, Illinois, facing the top defensive team: Iowa State. Terrance Shannon exploded for 29 points while the Cyclones allowed more than 70 points for the first time in 10 games. Shannon is now averaging an outrageous 29.2 points per game in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament and is undoubtedly the best scorer in the country not named Zach Edey.

Shannon will have to be strong again when the Illini face the nation’s second-ranked offense and defending national champion UConn on Saturday. The Huskies once again absolutely dominated, recording a 30-point win in a rematch of last year’s title game with San Diego State. UConn has now won nine straight NCAA Tournament games by double digits.

The last winner from the top offensive units Thursday was also the most surprising, with No. 4 Alabama taking out No. 1 North Carolina. Four Crimson Tide players scored at least 18 points as the Tide had their way with the nation’s sixth-best defense.

The same narrative continued on Friday with Purdue putting on a clinic and scoring 80 points on Gonzaga. The inside-outside game of Edey and Braden Smith produced 41 points, 22 rebounds, and 16 assists. The country’s top four offensive units will make up half of the Elite Eight on the weekend.

Grant puts UNC in full Nelson

With Alabama’s backcourt failing to bring its A-game and the team being disadvantaged on the inside against Armando Bacot, forward Grant Nelson’s importance in the upset 89-87 victory over North Carolina can’t be understated.

Beyond his elite stat line, Nelson played his best ball in the second half as Alabama outscored North Carolina 43-33. The North Dakota native dropped 19 of his 24 points and swatted three of his five shots in the final frame, going plus-9 in the process. He capped off his night with the go-ahead and-1 layup with under a minute to play before completing a game-sealing block on Harrison Ingram’s buzzer-beater heave attempt.

Alabama’s key to success will always revolve around superstar point guard Mark Sears, but its ceiling lies with Nelson. The versatile big had been going through a lengthy shooting slump, but if Thursday’s performance gets him on a roll from beyond the arc, the Crimson Tide have the firepower to beat any team remaining in the field.

Davis, Love go ice cold

While Alabama and Clemson each broke lengthy Elite Eight droughts, it was a night to forget for RJ Davis and Caleb Love. The former North Carolina backcourt tandem combined to shoot 9-of-38 from the field – including 0-of-18 from deep – as both the Tar Heels’ and Wildcats’ campaigns came to a disappointing end in the Sweet 16. It was the first time in NCAA Tournament history that two players shot 0-for-9 or worse from beyond the arc on the same day, according to statistician Jared Berson.

Davis’ and Love’s shotmaking prowess were instrumental to North Carolina’s surprising run to the 2022 national championship game. But on Thursday evening, it was their inability to make a basket – specifically from long distance – that denied an Elite Eight showdown between the ex-teammates.

Keatts keeps getting paid as NC State surges

Kevin Keatts’ bank account is having its own version of March Madness this month. NC State’s stunning run to the ACC Tournament title and now the Elite Eight has helped the Wolfpack secure the bag in all-time fashion. According to R. Corey Smith of 247 Sports, Keatts’ ACC tourney win triggered a two-year contract extension that’ll carry him through the 2030 season. It also brought a $400,000 raise that kicks in next season, upping his yearly salary to $3.1 million. Add in $100,000 bonuses for the NCAA Tournament victories thus far, and Keatts has set his income for the next six years with a total base compensation of $17.6 million.

NC State certainly doesn’t profile like a traditional Cinderella story coming from the powerhouse ACC, but the Wolfpack’s resume definitely fits the mold. A 10-10 record in the final 20 regular-season games had NC State on the outside looking in. A stunning run to the ACC Tournament title game likely had them in the Field of 68, but the win over North Carolina in the championship secured the automatic berth.

Keatts’ outfit easily prevailed over both No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 14 Oakland before sending No. 2 Marquette home on Friday thanks to a defensive masterclass. The Wolfpack managed to hold the Golden Eagles to 4-of-31 shooting from beyond the arc to make their first Elite Eight since 1986.

Purdue’s Smith is country’s best Robin

Edey’s 27-point, 14-rebound double-double led Purdue to an 80-68 win over No. 5 Gonzaga on Friday. But if the 7-foot-4 reigning National Player of the Year was the engine that pushed the Purdue train to the next round, point guard Braden Smith was its conductor.

Smith scored just 14 points in the contest but added a Purdue NCAA Tournament-record 15 assists. It was just the fourth time in the last 15 years a player in the Big Dance hit that passing tally. As if the passing weren’t enough, Smith was the only Boilermaker to play the entire game, and he added eight rebounds and scored two of his team’s nine 3-pointers.

Teams need to send multiple bodies to try and stop Edey. In his second season alongside the monstrous center, Smith has figured out the formula to be the perfect running mate. His ability to control the pace, find his open teammates, and hit shots when the defense collapses on Edey is what makes Purdue as great as it is. Smith likely wouldn’t claim the tournament MVP award if the Boilermakers win March Madness, but they certainly wouldn’t be able to win it without him.

Knecht the centerpiece Tennessee needed

The NCAA Tournament hasn’t been a fun experience for Tennessee under head coach Rick Barnes. The Volunteers have been a top-five seed in all five March Madness appearances under the veteran bench boss but never advanced past the Sweet 16. The issue was largely on the offensive end. Save for tough luck in 2019, Tennessee never topped 70 points in its elimination games. The defense simply wasn’t enough to vault the Volunteers.

Enter Dalton Knecht. Though the Northern Colorado transfer arrived in Knoxville with moderate expectations, Friday’s 82-75 win over Creighton cemented his value as one of the most important players in the Barnes era. Not only does his elite on-ball offense give Tennessee a go-to option, but opposing defenses have become so keyed in on his scoring that it opens up the floor for his teammates. Case in point: Knecht had a game-high 24 points against the Bluejays while adding five assists, four of which were in the second half when Creighton’s defense put the pressure on him.

The only time Tennessee sported an offensive efficiency higher than this season under Barnes was the aforementioned 2019 campaign, which ended after a Purdue team simply out-executed the Vols. While Knecht wasn’t on the team back then, he has the chance to exact revenge against the Boilermakers on Sunday.