What happened in the NCAA Men's Tournament second round

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only two teams have made nine straight Sweet 16s: North Carolina, which did it from 1984-1993, and Duke, which did it from 1998-2006. If Gonzaga finishes out Kansas — and it leads by 22 at the under-4 timeout — the Zags will have matched that record streak of nine straight years. (And that doesn't include the canceled 2020 tournament, in which Mark Few's team would have been a No. 1 seed).

It's a mind-boggling display of consistent success in an event known for its randomness. And this is one of the most unlikely years of the streak, as Gonzaga was a bubble team until at least mid-February and needed wins on the road at Kentucky and Saint Mary's to secure its at-large bid. This also means the first two teams in the 2024 Sweet 16 are coached by Few and his former longtime lieutenant, Arizona's Tommy Lloyd. Gonzaga could face Purdue in Detroit next week in a rematch of the Maui Invitational game that the Boilermakers won 73-63. But these Zags have clearly improved by leaps and bounds since November.

Our staff picks for No. 1 North Carolina versus No. 9 Michigan State:

• John Hollinger: Michigan State
• Brendan Marks: North Carolina
• Austin Mock: North Carolina
• Joe Rexrode: North Carolina

CHARLOTTE — It’s finally almost tipoff between No. 1 North Carolina and No. 9 Michigan State in the round of 32, here at Spectrum Center. (Side note: Not to belabor the point, but what sense is there in having pre-noon games in Salt Lake City… but programs of this caliber sitting around waiting all day? We digress, but c’mon.)

About the matchup: Both teams have dynamic lead guard play — R.J. Davis for UNC, Tyson Walker for MSU — and stout frontcourts. The determining factor, then? Look for who, between Michigan State’s Malik Hall and North Carolina’s Harrison Ingram, can make more of an impact. MSU coach Tom Izzo even told reporters yesterday that those two might decide the game. Here’s how they compared in their respective teams’ first-round games:

• Hall vs. Mississippi State: 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, five turnovers, one steal
• Ingram vs. Wagner: 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, one turnover, one steal, one assist

As for the history between these schools, there’s plenty — most recently, facing off in the 2009 national championship game, which UNC won handily. It’s hard to believe, but the Tar Heels are actually 4-0 all-time in the Big Dance vs. Izzo, and 5-0 all-time vs. the Spartans. Could that change today? It’s certainly possible, especially given Michigan State’s coach and his NCAA Tournament history. Izzo is 15-4 in the round of 32 all-time, and 24-7 in the second game of all tournament weekends.

Just an absolute offensive clinic by Gonzaga in the second half. The Zags have made 11 of their 12 field-goal attempts (that's 91.7 percent, if you're counting) and all four of their 3-point tries. Mark Few's team ranks eighth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and has been even better since the win at Kentucky on Feb. 17 — third nationally, per Bart Torvik's sorting tool. It's astonishing to see them do this in an NCAA Tournament game against a Bill Self-coached team, even if Kansas is shorthanded.

The good for Hunter Dickinson: He's terrific offensively. His ability to play at three levels makes Kansas go. The bad: He's crippling the Jayhawks defensively. His pick-and-roll defense was shredded in the first half, and Bill Self and the Kansas coaching staff will have to find a way to scheme around Dickinson's vast shortcomings on that end if they want to win this game.

Gonzaga is dominating the second half. The Zags have outscored Kansas 20-5 since halftime and lead 63-49 with about 14 minutes to play. It's a 15-0 run for Gonzaga.

We’re headed to the second staff in Salt Lake City. Hopefully, we get more of what we got in the first half. Kansas leads by one, and the first 20 minutes were close throughout. These two powerhouse programs put on a show in the first half, and a trip to the Sweet 16 is on the line in these final 20 minutes.

Halftime in Salt Lake: No. 4 Kansas 44, No. 5 Gonzaga 43. This site has been starved for a heck of a game so far and the Delta Center feels those vibes at the momentum. Jayhawks end the half with three straight made 3s, but Gonzaga's Ben Gregg's hustle steals back the KU momentum with a hard-fought offensive rebound and putback.

Might be too soon for triple-double watch but KU star center Hunter Dickinson with 13 points, four boards and four assists in the first half. Jayhawks have hit 7 of 11 from distance. If they can keep shooting at that clip in the second half, Gonzaga will be in trouble.

Looks like America still loves the NCAA Tournament the way it is. CBS and TNT sports had the most-watched first round in the history of this format, averaging 8.3 million viewers. Oakland’s upset of Kentucky was also the most-watched first-round game since Zion Williamson and Duke played North Dakota State in 2019.

This has been high-level basketball from Kansas and Gonzaga to start this game, and that shouldn’t be a surprise with the two programs in this tournament. Gonzaga is shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and Kansas just dipped below 50 percent, and both teams are getting after each other. The intensity level is high in this 4-5 matchup.

Kansas and Gonzaga are underway in the second game in Salt Lake City, and the Jayhawks hold an early 20-16 lead with 13:22 to play in the half. The Jayhawks — a popular pick to be upset before they defeated 13th-seeded Samford on Thursday — have made eight of their first 12 shots.

Gonzaga isn't far behind them, making 7-of-11.

Record: 23-10 (10-8 Big 12)

Coach: Bill Self (57-22 in NCAA Tournament, 4 Final Fours, 2 national titles)

Player to watch: Hunter Dickinson (first-team All-Big 12)

Strengths: Kansas shares the ball (it leads all teams in assist rate), it makes a ton of its 2-point attempts (54.8 percent) and has one of the game’s elite five-man units. The Jayhawks aren’t elite defensively, but are solid inside the paint and in passing lanes. They’re also underrated as an up-tempo team. Kansas outgunned Kentucky earlier this season. When they’re hitting from the perimeter — or if point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. is able to attract attention — Kansas can play with anyone.

Weaknesses: The bench gets most of the attention — only a handful of high-major teams play their starters more than Kansas — but that’s not what derails KU. It’s the shot volume. Between pitiful offensive rebounding (291st in the country) and turnover propensity, Kansas is well below the national average at creating opportunities to score. The Jayhawks shoot 33 percent beyond the arc, but fewer than 30 percent of their shots come from deep, 333rd nationally.

Outlook: The Jayhawks were No. 1 in the AP preseason poll. They beat UConn, Tennessee and Houston. But their two All-Big 12 players — Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. have been battling injuries. McCullar, the Big 12’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg) sufered a bone bruise in late January and will miss the tournament. Dickinson, the league’s second-leading scorer (18.0 ppg) and top rebounder (10.8 rpg), dislocated his shoulder and missed the Big 12 Tournament. But he returned for the first round against Samford. It could be the second straight season Kansas exits before the second week.

—Mike Miller

Somewhere, Bill Walton must be smiling. And probably talking about something indecipherable. The Zombie Pac-12 improves to 6-0 in this NCAA Tournament and has produced its first Sweet 16 team in Arizona, which will try to go through Pac-12 country (L.A. and Greater Phoenix) for a national title.

SALT LAKE CITY — The self-appointed bracketologists around the country all asked a question that permeated throughout the realm of college basketball before this year’s NCAA Tournament started: can we trust Arizona?

March hasn’t exactly been kind to one of the most storied programs in the sport in recent years. Despite consistently having a roster worthy of deep, meaningful runs in the tournament, Arizona has seen its postseason dreams upended at the hands of higher seeds.

A year ago, it was as a No. 2 seed to No. 15 Princeton.

In 2018, it was as a No. 4 seed against No. 13 Buffalo.

These No. 2 Wildcats have passed the test, at least through the first two rounds of this March. While they still have questions to answer about whether they can be trusted to make this March memorable, Arizona advanced to the Sweet 16 in the West Region Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City with a 78-68 win over No. 10 Dayton.

Arizona will face the winner of No. 3 Baylor and No. 6 Clemson in Los Angeles next week.

The Wildcats toppled the Flyers with a balanced approach from a number of its key rotational players. They proved they are much more than The Caleb Love Show. Four players scored in double figures, led by Love, who finished with a team-high 19 points after a stellar first half (5-of-7 from the field) was followed by an ice-cold second (1-of-8).

With Love’s shot off, guards Pelle Larsson, Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis helped fuel a second-half run that kept a desperate Dayton team at bay. After the Flyers cut the Arizona lead to within three midway through the second half, Larsson and Lewis fueled a swift 7-0 run to put a comfortable distance between Arizona and Dayton. The trio also pestered Dayton’s All-American with their help defense on Flyers star DaRon Holmes II.

Holmes II, the co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, was a standout with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds.