5 takeaways from the Sweet 16

Over 350 teams started play this season in Division I, but only eight remain following the completion of the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

After eight outstanding contests over the past two nights, the regional finals are set, with the headline of Saint Peter's becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach this round in NCAA Tournament history.

Here are the five major takeaways from the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga's offense sputters at worst time

Gonzaga's 0.88 points per possession in its Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas was the program's lowest mark since March 2019, and that inevitably sent the Bulldogs home in a game they were expected to win. Drew Timme put up 25 points, but the rest of the Zags went just 15-of-45 from the field.

It was a shocking offensive performance for a squad that's been ranked No. 1 nationally in points per game four years running. However, this has been a shaky tournament from the start for Gonzaga. In the Round of 64, the Bulldogs led No. 16 Georgia State by just one point at the half, and they had to come back from a double-digit deficit in the next round against No. 8 Memphis.

Give Arkansas credit for a perfectly executed game plan on the defensive end, but it was clear from the jump of March Madness that Gonzaga wasn't playing to its full potential. This poor offensive showing means Mark Few and company are still looking for their first national title.

Arkansas and Houston becoming top-tier programs

Few coaches have done as good a job of bringing their schools to national relevancy as Kelvin Sampson at Houston and Eric Musselman at Arkansas. Thanks to their victories over No. 1 seeds Thursday, the two programs advanced to the Elite Eight for the second straight season.

The Cougars have won at least one March Madness game in the last four tournaments. Their hyper-aggressive defense and offensive rebounding make them one of the hardest teams to square off against in college basketball, as Arizona found out Thursday.

Arkansas' two consecutive postseason runs are the furthest the program's advanced since a national championship game loss in 1995. Musselman's teams play a fast tempo and have a knack for bringing in key transfers. The Razorbacks are a scrappy bunch, and they showed it in their win over Gonzaga.

Despite a rough couple of decades for these programs, massive wins mean they're now considered among college basketball's best.

Coach K makes key tactical change

A key tactical change aided Mike Krzyzewski's record-extending 100th NCAA Tournament win. The legendary Duke bench boss threw Texas Tech an unexpected curveball when he switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone in the second half of Thursday's Sweet 16 clash.

The move made sense considering the Red Raiders' 3-point struggles throughout the 2021-22 campaign. It was also equally shocking as the Blue Devils played zone on only 4% of their possessions this season, according to Synergy Basketball.

Coach K's decision paid immediate dividends as Texas Tech came up empty on its first six possessions and shot 33% from the field in the approximate 10 minutes Duke played zone, per ESPN Stats & Info. While the Blue Devils reverted back to man-to-man in the closing stages, Krzyzewski's initial second-half adjustment was the difference in a tight five-point win.

Saint Peter's makes history once again

Being just the third 15-seed to make the Sweet 16 wasn't enough for Saint Peter's. The undoubted top story of March Madness became the only team ever ranked No. 12 or lower to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Peacocks took down No. 3 Purdue in a very similar way to how they knocked off No. 2 Kentucky and No. 7 Murray State. They hit shots early to keep it close, locked down defensively in the second half, and made clutch play after clutch play down the stretch. The Boilermakers' massive size and athleticism advantages didn't matter against the excellent game plan of superstar coach Shaheen Holloway and his players.

Logic would state Saint Peter's is a long shot against North Carolina in the Elite Eight, but conventional wisdom is officially out the window. The Peacocks' latest victory on Friday night likely already cements them as the greatest Cinderella run in NCAA Tournament history.

Hubert Davis was the right choice

There was much debate over who should succeed Roy Williams as the Tar Heels' next head coach. Any doubt regarding Williams' decision to appoint Hubert Davis as his successor should be put to bed after North Carolina's Sweet 16 victory over UCLA.

In just his first season at the helm, Davis has guided the program to 27 wins, a second-place regular-season finish in the ACC, and its first regional final appearance in five years. There were some tough losses along the way, including a 28-point defeat to Miami and a home loss to Pittsburgh, but Davis has his team playing its best basketball at the right time.

North Carolina has cracked the 90-point barrier and held opponents to 66 points or less in two of its three NCAA Tournament wins. Armando Bacot has recorded a double-double in each of the three games, Brady Manek has made over 40% of his triples, and Caleb Love is single-handedly taking over games.

Less than a month after spoiling Coach K's home finale, the two sides are both one win away from a Final Four showdown.