4 Takeaways From the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16

FOX Sports' Michael Cohen offers up four key insights from the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 round.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:39am

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The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 featured a dominant showing from the Big Ten, with four conference teams reaching the Elite Eight. UConn remains the Big East's top program in March, while Arizona continues to buck the 3-point shooting trend. Additionally, a late-game blunder by Nebraska led to a heartbreaking loss against Iowa.

Why it matters

The Big Ten's success in the Sweet 16 has put the conference in prime position to end its 26-year national title drought. UConn's continued excellence keeps the Big East relevant in the tournament, while Arizona's unique offensive approach challenges modern basketball analytics. Nebraska's mistake also highlights the fine line between triumph and tragedy in the NCAA Tournament.

The details

The Big Ten set a new record by sending six teams to the Sweet 16, with four (Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois) advancing to the Elite Eight. Michigan head coach Dusty May credited the conference's tough environments and coaching as factors in the Big Ten's success. UConn remained the Big East's top program, fending off a late Michigan State comeback. Arizona dominated Arkansas with a paint-focused offense that ranked 360th nationally in 3-point attempt rate. In the final seconds of Nebraska's loss to Iowa, the Cornhuskers only had four players on the court, leading to a critical layup that sealed the game.

  • On Thursday and Friday, the Big Ten sent four teams to the Elite Eight, a new record for the conference.
  • UConn earned its 17th consecutive win in the Sweet 16 and beyond, a run that includes back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.
  • Arizona scored 109 points against Arkansas on Thursday night, with 60 of those points coming in the paint.
  • With 58.8 seconds remaining in the one-possession game, Nebraska only had four players on the court, leading to a critical layup by Iowa that sealed the game.

The players

Dusty May

The head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, who praised the strength of the Big Ten conference.

Trey Kaufman-Renn

The forward for the Purdue Boilermakers, who made a last-second tip to help his team defeat Texas.

Alvaro Folgueiras

The forward for the Iowa Hawkeyes, who noticed Nebraska only had four players on the court and scored a crucial layup in the final seconds.

Fred Hoiberg

The head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who took responsibility for the late-game mistake that led to his team's loss.

Ben McCollum

The head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, who has a successful track record of winning at the Division II level before making the jump to Division I.

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What they’re saying

“College basketball has been cyclical forever. Hopefully this is a long cycle for us in the conference. I think now that the playing field has been leveled out as far as finances and things like that, the environments in the Big Ten are second to none, the brands, and now I think we're developing a different type of basketball identity with the West Coast schools joining us.”

— Dusty May, Michigan head coach

“I'm from the south of Spain, from a small neighborhood called El Palo, and we are known by being, you know, a little more life smart than some other places. So I just noticed that they were all trying to figure out who they were guarding and there were just four players on the court. I made eye contact with Kael (Combs), the ref gave him the ball, and after like two or three seconds of me jumping and saying, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go!' we [still] had enough time to get the fast break because there were just four players and I was the only one open at the end of the court.”

— Alvaro Folgueiras

“Put that one on me. It was a miscommunication, and I'm the head coach. Put that one on me.”

— Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska head coach

What’s next

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The takeaway

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