Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

Week one is in the books, and it’s final day was stellar.

After four days on non-stop madness on par with some of the most mad opening weekends we’ve ever seen before, it’s finally time to take a breath.

Before we do that, let’s relive all the magic and madness of the final day of the 2023 NCAA tournament’s opening weekend.

March Madness’ 3 best games of Day 4

1. (3) Gonzaga 84, (6) TCU 81 (West)

With a three-day void staring all of us directly in the face, it was nice of the basketball gods to make the final game of the first week of the Big Dance one of its more entertaining and competitive contests. Unless you were hoping for a blowout so you could catch up on a little sleep, but if that’s the case, you probably aren’t built for this weekend anyway.

TCU led by three at halftime and controlled the early part of the first half, but a 13-1 Gonzaga run that featured Drew Timme’s first made three-pointer since December wound up proving to be the difference. Timme dominated after the break, and finished with a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds. He became just the seventh player in NCAA tournament history to have nine games with 20 points or more, joining a list that also features Bill Bradley, Richard Hamilton, Elvin Hayes, Glen Rice, Corliss Williamson and Danny Manning.

With the win, Gonzaga heads to the Sweet 16 for the eighth straight tournament. That’s the longest active streak in the country, and the third longest of all-time. Only Duke (1998-2006) and North Carolina (1981-1993) have longer streaks of consecutive trips to the second weekend.

It also means that we’re getting Gonzaga-UCLA in a regional semifinal 17 years TO THE DAY that they met in the famous Adam Morrison Sweet 16 game.

Greatest sporting event in the world.

2. (3) Kansas State 75, (6) Kentucky 69 (East)

This was the third NCAA tournament meeting between this pair of Wildcats since 2014. Kentucky took out Kansas State in the first round of the 2014 tournament, and then K-State upset UK in the 2018 Sweet 16.

The rubber match was competitive throughout, although it wasn’t always aesthetically pleasing.

Kansas State went 0-for-12 from three in the first half and got every point it scored before halftime either on a layup or dunk or from the free-throw line. Kentucky also struggled with its shot, racking up most of its baskets off second-chance opportunities created by Oscar Tshiebwe’s nine offensive rebounds, which were more than twice as many as Kansas State corralled as a team. Meanwhile, UK teammate Antonio Reeves — likely Kentucky’s most consistent contributor for the season — was shooting a woeful 1-for-15 from the field and 1-for-10 from three. His lone make was a meaningless shot in the game’s closing moments.

Together, the two teams combined to go 4-for-31 from three over the game’s first 33 minutes, and finished a combined 9-for-41 from beyond the arc.

And yet, this was still a compelling contest.

Tshiebe was once again a man amongst boys, finishing with 25 points and 18 rebounds in what was almost certainly his final college game. K-State star Markques Nowell was spectacular (more on that below), dazzling the crowd with his brilliant passing and unlimited range.

Ultimately, this was anyone’s game in the final minutes.

With Kentucky leading by 1 just before the two minute mark, the game eventually came down to the fact that Kansas State got back-to-back three-point makes from Ismael Massoud and Keyontae Johnson, while UK countered with misses from deep by Chris Livingston and Reeves. There’s your game, and if you’re Kentucky, there’s your season.

Strange fact: The only other time in tournament history that a 16 has beaten a 1 (2018), it also happened in a region featuring both Kentucky and Kansas State, the two teams also ended up playing each other, and Kansas State also ended up winning. In the 11 games all-time between these teams, those are the only two wins for K-State.

Props to both teams for making at least one of the four standalone games on Saturday/Sunday competitive.

3. (9) Florida Atlantic 78, (16) Fairleigh Dickinson 70 (East)

A lot of times when the tournament presents us with a funky second round game like this one, it can be a brutal viewing experience. The magic from Thursday or Friday wears off, the preparation and focus for game two isn’t the same, and we end up with either a blowout or a clank-fest.

That wasn’t the case here.

Playing at a frenetic pace for almost the entire 40 minutes, Florida Atlantic and Fairleigh Dickinson put on a show that was fun for all ages.

After trailing by seven at halftime, FDU started the second half on a 12-1 run that had the entire country thinking they might witness a 16-seed win a second March Madness game for the first time ever.

The two teams then traded blows for the next 10 minutes before Fairleigh Dickinson finally went cold.

Florida Atlantic took the lead for good with 8:37 to play, but the Knights kept hanging around until a missed layup in the closing minute with the score at 76-70 finally put to bed any hope they had of pulling off a second stunner in three days.

The lesson from this game is a clear one: The NCAA tournament needs more 16 vs. 9 matchups.

3 teams that won it the best

1. Miami

No team was more impressive on Sunday than the Hurricanes, who roasted fourth-seeded Indiana, 85-69, in a game that many thought would be the most competitive of the day.

Miami got 27 points from ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong, and scored a whopping 29 second chance points. The Hurricanes, who rebounded better than 50 percent of their missed shots in the second half, finished with more offensive rebounds (20) than Indiana had defensive rebounds (19). A big part of that was the play of sophomore forward Norchad Omier, who certainly looked fully healthy as he was pulling down 17 rebounds, nine of those on the offensive end.

Miami’s win also means that the ACC’s streak of having at least one Sweet 16 team in every tournament since 1980 (the year the tournament stopped capping its limit of teams from the same conference at two) will continue. The 43-year streak is the longest of any conference in the sport.

Coming off its first regional final appearance last season, Miami is now headed to back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time in program history. The Hurricanes have advanced to the tournament’s second weekend just five times in school history, and now four of those have come under the watch of head coach Jim Larranaga, who still feels critically undervalued nationally.

2. UConn

The Huskies came out a little bit sluggish against Saint Mary’s, which is why they sit behind Miami in this section. Once they woke up, though, Danny Hurley’s team looked every bit the part of the top-tier national title contender that they are.

Adama Sanogo scored 24 points and Jordan Hawkins went nuts from beyond the arc in the second half, as UConn rolled to a 70-55 win over a Saint Mary’s team that had looked very impressive against VCU just two days earlier.

Connecticut now returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014, which is also when they won the most recent of their four national championships. Regardless of what happens from here on out, there’s no question that the Huskies are back as a major player on the national scene.

3. Creighton

Michigan State and Xavier both have very valid cases to be in this spot, but we’ll go with Creighton, which went on a 13-2 run early in the first half and then maintained control for the rest of the way in an 85-76 upset of third-seeded Baylor.

When they’re firing on all cylinders, Creighton is as dangerous as any team still standing. They’ll head into the Sweet 16 after two very impressive performances in week one.

It should also be noted that the Bluejays went 22-for-22 from the foul line on Sunday. That ties the record — set by Fordham in the 1971 NCAA tournament — for the most free-throw attempts without a miss in tournament history.

The 3 Biggest Disappointments

1. Marquette

Losing to Tom Izzo as a 2-seed is nothing to be ashamed of (more on that below), but the real kicker for Marquette here is that they lost on a day where the other three Big East teams playing all prevailed. Being the team from the conference that won both the regular season and tournament championship and then watching everyone but you have success on the larger stage has to add to the gut punch of seeing your season come to a close.

2. Indiana

The Hoosiers got another stellar effort from Trayce Jackson-Davis (23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks), but its backcourt was absolutely no match for Miami’s. And then there was, you know, the whole giving up 20 offensive rebounds to a team that primarily plays four guards thing. That’s gonna get you on this list.

3. Pittsburgh

An 11-seed getting smoked by a 3-seed isn’t particularly disappointing, but let me defend myself here.

First off, this happened in the lid-lifter game, which is a standalone. Pitt making it clear in the first half that this wasn’t going to be a contest gave me no excuse but to run some errands I would have just as soon put off until next weekend.

Second, they ruined one of my favorite crazy March Madness facts.

Before this year, a power conference team seeded 9th or worse had reached the Sweet 16 in every NCAA tournament since 2008. Pitt was the last team with a chance to keep that streak going, and they blew it (although we do have 8th-seeded Arkansas and a non-power conference 9-seed in FAU moving on).

The only saving grace for the Panthers is that they did add on to another one of my favorite tournament trends, which is a First Four team winning a main draw in every year but one since the First Four became a thing in 2011.

Great season. Still not thrilled with you though.

5 Day 4 Cheers

1. The Dayton band becoming the Fairleigh Dickinson band

Fairleigh Dickinson does not have a pep band, so when the Knights were sent to Dayton for the First Four, the UD band agreed to assume the role. Despite the school being on spring break, about half the members of the pep band made it back to campus to help out the Knights.

After Fairleigh Dickinson took down Texas Southern, the UD band made the trip with the Knights to Columbus. Had FDU beaten Florida Atlantic on Sunday, they would have kept the journey going together in New York City.

Another one of those awesome stories that makes this month about so much more than the spectacular basketball.

2. Sweet 16 conference parity

While we’re used to seeing more than one second weekend team from conferences like the ACC and the Big Ten … well, the ACC at least … some of the big guys only sending one or two teams through means that 11 different conferences will be represented in the regional semifinals next weekend. That ties the record for the most different conferences represented in a Sweet 16. It also happened in 1991 and 2010.

Shoutouts to the ACC, Big 10, Pac-12, Big 12, SEC, Big East, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West, Ivy League, West Coast Conference and Conference USA.

The SEC (3), Big East (3) and Big 12 (2) are the only leagues with multiple teams still standing.

3. Markquis Nowell

There are likely a number of people out there who didn’t watch a ton of Big 12 basketball this season and have gotten their first look at Markquis Nowell this weekend.

Welcome to the show.

Two days after becoming just the ninth player since 1984 to hand out at least 14 assists in an NCAA tournament game, Nowell’s star shined brighter than any other player on the floor’s did during Kansas State’s 75-69 win over Kentucky.

The Third Team AP All-American dished out nine assists on Sunday afternoon, many of them in spectacular fashion.

Nowell was also there to knock down a huge outside shot or a floater in the lane every time it seemed like Kentucky might be on the verge of seizing complete momentum of the contest.

When the dust settled, Nowell had finished with 27 points, nine assists and three seals, and was easily the biggest reason why Kansas State is headed to its first Sweet 16 since 2018.

Through two NCAA tournament games, Nowell has scored or assisted on 93 of Kansas State’s 152 points. That’s good for 62 percent. The only two other players since 2010 to score or assist on 60 percent of their team’s points through the first two rounds are Ja Morant (62 percent in 2019) and Jimmer Fredette (60 percent in 2011).

The Ja Morant comparisons don’t stop there.

Not bad for “the little kid,” as John Calipari called him on Sunday.

4. Izzo in March

“Tom Izzo in March” has been a frequently-utilized phrase in college basketball circles for what feels like forever at this point. There’s a reason.

No. 7 seed Michigan State’s 69-60 upset of second-seeded Marquette marked the 16th time in his coaching career that Izzo has won an NCAA tournament game with a worse-seeded team. No coach in college basketball history has won more.

Want another NCAA record set on Sunday: Izzo has now taken six teams seeded fifth or worse to the Sweet 16. No coach in college hoops history has taken more.

One more? Sure.

Michigan State’s win over Marquette also marked the ninth time that an Izzo-coached team has pulled an upset of a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. That ties him with the late Lute Olson for the most such wins in tournament history.

The last two times that Michigan State has made the Sweet 16 as a 7-seed, they’ve ended up advancing to the Final Four.

5. The Johnell Davis/Drew Timme postgame interviews

As great as the Davis slip-up and reaction is, it’s Jamie Erdahl’s response that makes this an all-time clip.

Don’t feel bad, Johnell. Drew Timme did it like three times last year and didn’t even flinch … and then he went and did it again Sunday night.

The man struggled badly to find television appropriate words one time and then just completely gave up on making any sort of effort whatsoever to censor himself.

BONUS CHEER: Kansas State’s “Mahomes” play

Wanting to get the ball into the hands of Markquis Nowell, their best free-throw shooter, Kansas State ran an interesting in-bounds play late in their win over Kentucky. Four different Wildcats started out of bounds, and K-State essentially ran what looked like a bubble screen to get the ball to Nowell.

K-State head coach Jerome Tang explained after the game that they call that play “Mahomes,” after Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Super Bowl winner approves.

5 Day 4 Jeers

1. Major conference tournament winners

So much for March momentum.

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament saw the conference tournament champions from the Big East (Marquette), Big Ten (Purdue), Pac-12 (Arizona) and ACC (Duke) all bounced before the Sweet 16.

SEC tournament champion Alabama and Big 12 tournament champion Texas remain standing.

2. Saying goodbye to Fairleigh Dickinson

The most special, cruel and beautiful thing about this month is just how dramatically EVERYTHING can change for players, coaches and entire programs in a matter of days.

On Wednesday night, Fairleigh Dickinson was a 3-point underdog in Dayton against a 20-loss Texas Southern team. If you knew anything about them, it was likely that they got into the NCAA tournament despite not even winning the Northeast Conference tournament because of a technicality (or that I’ve loved making shitty jokes about them on Twitter for years).

Four nights later they were already March immortals flirting with becoming the first 16-seed in history to play their way into the tournament’s second weekend. We knew what they did to Purdue, we knew where the school is located, we knew a little about the head coach, and we weren’t going to forget any of it.

We never will, at least the important parts.

The passage of five days can often be so uneventful that it can happen without you ever being aware of what day it is. In March, the passage of five days can contain a lifetime’s worth of memories and alter everything forever.

Fairleigh Dickinson forever. March forever.

3. The Big Ten

This has been a problem for a while now. It continues to be a problem.

It’s not just that the conference hasn’t produced a national champion since 2000 or that it has just one team remaining (7th-seeded Michigan State) this season. It’s that it’s being humiliated year after year on the sport’s biggest stage.

Maybe it’s the style of play, maybe it’s just a law of averages-defying run of bad luck. Whatever the case, the Big Ten desperately needs to start producing in the Big Dance.

And no, you don’t get to claim whatever UCLA does from here on out as your own.

4. Anyone who had Gonzaga -4.5 or -5.

I don’t gamble on anything other than horse racing. This is why.

In Damion Baugh’s defense, 84-81 looks wayyyy better than 84-78. I don’t blame him at all.

5. Whoever towed Tyson Walker’s car

Campus towers remain the most unflinchingly ruthless people this country can claim.

Guarantee that getting that car back ended up being a three-hour process. You could have scored 50. These people simply do not give a shit.

All Day-4 Team

Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic

Davis became the first player in the history of the NCAA tournament to score 25 points, grab 10 rebounds, hand out out five assists and record five steals. That effort resulted in Florida Atlantic punching a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State

We discussed it at length earlier, but Nowell’s 27-point, nine assist performance against Kentucky was a work of art.

Drew Timme, Gonzaga

The two-time All-American saved the day for the Zags, scoring 28 points and grabbing eight rebounds. He became the seventh-player in college basketball history to have nine NCAA tournament games with 20 points or more.

Ryan Nembhard, Creighton

After missing last year’s NCAA tournament with a wrist injury, Nembhard is getting his fill this go-round. The sophomore point guard hit 8-of-13 from the field and all 10 of his attempts at the free-throw line on his way to a 30-point effort. He’s the second Creighton player in as many games to score 30 points or more, joining teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner, who scored 31 against NC State on Friday.

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

The reigning national Player of the Year did all he could to keep Kentucky’s season alive, scoring 25 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. He averaged 21 points and 20 rebounds in his three tournament games at UK, and the Cats won one of them.

3 Best Day 4 Dunks

After a stellar performance from this group on Friday, the sequel effort landed with a bit of a thud.

1. Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Marquette

2. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

3. Tyson Walker, Michigan State

This one gets a spot on the list only because Walker said afterwards that it was the first time he’d ever dunked in a game.

3 Best Day 4 Images

1. A unit in sync

UConn is a machine at the moment.

Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

2. The scramble for Cinderella

We clearly need more 9 vs. 16 games in this tournament

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

3. Fiery Cal

Kentucky is once again headed home before the tournament’s second weekend.

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

4. Baylor beats Baylor

Scheierman and Creighton kissed the Bears goodbye.

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

5. Timme time

A huge second half effort has Drew and the Zags into the Sweet 16 for an 8th straight year.

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

5 Notable Quotes From Day 4

1. “Well you know, we have a program that’s rich in tradition also. All those old dudes that played for Kentucky, they ain’t coming back. Right? Tradition does not help you if you don’t get out there on the floor and play with some dudes. We had more dudes than they did today. And that’s what that was.” —Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang

2. “What a historical run. We didn’t back down. We didn’t go away. We were not just happy to be here. The hardest part is not being able to go to practice the next day.” —Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tobin Anderson

3. “We’re going to study Australian rugby rules and get ready for the Vols.” —Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May

4. “Before they announce our starting lineup at home they’re always like ‘and seven straight Sweet 16s.’ I’m like ‘we cannot be the team that fucks this one up.’ So, just to get it done and not fall under that Hypnotoad’s genjutsu or whatever it is, feels good man.” —Gonzaga senior forward Drew Timme

5. “I mean, can we get a little bit of credit?. We have the No. 3 offense in the country. They say Coach Hurley can’t coach offense. We have the No. 14 defense in the country, too. I mean, you know, maybe it’s something.” —UConn assistant coach Luke Murray

Full Sweet 16 schedule for 2023 men’s NCAA tournament

Everyone take a deep breath, get a few nights of solid sleep, and we’ll meet back here on Thursday.