Sweet 16 takeaways: Alabama on fire, Texas Tech brings drama

theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from Thursday's biggest NCAA Tournament games and what it all could mean moving forward.

Sears leads Bama's 3-point onslaught

Alabama has prided itself on its high-volume 3-point shooting during Nate Oats' tenure. The Crimson Tide entered Thursday's Sweet 16 clash against BYU ranked 14th in triples attempted (29.2 per contest) and 21st in threes made (10.2). They stayed true to that identity versus the Cougars.

Oats' squad drained an NCAA Tournament-record 25 threes, surpassing the previous single-game mark of 21 set by Loyola Marymount in 1990. The Crimson Tide accomplished the feat with eight minutes remaining on an efficient 49% clip. Their combined output from downtown and the charity stripe (18 free throws) eclipsed BYU's overall point total.

Sears led the historic 3-point barrage with 10 makes from distance, finishing just one short of the individual all-time tournament record. He's the first player with eight threes and eight assists in the same NCAA Tournament contest, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Second-year guard Aden Holloway was just as vital to Alabama's victory, knocking down six triples of his own, including a pair of second-half threes to restore the Crimson Tide's lead to double digits. Sears and Holloway are the first pair of teammates to make six 3-pointers apiece in the same NCAA Tournament game, according to CBS Sports.

Flagg shows off complete package

With just over a minute left in the first half, Cooper Flagg attacked Trey Townsend off the bounce and hit a step-back jumper to give him his 14th and 15th points of the evening. The seemingly ordinary sequence encapsulated why NBA teams are tanking games. Flagg's ability to stop on a dime, remain balanced, and calmly drain a basket while creating distance from the fifth-year forward is a lot harder than it looks. It was easy work for the presumptive No. 1 pick, who then hit Townsend with a "they can't guard me" look.

Flagg has been by far the best player in the country and will likely join Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson as the only freshmen ever to win the Wooden Award. The 18-year-old is only scratching the surface yet could step into an NBA lineup tomorrow with all the weapons already at his disposal.

Flagg shined in the biggest game of his young career, tallying 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three blocks. The Duke forward is the first player to register at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in an NCAA Tournament game since Dwyane Wade in the 2003 Elite Eight against Kentucky, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.

As Flagg alluded to, the Wildcats couldn't stop him. The Blue Devils phenom finished with his off-hand in the paint, made timely cuts to expose holes in the defense, and drove aggressively to the basket. When Arizona tried to force the ball out of Flagg's hands, he went into playmaker mode and consistently found big man Khaman Maluach on lobs. Flagg was more than willing to do the dirty work, too, going after rebounds on his own missed shots and hustling back for a block after missing at the rim on the other end.

Flagg's the type of game-changing prospect who can win a team a national championship and also one a club can build an NBA roster around.

Texas Tech's comeback hero

Nobody told Darrion Williams that the Arkansas game story praising John Calipari on his 13th trip to the Elite Eight had already been written. The junior forward will never have to buy a drink in Lubbock again after his late-game heroics versus the Razorbacks. The Texas Tech standout first forced overtime in the dying second of regulation, before ending things with a clutch bank shot in the extra frame.

While Williams was undoubtedly the star, a whole lot had to happen in the final 5:00 just to give him the chance to shine. The Red Raiders trailed 69-56 at that moment and went to overtime tied at 72. We'll save you the math: that's a 16-3 run to close regulation - with all 16 points provided by Williams and Christian Anderson. In fact, that duo and JT Toppin combined for 62 points in the win - the first trio of teammates to all score at least 20 points in a second-weekend game since 2010, according to college basketball statistician Jared Berson.

There will be plenty of talk about how Arkansas blew things down the stretch, but the offensive execution by the Red Raiders deserves plenty of attention.

Full Arkansas experience on display

We've spent the whole season trying to figure out Arkansas, so why would the Sweet 16 provide any clarity on the Razorbacks? John Calipari's outfit both dazzled and baffled this season - from an 11-2 start to losing five straight games to start SEC play. Somehow, Thursday's loss was a perfect encapsulation of their season-long resume.

The Razorbacks flashed their immense talent in the opening half, with Karter Knox, Johnell Davis, and DJ Wagner all providing moments of brilliance at both ends. The team made 6-of-10 triples in the half - a remarkable number after hitting only two in the entire game versus St. John's on Saturday.

Calipari entered the game with a perfect 35-0 record in NCAA Tournament play when leading by at least six points at half. Unfortunately, regression hit like a Mike Tyson right hand in the second half, with only 2-of-10 3-pointers dropping as the offense stagnated.

That paved the way for the Texas Tech comeback and will force writers everywhere to mass delete all the words of praise headed Calipari's way for getting his team to peak in the tournament. Instead, we are left with just as many questions about this Razorbacks team as we've had all season.

Florida's toughest foe is ... Florida

No. 1 Florida entered the 2025 NCAA Tournament as one of the most popular picks to win the national championship. Through three games of the Gators' tournament run, it's pretty clear the team that has the best chance of beating them is ... the Gators, themselves.

Florida's nervous moments against UConn and now Maryland have come as a result of sloppy offensive play. However, when the SEC Tournament champs button up their ball-handling, it's damn near impossible to beat them - as the second half versus the Terrapins showed Thursday.

The first half looked eerily similar to Sunday's nail-biter against the Huskies in which the Gators committed nine turnovers before heading to the locker room. On Thursday, they turned the ball over a whopping 13 times in 20 minutes - their most in a half this season. Clearly the team has suffered from a bad case of nerves to start the last two games, considering it averages only 10 turnovers per game on the year. However, the Gators have shown their championship mentality in both second halves.

They turned the ball over just three times in the second half against UConn and handed it to Maryland only four times. A more careful approach on offense led the Gators to pull away late in the Round of 32 and run wild against the Terrapins. Florida outscored its opponent 47-33 over the final 20 minutes Thursday with a 21-10 rebounding edge playing a large role.

Todd Golden now has one job to deliver on over the next 48 hours before tip-off in the Elite Eight: solving the Gators' first-half turnover issues. If he can do that, it's tough to see anybody taking this Florida team out before the national title game.