And then there were 16.
The remaining teams in the NCAA tournament all followed their own paths to this point.
For some, it was a challenge.
Creighton had to fight Oregon in double overtime. Houston gave up a double-digit lead late before it finally defeated Texas A&M with an extra five minutes of play. Marquette had to hit big shots in the final minutes to get past Colorado, and NC State had to stop Oakland in overtime.
For others, it was a breeze. UConn, Duke, Arizona, Illinois and Purdue simply cruised.
There are new heroes to follow in the second weekend, such as NC State's DJ Burns Jr. and Clemson's Chase Hunter. But many of the teams and players are familiar in the Sweet 16. For the most part, the higher seeds prevailed.
Now, we'll see who is built for the Final Four.
Before we get there, however, we're here to rank the Sweet 16, as we see it, after everything that has unfolded thus far.
Check out everything we had learned about the teams after the first day of the second round on Saturday and after the second day of the second round on Sunday.
1-seeds
UConn Huskies
Original seed: No. 1 overall seed (East)
NCAA tournament results: Defeated 16-seed Stetson 91-52; defeated 9-seed Northwestern 75-58