Men's NCAA Tournament Round of 32 winners, losers: Big 12 owns the day

Winner: Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn

Purdue was a trendy pick to be upset in the first round. Instead, it's headed to consecutive Sweet 16s for the first time since 2018-19.

Kaufman-Renn is the main reason why after stuffing the box score in Purdue's rout over McNeese. The 2024-25 All-Big Ten team member had 22 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block, becoming the first player since former Gonzaga (and current Kings) forward Domantas Sabonis to have at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in an NCAA Tournament win. (h/t Stathead)

Kaufman-Renn has five consecutive 20-point games dating back to Purdue's regular-season finale, making his Sweet 16 showdown against the ferocious Houston defense one of the next round's greatest matchups.

Loser: St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr.

The 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year picked a bad time to play his worst game of the season. In St. John's loss to West No. 10 Arkansas, Luis scored nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. It was his worst shooting performance with at least 10 field goal attempts since an 0-for-10 outing as a freshman in his second career game.

The consensus All-American entered Saturday's game on fire, averaging 22.4 points on 49.1 percent shooting, including 52.9 percent from beyond the arc, in his seven most recent games dating back to Feb. 26.

Winner: Texas Tech forwards Darrion Williams and JT Toppin

The dynamic Red Raiders duo combined for 53 points while making 71 percent of their field goal attempts. Williams was Texas Tech's leading scorer, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Toppin had 25 points — shooting 11-of-13 from the court — and 12 rebounds.

Texas Tech plays Arkansas next, and its two stars give it an excellent chance of reaching the Elite Eight for the first time since 2019. That year, the Red Raiders ended the season as the national runner-up. 

Loser: Buzzer-beaters

Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle's 3-point attempt, which would have tied the game against Houston in the waning seconds at 79, was blocked by Cougars forward Ja'Vier Francis.

Wisconsin guard John Tonje's chance of being the hero against BYU ended in disappointment when his potential tying bucket fell short.

We've grown accustomed to seeing players make dramatic shots during March Madness, but this year's edition has sorely missed those massive last-second baskets. 

Winner: Bench players

Michigan guard Roddy Gayle entered Saturday fifth on the Wolverines in scoring, averaging 9.4 points per game. He came off the bench and led the team with 26 points, his most since Dec. 30, 2023, while at Ohio State. 

Gayle was one of several bench players who played pivotal roles in wins on Saturday. 

Arkansas backup freshman forward Billy Richmond III led the Razorbacks with 16 points and nine rebounds. Auburn freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford scored a team-high 23 points in the Tigers' 82-70 win over No. 9 seed Creighton.

It takes all hands on deck to win a national title. Michigan, Arkansas and Auburn demonstrated how vital depth is and that they have it.