When the dust settled on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten had four teams standing in the Sweet Sixteen. Here are some scattered thoughts on the action, bullet-point style:

With a 10-3 record and four teams advancing to the Sweet 16, how did the Big Ten’s start to the NCAA tourney compare to the best in NCAA history? That’s a great question, and BTN.com turned to its resident statistician, Chris Antonacci, for the answer. See the numbers in this post.

Shane Larkin hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute left and Miami kept possession on a ball knocked out of bounds that probably should have gone to Illinois, helping the Hurricanes hold on for a 63-59 victory Sunday night to advance to the NCAA round of 16.

Yes, I realize Sunday features four games involving Big Ten teams. And yes, I realize the Big Ten could go 0-4. It isn’t likely, but it could happen. Regardless, it’s impossible to ignore what the Big Ten has done through the first three days of the Big Dance.

It was defense that boosted Illinois to victory on this day. Illinois was especially stingy in the first half, which it allowed only 21 points and closed the final 7:05 of the half on a 13-0 run to take a 37-21 halftime edge. And the Illini showed an ability to withstand adversity in the second half, squandering a 16-point halftime lead and falling behind 44-39 with 9:00 left. But Illinois stayed composed and regained the lead, finishing the game on an 18-5 run.