March Madness 2021: 6 biggest takeaways from Round of 64 action

Syracuse Dominant Both Ways

Forget the 11-seed next to their name, the Syracuse Orange looked like a team in the Round of 64 that nobody would want to face.

Syracuse dominated from start to finish as they upset 6-seed San Diego State 78-62 to advance to the Round of 32. Leading the way for the Orange was junior guard Buddy Boeheim who had 30 points and was 7/10 from 3-point range.

While Syracuse is known for its 2-3 zone defense, the Orange shot the lights out in this game. Syracuse shot an extremely impressive 55.3% from the field, 55.6% from three, and 84.6% from the free-throw line, while also holding the Aztecs to 35.8% shooting from two, 27.5% from three.

The 11-seed Orange will face 3-seed West Virginia in the Round of 32. While it will not be easy topping the Mountaineers, if Syracuse plays as they did against San Diego State, the Orange might just find themselves in the Sweet 16.

A few other notable takeaways from the Round of 64 include the 1-seeds dominating as expected, UCLA upsetting BYU, Wisconsin dominating North Carolina, Oklahoma winning a close one vs Missouri, Rutgers winning their first NCAA Tournament game in 38 years, and Florida winning a back-and-forth game with Virginia Tech.