ESPN - The first night of the Sweet 16 had something for every type of men’s college basketball fan: comebacks, winning shots, even superhuman performances.

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf and Kyle Bonagura were on-site in Houston and San Jose, California to break down how each of Thursday’s games was won.

How Purdue won : Braden Smith’s potential go-ahead attempt in the closing seconds was off the mark, but Trey Kaufman-Renn was there for a tip-in to give Purdue a thrilling win. The Boilermakers labored throughout the second half and had a difficult time containing Tramon Mark, but a clutch layup from Smith with 38 seconds to play followed by a couple of made free throws by C.J.

Cox put them in position to win. They shot just 4-for-20 (20%) from 3 but all five starters scored in double figures, with Kaufman-Renn’s 20 points leading the way. Fletcher Loyer was the only Boilermaker to make a 3, going 4-for-8 from the perimeter.

Offensively, Fletcher Loyer will be the key.

Purdue has to get hot from 3 to keep up with Arizona’s 2-point efficiency, and Loyer has made four 3s in each of the Boilermakers’ three NCAA tournament games.

How Iowa won : Iowa trailed Nebraska for 81% of this game. The Cornhuskers were an offensive machine early, opening with a 12-2 run and holding a double- digit lead with just over five minutes left in the first half. With a Nebraska-heavy crowd at the Toyota Center in Houston, the Cornhuskers appeared to have all of the momentum ... until a Tate Sage 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer cut that deficit to three points and allowed the Hawkeyes to hit the reset button.

Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz was the most influential player in the second half as Nebraska cooled off in a back-and-forth game. Stirtz hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:10 to play, then Alvaro Folgueiras came up big for the second game in a row. With his team up three points late, he ran down the court, scored and drew a foul for a threepoint play. Nebraska, seemingly confused, had only four players on the court. Another late dunk from Folgueiras sealed the game for the Hawkeyes, who will make their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987.

How Arizona won: Arizona left no doubt about its intentions in this tournament with a comprehensive win against Arkansas. The Wildcats were in control from start to finish, looking capable of winning the whole thing. Darius Acuff Jr. did his best to try to keep the Razorbacks competitive with 28 points, but it was clear early that there was a sizable talent discrepancy between the two teams. Brayden Burries led the Wildcats with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting -- one of six Arizona players to score in double figures, each at least one attempt better than 50% from the field.

This is the Wildcats’ deepest run since their last Elite Eight appearance in 2015.

Defensively, it’s about Bradley and Burries not letting Braden Smith operate with freedom in the half court. They’re both physical enough to make life difficult for him.

How Illinois won: When Kingston Flemings hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, the crowd in Houston roared. Illinois, one of the best offenses in America for the bulk of the season, couldn’t pull away from Houston. The Illini had only a two-point lead at the break -- but the story of their season has been their ability to go on big runs. They did it against Penn in the first round, then again against VCU in the second.

Houston couldn’t hold off another Illinois barrage, with a Keaton Wagler 3-pointer kicking off a 20-4 rally that changed the game in the second half. The Cougars spent the rest of the matchup trying to close the gap, trailing by seven points with less than two minutes to play, but that was as closeas they would get.

Offensively, Illinois will have the edge on the offensive glass -- the Illini rank in the top five nationally in second-chance points per game. Iowa also ranked last in the conference in defensive free throw rate. Another key could be whether Illinois has success getting to the foul line.

Brad Underwood’s team has a knack for incredible offensive performances. That could carry Illinois to the Final Four.