Sunday's NCAA men's tournament takeaways: Defending champ UConn looking tough, Duke reasserts itself against JMU

And then there were 16. Sunday marked the end of the second round of the men's NCAA Tournament, setting the stage for the Sweet 16. 

Here are some takeaways from another action-packed day of hoops.  

1. Defending champ UConn is looking tough

Much like Purdue, No. 1 UConn cruised to the Sweet 16 after two breezy victories to open the tournament. After downing No. 16 Stetson, 91-52, in the opening round, the Huskies made quick work of No. 9 Northwestern on Sunday, winning 75-68. 

UConn dominated the Wildcats, holding them to 37.3% shooting from the field while firing at a robust 53.7% on the other end. After the 17-point victory, they own a remarkable +56 point differential in the tournament. 

The Huskies also broke a dubious trend with the victory over Northwestern. They're the first defending champion since 2016 to advance to the Sweet 16. UConn looks like a serious threat to repeat. 

2. Duke reasserts itself in blowout of JMU 

Some considered James Madison an upset pick, but Duke quickly ended those hopes, dominating Sunday's win from start to finish. The Blue Devils' aggressive approach stood out from the tip, leading to a one-sided laugher in a game many believed would be competitive. 

Duke led by as many as 38 points, overwhelming JMU with an outstanding shooting performance. The Blue Devils shot 52.4% from the field (33-of-63) and 50% from three (14-of-28). 

Freshman Jared McCain paced the offensive onslaught, passing Quinn Cook for the most three-pointers made by a Duke player in an NCAA Tournament game (8). The star guard finished with a game-high 30 points, helping send the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16, where they will face the winner of Houston-Texas A&M for the right to play in the Elite Eight. 

3. Insane defensive effort sends Clemson to Sweet 16 

No. 6 Clemson is Sweet 16-bound after stunning No. 3 Baylor, 72-64. The Tigers dominated on the defensive end, holding the Bears to only 38.9% shooting from the field and a measly 25% from three-point range. 

Clemson was so strong on the defensive end that they still came away winners despite going without a field goal over the final 6:44 of the second half. They did make 11-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe over that stretch. That offensive lull doesn't diminish the impact of the team's play on the other end. 

The Tigers are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in six seasons, readying for a date with No. 2 Arizona on Thursday in Los Angeles. The last meeting between the two programs in the tournament came 35 years ago in 1989, a 94-68 Wildcats victory. 

4. Shaka Smart shakes off ghosts of tournament past 

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart had developed a bit of a reputation for leading successful teams that ultimately come up small when it matters most. On Sunday, though, he and the Golden Eagles put that notion to bed, holding off a game No. 10 Colorado squad, 81-77, to advance to the Sweet 16. 

Following three trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four appearance with Virginia Commonwealth, Smart moved on to Texas, where his tournament struggles began to snowball. While with the Longhorns, they qualified for the tournament only three times over six seasons, all first-round exits. Following losses in the first and second rounds over two seasons at Marquette, many wondered if he'd ever lead another program on a deep run.

With those worries in the rearview, the attention now turns to Marquette's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2013. Smart will lead the Golden Eagles against upstart No. 11 NC State, fresh off wins over No. 6 Texas Tech (80-67) and No. 14 Oakland (79-73).