Rival Views: Who will benefit the most from their Sweet 16 run?

In this edition of Rival Views, Rivals.com national recruiting analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans debate which team stands to benefit the most from its Sweet 16 run.

HOW THEY WERE BUILT: UCLA | Kansas | Kentucky | UNC

For most programs, making the Sweet 16 is a big accomplishment. For Frank Martin and South Carolina, it’s a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in 40 years. I think the Gamecocks stand to benefit more than any other program from their unexpected run.

Perhaps most importantly, the run will provide the program incredible exposure and allow people – notably those that South Carolina would like to recruit – to see Martin in action. He is an animated and commanding presence on the sideline but those who know Martin swear by him and his players will run through walls for him because they know how much he cares. Now he gets to share his story and show what he’s done since arriving from Kansas State in 2012.

Counting his 2017 recruiting class, Martin has landed seven Rivals150 prospects during his stint. However, his two biggest stars are homegrown talents Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier, who both ranked in the top 45 nationally out of high school. The opportunity to showcase his program on the big stage to other South Carolina talents like 2018’s No. 2 player Zion Williamson and top 25 class of 2019 prospects Christian Brown and Juwan Gary, plus the four other in-state prospects currently ranked in either the 2018 Rivals150 or 2019 top 75 could prove to be invaluable down the road.

Purdue, back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010, is primed to benefit the most from its run through March.

With most of basketball trending toward going small, the Boilermakers have gone the opposite way. Matt Painter has shown what he can do with a pair of pummeling big men in Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas. While Swanigan arrived in West Lafayette as a heralded recruit, the Boilermakers' staff can sell his development over his career on the recruiting trail.

The Big Ten squad has also shown a willingness to allow its youngsters to see the floor early and often. Looking only at players on this year's roster, Swanigan, Haas, Carsen Edwards, PJ Thompson, Vince Edwards and Dakota Mathias all received minutes as freshmen.

Thanks to its first two wins in the tournament, Purdue can sell early playing time, its ability to develop those that are on its roster and the chance to compete for a national championship. Add it all up and the Boilermakers will reap the greatest benefits from their run to the Sweet 16.