NCAAB · 7 months ago

Ranking the Sweet 16 Teams in the NCAA Tournament

David Connelly

Host · Writer

16. Arkansas (+10000)
What a turnaround it has been for head coach John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks. After sitting at 0-5 and 6-10 on separate occasions in SEC play, there were many questions surrounding Cal's ability to coach anymore. The team did enough at the end of the season to make the Big Dance, and now they are heading to San Francisco with Final Four hopes still alive.
1. Florida (+375 via Bet365)
Florida showed its grit in the face of adversity against UConn in the Round of 32. The Gators were down as much as six deep into the second half until Walter Clayton Jr. showed why he is a First-Team All-American and took the game over to lift the team to the second weekend. It will take a lot to knock off the Gators, so they claim our top spot entering the Sweet 16.

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2. Duke (+230)
The Blue Devils had the easiest pair of games to tip off the tournament, efficiently handling Mount St. Mary's and Baylor to get into the Sweet 16. Cooper Flagg's ankle looks just fine, and Duke has one of the best paths to a Final Four among the No. 1 seeds remaining.
3. Auburn (+450)
The Tigers survived a legitimate punch from Creighton in the second round, and it was refreshing to see them show some life and resilience after a rough end to the regular season. Chad Baker-Mazara's status will be crucial for Auburn's chances to make a deeper run and punch their ticket to San Antonio by the end of the weekend.
4. Houston (+450)
Houston seems like the forgotten child of the No. 1 seeds, but they made a serious statement on Saturday with their victory over No. 8 Gonzaga, a top-ten team in KenPom. The Cougars were unconscious from deep, draining eight-of-16 triples in the victory and keeping the Bulldogs at bay despite a handful of valiant efforts to get back into the game.
5. Alabama (+1600)
In a tricky matchup due to contrasting playstyles, there was some question as to how the Crimson Tide would be able to handle Saint Mary's and their snail pace. Alabama passed the test with flying colors, pouring in 80 points and holding the Gaels to just three-of-14 from beyond the arc.
6. Tennessee (+1600)
It's been a quiet run to the Sweet 16 for Tennessee, handling business against Wofford and UCLA. Like Tennessee teams of years past, how deep they go will rely on their offense. Head coach Rick Barnes has put forth an effort to recruit some offensively talented pieces, which seems to have paid off so far this March.
7. Texas Tech (+1800)
Texas Tech got perhaps the most underrated win of the second round, downing a talented Drake team with 69 of their 77 points coming from Darrion Williams, JT Toppin, and Elijah Hawkins. They have been blessed with a matchup against Arkansas rather than St. John's and could easily be playing for a spot in the Final Four come this weekend.
8. Michigan State (+2200)
Sparty did not make it easy on themselves on Sunday, falling into a double-digit deficit early against New Mexico. Michigan State immediately went on a run, cutting the deficit to two by halftime and pulling away in the second frame. It was relieving to see them spark a comeback despite only four made three-pointers in the contest.
9. Maryland (+3300)
Derik Queen provided us perhaps the best moment thus far in the NCAA Tournament, after burying an impressive jump shot while fading to his left off the glass to win the game at the buzzer. The Crab Five is a special bunch that can carry this team, similar to how North Carolina's Iron Five nearly brought them to a national championship in 2022.
10. Arizona (+4000)
Arizona got good Caleb Love on Sunday night, and boy, did they need him. The senior poured in 29 points en route to the victory and now gets a shot at Duke for the tenth time in his career, a matchup where he may need to produce a similar performance to give his Wildcats a chance.
11. Kentucky (+5000)
Mark Pope and the Wildcats are pulling off something truly remarkable right now. Kentucky enters the Sweet 16 with zero returning minutes from last year's team, an ultrarare feat to pull off in college basketball. The team has gelled incredibly under his guidance this season and looks dangerous to give Tennessee a game this week.
12. Purdue (+7500)
It's hard to take much away from Purdue's path of reaching the Sweet 16, with both wins coming over double-digit seeds. Still, the Boilermakers handled business like they always do and will now get a crack at Houston. If Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn can each dominate their respective matchups, we'd give the Boilermakers a fighting chance.
13. BYU (+7000)
BYU's electric offensive displays over the past month have translated into the tournament. They couldn't miss against Wisconsin and were able to build up an insurmountable lead against the Badgers. This team boasts a ton of offensive weapons and will undoubtedly be able to hang with Alabama's offense in their Sweet 16 showdown.
14. Michigan (+7000)
For just the second time since January 16, Michigan won a game by double-digits! The Wolverines handled Texas A&M relatively comfortably by pulling away late, and now they get a date with Auburn. It's difficult to look at the run of results this team has gotten and not expect some negative regression to be coming, so we will stick with Michigan down at the 14 spot entering the second weekend.
15. Ole Miss (+7500)
Ole Miss is proving many people, including myself, wrong on this Sweet 16 run. First, it came with an impressive performance against a trendy No. 11 seed in North Carolina. Then, a dominant showing against Iowa State on Sunday night caught many by surprise and has put Chris Beard's bunch into the second weekend. They should be a live dog against Michigan State in their South Region semifinal.
16. Arkansas (+10000)
What a turnaround it has been for head coach John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks. After sitting at 0-5 and 6-10 on separate occasions in SEC play, there were many questions surrounding Cal's ability to coach anymore. The team did enough at the end of the season to make the Big Dance, and now they are heading to San Francisco with Final Four hopes still alive.
1. Florida (+375 via Bet365)
Florida showed its grit in the face of adversity against UConn in the Round of 32. The Gators were down as much as six deep into the second half until Walter Clayton Jr. showed why he is a First-Team All-American and took the game over to lift the team to the second weekend. It will take a lot to knock off the Gators, so they claim our top spot entering the Sweet 16.

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Ranking the Sweet 16 Teams in the NCAA Tournament

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