1. Kentucky Wildcats (Reseed: top overall seed; previous seed: top overall seed)
Opening matchups against Hampton and Cincinnati weren't exactly a gauntlet. And the Bearcats challenged Kentucky early before the Wildcats finished them off in the second half. But the numbers still support undefeated Kentucky as the top overall seed while it continues to smash the world. Hampton scored just 0.75 points per possession against Kentucky in the second round, and Cincy registered just 0.82 points per possession. Translation: Even when they appear to struggle or play a tighter-than-expected matchup, the Wildcats are still a stingy defensive team that might not lose another game. The 40-0 potential is real, folks.2. Duke Blue Devils (Reseed: No. 1; previous seed: No. 1)
The selection committee made the right call with Duke as a top seed. Clearly. No, Robert Morris and San Diego State weren't juggernauts or anything. But the Blue Devils beat both teams by 48 points combined. What else could they have done to prove that they're national title contenders and top seeds? Arizona Wildcats (Reseed: No. 1; previous seed: No. 2)
Sean Miller's squad is off to a ferocious start in the Big Dance. First, the Wildcats defeated Texas Southern -- which had earned wins over Michigan State and Kansas State earlier this season -- by 21 points. Then, Miller's program topped Ohio State by 15 points. Per ESPN Stats & Information, the Buckeyes scored just three second-chance points after Arizona rebounded 78 percent of their misses. Gonzaga Bulldogs (Reseed: No. 1; previous seed: No. 2)
For the first time since 2009, Gonzaga has advanced to the Sweet 16. Its first two games proved that the Bulldogs were worthy of a lofty seed, despite competing in the West Coast Conference. First, they beat North Dakota State by 10 on Friday. Then, they followed that with a lopsided victory over an Iowa squad that was coming off a 31-point win (a school record for margin of victory in the NCAA tournament) over Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Davidson. The Zags shot 61.5 percent from the field against the Hawkeyes and they also scored 22 points off 11 Iowa turnovers. Gonzaga held Iowa to 1.01 points per possession. Wisconsin Badgers (Reseed: No. 2; previous seed: No. 1)
The Badgers have the personnel to make another Final Four run. In Wisconsin's wins over Coastal Carolina and Oregon in its first two games of the NCAA tournament, Michigan State Spartans (Reseed: No. 2; previous seed: No. 7)
How does Tom Izzo do it? Of all the teams he has coached in recent years, this is the one that seemed like a one-and-done for most of the season. But Michigan State has been on a crazy run since early March, and that run has continued in the NCAA tournament because of that typical Spartan grit. They held Georgia to a 33.3 percent mark from the field in a second-round win. On Sunday, Michigan State held Virginia under 30 percent shooting and 2-for-17 from the 3-point line NC State Wolfpack (Reseed: No. 2; previous seed: No. 8)
The Wolfpack's streaky ways made them a difficult program to assess entering the NCAA tournament. Would the NC State that lost at Boston College and at Wake Forest show up, or the would the team that defeated North Carolina and Louisville on the road and Duke at home be the squad that took the floor in mid-March? Maybe the latter, it seems. Wichita State Shockers (Reseed: No. 2; previous seed: No. 7)
Wichita State returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2012-13 Final Four run elevated the team's national profile. First, the Shockers outgunned Indiana (1.10 PPP) with an 81-point effort (1.17 PPP). Then, the Shockers held Kansas to 65 points in the second round. Let's talk about Fred Van Vleet, the veteran point guard who loves big moments. Against the Hoosiers, he finished with 27 points (9-for-18, 9-for-10 from the free throw line), four assists, two steals and one turnover. Against the Jayhawks, he finished with 17 points (4-for-12, 7-for-9 from the charity stripe), six rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block and five turnovers. Such a gamer, and now Shockers are back in the Sweet 16 in part because of his effort.9. West Virginia Mountaineers (Reseed: No. 3; previous seed: No. 5)
The Mountaineers are one of two teams representing a Big 12 Conference that sent 70 percent of its membership to the NCAA tournament. West Virginia won't back down when it faces Kentucky later this week. Its brand of defense is the type that fuels upsets. Bob Huggins' squad forced 23 turnovers and scored 26 points off those turnovers in Sunday's win over Maryland. Per ESPN Stats & Information, the Terrapins scored just four points against West Virginia's press in the second half. West Virginia forced turnovers on 26 percent of Buffalo's possessions in the opener. Its offense has been OK, nothing special. Louisville Cardinals (Reseed: No. 3; previous seed: No. 4)
The Cardinals faced a serious threat from Big West tournament champion UC Irvine in the first round. Xavier Musketeers (Reseed: No. 3 seed; previous seed: No. 6)
The Musketeers should probably send flowers to the selection committee and Baylor. Ole Miss stormed back from a double-digit deficit to beat an offensively potent BYU squad in the play-in game, and then Xavier beat the Rebels by 19 points on Thursday. Baylor looked like a Final Four sleeper until Georgia State sent the Bears back to Waco to set up a matchup with Xavier in the third round. The Musketeers' 67.6 percent shooting mark from the field was the third-best field goal percentage in the last 15 NCAA tournaments, according to ESPN Stats & Information. No, Xavier didn't encounter a tough slate on its way to the Sweet 16, but it played well in both games.12. Utah Utes (Reseed: No. 3; previous seed: No. 5)
The Utes are in the Sweet 16 in part because of a strong defensive effort. Stephen F. Austin is a top-35 offense (per adjusted efficiency on KenPom.com), but the Lumberjacks scored only 50 against Utah in a Thursday loss. Utah contested 67 percent of Georgetown's shots in the second round and registered a 68.4 effective field goal percentage, which applies more weight to 3-pointers, per ESPN Stats and Information. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Reseed: No. 4; previous seed: No. 3)
Notre Dame's opening stanza in the NCAA tournament mirrored its entire season: Questionable defensive stretches, but its offensive exploits ultimately led to key wins. It wasn't easy. A four-point win over Northeastern and a three-point overtime victory against a legit Butler team weren't exactly overwhelming justification of a top-three seed for Notre Dame, although its overall resume and ACC tournament title were enough to warrant that slot. Still, the Fighting Irish had enough offensive firepower to secure both wins. Per ESPN Stats & Information, Notre Dame was perfect in transition (15 points, 4-for-4, 6-for-6 from the charity stripe) against the Bulldogs.14. North Carolina Tar Heels (Reseed: No. 4; previous seed: No. 4)
After a Jan. 10 win over Louisville, North Carolina failed to achieve another quality win until it defeated Louisville and Virginia in the ACC tournament. The selection committee blessed the Tar Heels with a favorable route to the Sweet 16, too. The Tar Heels squeezed by Harvard with a two-point victory on Thursday. Their 55.1 shooting percent clip in that game was minimized by 17 turnovers. They committed 16 turnovers in Saturday's, nine-point win over Arkansas. The positives? North Carolina outscored Arkansas 26-7 in transition, according to ESPN Stats & Information.15. Oklahoma Sooners (Reseed: No. 4; previous seed: No. 3)
The Sooners connected on 29 percent of their 3-point attempts and UCLA Bruins (Reseed: No. 4; previous seed: No. 11)
Steve Alford should go to Vegas and play Texas Hold 'Em or something. He has been lucky in recent years. The same UCLA team that entered Selection Sunday with questionable credentials is now in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. Yes, early matchups (and controversy) against SMU and Iowa State-conqueror UAB were major factors. The game-winning goaltending call on Tony Parker finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
This post was edited on 3/23 1:45 PM by Rhouchins
This post was edited on 3/23 1:45 PM by Rhouchins
