LDN - Sports

Reseeding Sweet 16 after wild NCAA weekend

[March 19, 2018] After perhaps the most tumultuous first and second round in recent NCAA Tournament history, here's what remains for your Sweet 16 viewing pleasure. Or more accurately, here's what doesn't remain:

Two No. 1 seeds, including the overall No. 1, Virginia, drummed out in the opening round in the first 16-over-1 upset in 34 years and 136 games.

Two No. 2 seeds, both KO'd on Sunday in improbable fashion. Cincinnati blew a 22-point lead and lost to Nevada, and North Carolina didn't even muster a thud in losing by 21 to mercurial Texas A&M.

Two No. 3 seeds, including Michigan State, one of the trendy national championship picks a week ago. The Spartans grabbed 29 offensive rebounds on Sunday, ceded just 15 field goals to Syracuse -- and still found a way to lose.

Three No. 4 seeds, including Auburn, which was boat-raced by Clemson on Sunday in San Diego.

What is left? Three No. 5 seeds, including one that might as well be a No. 1 seed in its present state, two No. 7 seeds, two No. 9 seeds and two No. 11s. Forget March Madness. This is March Wackiness.

With everyone's bracket now completely destroyed, let's take a whack at reseeding the remaining teams 1 through 16:

16. Loyola-Chicago. The best remaining story in the tournament heads to Atlanta on Thursday night for a date with another mid-major, Nevada. Can the underrated Ramblers and Sister Jean conjure up a berth in the South Region final?

15. Syracuse. The team no one thought belonged is back in the Sweet 16, just like two years ago. But advancing out of Omaha to match that team's unlikely Final Four run means beating Duke and either Kansas or Clemson. That doesn't seem possible.

14. Kansas State. Short-term, Bruce Weber's Wildcats should send UMBC a thank-you card for eliminating Virginia and then experiencing a predictable letdown in the second round. However, a date with Kentucky in Cat-lanta on Thursday night seems like the end of the road.

13. Florida State. A late comeback Sunday night netted an upset of top-seeded Xavier in the West Region. Depending on what version of the Seminoles makes the flight to Los Angeles, Florida State could cut the nets on Saturday night. Consistency has been the question all year.

12. Nevada. What kind of thrill ride do the Wolf Pack have in store after their roller-coaster journey through Nashville over the weekend? Their high-octane offense will have a test trying to solve the pack-line defense of Loyola on Thursday night.

11. Texas A&M. If the Aggies get the same kind of guard play in Los Angeles they received over the weekend in Charlotte, they might be the team to beat in the West. Their frontcourt doesn't have to take a back seat to anyone's.

10. Clemson. Quietly, the Tigers were one of the most impressive teams in the first weekend, backing up a solid win over New Mexico State with a dump-trucking of Auburn. Can they keep Kansas from feasting at the 3-point arc in Omaha on Friday night?

9. West Virginia. The Mountaineers can defend with anyone. Their question is if they can make shots. When they do, they can beat any team in the country. The Javon Carter-Jalen Brunson matchup Friday night in Boston will be compelling TV.

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8. Kentucky. The South's bracket collapse has turned that region into the Wildcat Invitational. Fifth-seeded Kentucky could advance to the Final Four without playing a team seeded better than ninth. Regardless, the Wildcats flashed the look of championship contender during the SEC tourney and during the NCAA's opening weekend in Boise.

7. Gonzaga. After breaking through and reaching the national championship game last year, the Bulldogs could repeat this spring. The West Region is there for the taking, but this isn't a good foul-shooting team. Does that rear its ugly head against an opponent better equipped to take out the Zags than UNC Greensboro?

6. Michigan. The Wolverines needed a miracle 30-footer from Jordan Poole to survive Houston late Saturday night and reach Los Angeles. Can their frontcourt find a way to neutralize the likes of A&M's Tyler Davis and Robert Williams? And can they get their offense going again after sputtering during two wins in Wichita?

5. Texas Tech. No coach in America has surpassed the job Chris Beard did this season with the Red Raiders, picked seventh in the Big 12 and now in the East Region semifinals. Freshman Zhaire Smith and senior Keenan Evans don't have to take a backseat to any backcourt in America. Getting to face a diminished Purdue on Friday night doesn't hurt, either.

4. Purdue. Too bad for Isaac Haas. The 7-foot-2 center broke his right elbow on Friday, possibly fracturing the Boilermakers' hopes of reaching the Final Four in San Antonio. Purdue bounced back Sunday to eliminate Butler, but it's hard to see this team cutting the nets in Boston. Against better defensive teams, will the Boilermakers' now perimeter-based attack be able to get the job done?

3. Duke. The Blue Devils team that played this weekend in Pittsburgh is good enough to win it all. Duke has the most talent, a future NBA superstar in Marvin Bagley III, and can score at will against anyone. But can the Blue Devils get the job done at the defensive end, and will Grayson Allen focus on basketball instead of working on his hip checks?

2. Kansas. This might be Bill Self's best coaching job in Lawrence. He reinvented the Jayhawks into a fast-tempo team that shoots (and makes) a lot of 3-pointers. The Jayhawks won the best conference in America going away, and they earned their top seed in the Midwest Region. But if they meet Duke on Sunday in Omaha, will they be able to outgun a team with more talent?

1. Villanova. The Wildcats looked the part of a national champion in blowing out Radford and Alabama in Pittsburgh. No team remaining has more balance offensively -- six players average in double figures -- and Brunson is the rare lead guard who can score efficiently and get others involved. However, Villanova's remaining draw is the toughest, and West Virginia can hassle even the best guards into mistake-prone messes.

--By Bucky Dent, Field Level Media

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