Reseeding the Sweet 16 Teams

Every year it feels like March Madness is getting crazier & crazier. This tournament alone, we’ve seen historic upsets from Furman to Fairleigh Dickinson to Princeton. We’re down to the sweet 16 with the #1 overall intact and cinderella hopeful Princeton who is looking to be the 2nd #15 seed to ever make the elite eight after Saint Peter’s accomplished the feat last year. We’ll be reseeding the 16 teams remaining based on how strong their team is moving forward. 

#1: Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide earned the #1 overall seed for a reason and they’re playing like it. Alabama has rolled past their first two matchups and are just living up to their title. 

#2: Houston Cougars

The only other #1 seed remaining in this tournament is the Houston Cougars and they also deserved their #1 seed for a reason. They are playing great second half basketball and are trying to show Alabama who the real #1 overall team should have been. 

#3: UConn Huskies

Climbing up all the way up to #2 overall in the country at one point during the season, the UConn Huskies slipped down to a #4 seed come tournament time. The Huskies had a hot start to the season during their non-conference games and then lost a few games in a tough Big East conference. The Huskies look like the team they were at the beginning of the year which is a top contender. 

#4: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Since Mark Few took over head coaching duties in 1999, Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament every year since and had a winning record. The one hump that Few can’t get over is winning it all as he’s fallen short in the championship twice now. This year’s team isn’t as strong as the two squads he took to the championship, but this year’s field isn’t as strong as year’s past which gives them a big boost up the board and the potential for Few to get his first trophy. 

#5: Tennessee Volunteers

The Volunteers showed their grit thus far as they allowed blue blood Duke to only put up a whopping 52 points against them in the round of 32. The Volunteers have one of the top defenses in the country and the toughest test to date for the Owls next round. The Volunteers defense is not going to go easy on the inexperienced squad. 

#6: Texas Longhorns

Halfway through the season, the Texas Longhorns fired head coach Chris Beard for domestic issues. This led to Rodney Terry filling in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and doing a commendable job that should earn him the head coach position in the long term. The Longhorns won their 2nd ever Big 12 title this year and are playing some solid basketball right now. 

#7: Kansas State Wildcats

Surprisingly, the only Wildcats that are left in the tournament in the sweet 16 is not Kentucky, Villanova, or Arizona like we’ve been so accustomed to hearing but rather the Wildcats of Kansas State. The Kansas State Wildcats held off the other Wildcats in Kentucky last round in what was a huge win for the program. A win against Michigan State would go one more step in showing Kansas State is not to be taken lightly. 

#8: UCLA Bruins

UCLA gets a rematch against Gonzaga from the final 4 matchup only two years ago which was one of the greatest college basketball tournament games ever played. UCLA still has some of its core players from that team two years ago, but they lack the completeness that Gonzaga and some other teams ranked higher on this list have. If the Bruins can get things going on offense, it might be enough to squeak by Gonzaga. 

#9: Xavier Musketeers

It feels like Sean Miller has never left as Xavier is back to being a #3 seed with Sean Miller as the head coach. Xavier fans should be thankful he’s back, but the biggest challenge they’ll face ahead of them now is navigating the rest of the way without star Zach Freemantle. Freemantle went down halfway through the season and have made it this far, but they’ll get a tough matchup against Texas who also had to deal with mid-season issues. The lack of depth with Xavier’s squad is concerning, but the team’s 3 point shooting percentage in the top 5 in the nation might be enough if they start slinging up shots. 

#10: Creighton Blue jays

7 foot 1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been the unstoppable force for Creighton all season long. Kalkbrenner is having a career year as he leads the NCAA in field goal percentage on the season and is 4th  in the NCAA since the 1992-1993 season in career field goal percentage of those who qualified. The big man sizes up well against any opponent and if he can stay out of foul trouble, Creighton has one of the best offenses in basketball. 

#11: Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo has the 2nd longest active streak in college basketball for consecutive tournament appearances dating back to 1998. This is one of the lower seeded teams that Izzo has taken to the tournament but that doesn’t mean they are any less talented than teams ranked ahead of them. The Spartans are one of the wild cards in this year’s tournament and Izzo looks to be back in his reign of dominance that we’ve been accustomed to seeing over the last 25 years.

#12: Arkansas Razorbacks

Featuring two projected top 5 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Arkansas Razorbacks have some elite talent on their team in Nick Smith & Anthony Black. Outside of those 2 freshmen, there is a large talent gap between them and the rest of the team. Inconsistent play has been the name of the game for Arkansas who had 13 losses on the year, but can still put up a fight against top teams like Kansas. 

#13: San Diego State Aztecs

The Aztecs have cruised their way into the sweet 16, but of all the teams remaining, they are the only team to not face someone seeded higher than a #12 seed. San Diego State hasn’t faced significant competition yet and now get the #1 overall team in the country, things are not looking bright for the Aztecs. 

#14: Miami (FL) Hurricanes

The Hurricanes were a trendy pick to get upset in the 1st round and arguably most likely of the #5 seeds to lose in the popular #12 over #5 upset. Miami took care of Drake with ease and managed the Hoosiers in the round of 32. The Hurricanes have proven doubters including us wrong, but they get the unfortunate draw of the Houston Cougars in a matchup that could get ugly fast. 

#15: Princeton Tigers

The Princeton Tigers became the 4th team seeded #15 to ever make the Sweet 16. The Tigers took down Arizona in what busted many brackets and then held off the other Tigers in Missouri. This is an underrated Tigers team that can be lethal from beyond the arc under the right circumstances. 

#16: Florida Atlantic Owls

Florida Atlantic might have the best overall record of the team’s remaining, but the other teams are in a completely different class than this inexperienced team. The Owls got their first tournament wins ever this year, but they didn’t face a team seeded higher than 8 yet. Most teams in this tournament have faced teams seeded 7 or higher with exception of a couple, so the level of competition they’ve had is not quite at the level of the others.