Gomez here...
And then there were 16.
The first two rounds were interesting to say the least, and I'll venture to say that no one on the face of the earth predicted these teams would be standing at this point in the tourney. But that's why they call it March Madness, folks.
So in the interest of fun but useless information, I've decided to rank the sweet 16 teams.
1.) Kentucky - I don't think anyone can deny that Kentucky had the most impressive first two games of the tournament. If they play like this for the remaining rounds, UK will win #8.
2.) Syracuse - Not far behind the Cats is the Orange of Syracuse. They beat Vermont and a good Gonzaga team to earn their place among the final 16 teams.
3.) Duke - Duke wasn't as impressive with their first two victories, but they still played solid basketball. I'm still hoping we face them in the Final Four because that would be an epic match up from a historical stand point.
4.) Cornell - The Ivy League champs have blown out two quality opponents in Temple and Wisconsin and will now play Kentucky in their own back yard. I'm sure some people would question them being this high on the list, but this will be a tougher game than most people think.
5.) West Virginia - If Kentucky gets by Cornell, they'll most likely have Huggy Bear waiting for them in the Elite 8. They haven't been dominating in the early rounds, but still very efficient. They should be able to handle Washington on Thursday.
6.) Ohio State - Similar to WVU, Ohio State hasn't been blowing teams away, but they've been playing solid basketball for comfortable wins. Evan Turner is a machine, and he'll most likely push his club to the Elite 8 and perhaps the Final Four.
7.) Northern Iowa - Man, this is a fun team to watch. They're not overly talented, and have trouble scoring the ball at times, but they play hard and never give up. They've already pulled off what will be the biggest upset in the tournament, and so now they can just enjoy the rest of the ride.
8.) Kansas State - I haven't been huge on K-State all year, but so far, they're getting the job done. However, I still think they're an outside pick for the Final Four.
9.) Tennessee - The only other SEC team in action is enjoying the fruits of their labor and a little luck. Thanks to Ohio's upset of #3 Georgetown, the Vols didn't have any real competition in the first two rounds. However, that's about to change.
10.) Michigan State - I'd rank them higher if it wasn't for the fact that Kalin Lucas is most likely done for the season, meaning they're without one of their key components. Still, Izzo generally has his team primed for the NCAA tournament, and this year is no exception.
11.) Purdue - I didn't know if the Boilermakers would make it this far, but so far, they continue to impress despite their adversity.
12.) Xavier - I didn't think Xavier would advance past the first or second round, so they've already done more than I though possible. Kudos to them.
13.) Baylor - I haven't been overly impressed with Baylor's play so far, and I thought they were overrated coming into the tournament. Still, they're here, and still playing, so that should tell me something. With that said, after a win over St. Mary on Friday, I say they're done.
14.) Washington - Though they've beat some pretty good teams in the first two rounds, that doesn't mean they jump to the top of the list. In the first round, they were lucky to escape with a 2 point victory over Marquette. In the second round, they beat an overrated New Mexico team to advance to the Sweet 16. I'd be really surprised if they beat West Virginia on Thursday.
15.) St. Mary - They've looked good so far, but beating a slumping Villanova team doesn't mean they're read for the big boys. I think Baylor will beat them on Friday, ending their Cinderella run.
16.) Butler - Should have got beat by Murray State. They should be happy just to be here.
Well, that's all for now, I guess. Be sure to share your 2 cents... if you have any extra change.
And then there were 16.
The first two rounds were interesting to say the least, and I'll venture to say that no one on the face of the earth predicted these teams would be standing at this point in the tourney. But that's why they call it March Madness, folks.
So in the interest of fun but useless information, I've decided to rank the sweet 16 teams.
1.) Kentucky - I don't think anyone can deny that Kentucky had the most impressive first two games of the tournament. If they play like this for the remaining rounds, UK will win #8.
2.) Syracuse - Not far behind the Cats is the Orange of Syracuse. They beat Vermont and a good Gonzaga team to earn their place among the final 16 teams.
3.) Duke - Duke wasn't as impressive with their first two victories, but they still played solid basketball. I'm still hoping we face them in the Final Four because that would be an epic match up from a historical stand point.
4.) Cornell - The Ivy League champs have blown out two quality opponents in Temple and Wisconsin and will now play Kentucky in their own back yard. I'm sure some people would question them being this high on the list, but this will be a tougher game than most people think.
5.) West Virginia - If Kentucky gets by Cornell, they'll most likely have Huggy Bear waiting for them in the Elite 8. They haven't been dominating in the early rounds, but still very efficient. They should be able to handle Washington on Thursday.
6.) Ohio State - Similar to WVU, Ohio State hasn't been blowing teams away, but they've been playing solid basketball for comfortable wins. Evan Turner is a machine, and he'll most likely push his club to the Elite 8 and perhaps the Final Four.
7.) Northern Iowa - Man, this is a fun team to watch. They're not overly talented, and have trouble scoring the ball at times, but they play hard and never give up. They've already pulled off what will be the biggest upset in the tournament, and so now they can just enjoy the rest of the ride.
8.) Kansas State - I haven't been huge on K-State all year, but so far, they're getting the job done. However, I still think they're an outside pick for the Final Four.
9.) Tennessee - The only other SEC team in action is enjoying the fruits of their labor and a little luck. Thanks to Ohio's upset of #3 Georgetown, the Vols didn't have any real competition in the first two rounds. However, that's about to change.
10.) Michigan State - I'd rank them higher if it wasn't for the fact that Kalin Lucas is most likely done for the season, meaning they're without one of their key components. Still, Izzo generally has his team primed for the NCAA tournament, and this year is no exception.
11.) Purdue - I didn't know if the Boilermakers would make it this far, but so far, they continue to impress despite their adversity.
12.) Xavier - I didn't think Xavier would advance past the first or second round, so they've already done more than I though possible. Kudos to them.
13.) Baylor - I haven't been overly impressed with Baylor's play so far, and I thought they were overrated coming into the tournament. Still, they're here, and still playing, so that should tell me something. With that said, after a win over St. Mary on Friday, I say they're done.
14.) Washington - Though they've beat some pretty good teams in the first two rounds, that doesn't mean they jump to the top of the list. In the first round, they were lucky to escape with a 2 point victory over Marquette. In the second round, they beat an overrated New Mexico team to advance to the Sweet 16. I'd be really surprised if they beat West Virginia on Thursday.
15.) St. Mary - They've looked good so far, but beating a slumping Villanova team doesn't mean they're read for the big boys. I think Baylor will beat them on Friday, ending their Cinderella run.
16.) Butler - Should have got beat by Murray State. They should be happy just to be here.
Well, that's all for now, I guess. Be sure to share your 2 cents... if you have any extra change.
1. UK
ReplyDelete2. Cuse
3. Duke
4. Ohio State
5. K State
6. WVA
7. UNI
8. Cornell
9. Baylor
10. Xavier
11. Tenn
12. St Mary
13. Tenn
14. Washington
15. Butler
16. Michigan State
Austin, you felt so sorry for UT you had to put them in there twice?
ReplyDeleteI guess you don't think much of Purdue.
ranking things is hard work. I meant Purdue second time around though. I think Mike let Cal fill out his rankings having Cornell that high.. They are a tough match up, but they aren't a top five team.
ReplyDelete