1) Alabama – How Alabama made the game against Maryland non-competitive was a bit scary. They are long, athletic, and skilled. San Diego State, maybe Creighton may be able to push. them We’ll see, but they entered the tournament as the best and remain there.
2) Houston – For just a moment there was some concern about Houston due to the health of Marcus Sasser. He looks healthy now. Houston suffocated Auburn in the 2nd half of their game. Miami will be a tougher test, but Houston could be in line for a national title.
3) Connecticut – Back in November Connecticut looked like the best team in the country. They thumped Alabama and Iowa State in back-to-back weeks. The Huskies are starting to resemble that team again.
4) Texas – During the season Texas struggled away from home, but when they won the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City it convinced me they could win the national title. Nothing in the NCAAs so far has changed my opinion.
5) Gonzaga – The Zags seem to be flying under the radar, but they are one of the best offensive teams in the country. Drew Timme has been strong inside. After so many rock fights in this tournament, UCLA vs Gonzaga should be a breath of fresh air.
6) Kansas State – Kansas State shot Kentucky right out of the NCAA tournament. Marquis Nowell has been one of the NCAA Tournament MVPs, and the Wildcats aren’t afraid of anyone.
7) UCLA – If UCLA was fully healthy, I might have ranked them 1 or 2 on this list. They can play defense and they are talented. The matchup with Gonzaga has produced recent classics, and I think this one could be too.
8) Tennessee – The Vols are one of the most physically imposing in the tournament- just ask Duke. When they start knocking some three’s down, they are an absolute national title threat.
9) Miami – The Cane’s guards allow them to play with anyone in the country, but don’t sleep on Norchad Omier who is handling things inside. Will they beat Houston? Probably not, but can they beat Houston? You bet.
10) Creighton – Creighton’s inconsistency makes you a little nervous, but they’ve played several very good teams close and knocked off a handful of them like UCONN, Xavier, and Arkansas. They can’t overlook Princeton, but if they face Alabama that could be a very intriguing game. Don’t think Creighton can’t beat Alabama either.
11) Michigan State – The Spartans are an offensively challenged team, but they are coached by Hall of Famer Tom Izzo. If games were only won by coaching, Michigan State might be at the top of this list. That said Michigan State is more than capable of causing problems for the rest of the tournament.
12) Arkansas – Arkansas is starting to become of one the surer NCAA bets in college basketball under Eric Musselman. They just find their way to the second weekend. That’s three years in a row for Arkansas. They aren’t a good shooting team though, and it feels like UCONN might be the end of the road. We also thought they probably wouldn’t get by Kansas either.
13) Xavier – Xavier is all about balance. While not great defensively, they have scoring options all over their team. It’s been a great run, but it does seem like Texas might be a bit much for them.
14) San Diego State – San Diego State is always a physical defensive team. I liken them to a Houston lite. Alabama beat Houston already. They’ll hang with Alabama for a while, but hard to see them coming out with a W.
15) Florida Atlantic – FAU is one of the NCAA’s deepest teams, and they already beat a pretty talented Memphis team. Beating Tennessee is going to be a different animal.
16) Princeton – It’s not a fluke Princeton is in the Sweet 16 after beating Arizona and trouncing Missouri. They spread you out and do their thing. Eventually, their lack of athleticism will catch up with them, but don’t take them lightly or they will make you pay.
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