NCAA Tournament 2011: Who Has the Best Looking Fans in the Sweet 16?

The 2011 NCAA tournament sure is shaping up to be a doozy, don't you think?

Indeed it is. We've already had enough upsets, buzzer-beaters and all-around shockers to last us until next March, and we're just now reaching the Sweet 16. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel awfully spoiled.

As always, there are some pretty good matchups on hand for the Sweet 16. Ohio State vs. Kentucky should be a good one, as should BYU vs. Florida. Personally, I'm looking forward to UConn vs. San Diego State in particular, although I have to say that there's a surprising amount of intrigue surrounding VCU vs. Florida State.

Oh heck, I can't decide. Unfortunately, I can't really bring myself to wait, either. I need some form of closure, and I need it now. Thus, I made the only decision a man in my position could have made. I decided to rank the 16 teams left in the field based on the hotness of their fans.

No doubt that sounds a little odd to some, but don't worry. This list is plenty educational too.

Don't believe me? Find out for yourself.

16. Butler

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Damn those blasted Butler Bulldogs! They busted our brackets last year, and they're at it again this year!

First it was a buzzer-beater to knock off Old Dominion, and then it was Shelvin Mack raining threes and a bit of last-second craziness to beat Pitt. No matter how they get the job done, the Bulldogs just seem to know how to win in March.

They face another test in the Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet 16, but you can rest assured that the Bulldogs won't go down without a fight.

Of course, securing another upset will be a little easier if Brad Stevens can convince the team's cheer squad to put on a display like this while Jordan Taylor is trying to facilitate the Badgers' offense, that might help too.

And yes, cheerleaders are fans too.

Butler

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The biggest danger in playing the Badgers is that few teams in the country are better at forcing opponents out of their comfort zone. Wisconsin is one of the best defensive teams in the land, and they play a very slow-paced, efficient style of offense.

This may not be as much of a problem as most people seem to think. After all, Butler just knocked off a very good defensive team in Pitt, and they did it with a sort of long-distance barrage. I don't care how good your defense is, it's going to be tough to beat any team that can make 12 threes.

If they can summon that many threes again, they could be on their way.

Butler should also have the benefit of having plenty of good-looking fans there to cheer them on as well. In fact, if these two lovely ladies are any indication of what a few random sweeps of the crowd might turn up, I better go set my DVR.

You know, just so I don't miss anything important.

15. Richmond

Late at night on Selection Sunday, a very good friend called me up and said, "You know, Zach, you should really consider betting the house on Richmond. They have two great players in Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson, and they can hit threes like it's nobody's business."

Foolishly, I refused. As a result, visions of my torn and battered bracket haunt my dreams at night.

The good news is that Kansas, my pick to win it all, is still standing. And I think it's safe to trust them to do away with Richmond once and for all.

If Kansas does emerge victorious, my guess is that this girl will start haunting my dreams, scolding me for eternity for dooming the Spiders with my reckless skepticism.

As long as she brings extra beer, I guess I'm fine with that.

14. Marquette

In addition to Richmond, I was also warned about Marquette. But despite the fact that I knew full well that they were the highest-scoring team in the Big East this season, I hardened my heart.

Well, it turns out that the Golden Eagles are pretty good after all. They've knocked off two big-name schools already in Xavier and Syracuse, and they have a chance to knock off another when they face North Carolina on Friday.

One of the more remarkable things about Marquette's victory over Syracuse is that the Orange actually shot better than 55 percent from the field. The difference, it would seem, is that the Golden Eagles made 14 more free throws than the Orange.

What exactly does this have to do with that lovely cheerleader, you ask? I'm not sure, but she looks like she could have had something to do with it, don't you think? Perhaps she's in cahoots with the foul trouble gods...

13. Kansas

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President Obama picked the Kansas Jayhawks to win it all last year, and they let him down by losing in the second round. He picked them again this year, and I think it's fair to say the Jayhawks owe him a championship.

Of course, they owe me one too. After all, Obama may be the president, but I'm a voter. That means I have the power. I think.

In any case, I'm not too worried about Kansas against Richmond. The Spiders should have a tough time guarding the Morris twins, and the Jayhawks as a whole represent the best shooting team in the country.

Off the court, Richmond can't even hope to contend with Kansas' cheer squad. The program is 110 years old, and it's won the UCA Nationals twice in the last 20 years.

Kansas

I'm not so sure that Richmond's fanbase measures up very well against Kansas' either. Jayhawks fans are some of the most loyal college basketball fans in the country, and I'm willing to bet that plenty of them will make the trek to San Antonio for the Sweet 16.

With legions of their loyal fans there to cheer them on, the Jayhawks should have no troubles whatsoever shutting down Harper and Anderson.

As you can see, Kansas fans proudly flaunt Jayhawks garb away from the arena as well. I'm not exactly sure where this picture was taken, but it looks like something cool was about to happen. Makes me feel like I'm missing out, which is usually the first step towards the bandwagon.

12. BYU

There are some who think that the BYU Cougars are lucky to have made it as far as the Sweet 16. After all, life can be pretty tough without your leading rebounder.

Life is not tough, however, when you have the best scorer in the country on your side. Jimmer Fredette averaged better than 28 points per game this season, and he's scored more than 30 in each of BYU's tourney contests.

Now, my guess is that quite a few people are looking at this picture and wondering whether or not Jimmer might be in violation of the honor code. He's not, and neither is she. I checked it out.

Of course, if Jimmer had a beard in this picture, it would be quite incriminating.

BYU

One of the more interesting things about BYU is that their cheerleading program is just 18 years younger than the university itself. As for what BYU cheerleaders did to occupy themselves up until the Cougars played in their very first NCAA tournament in 1950, I have no idea.

Leading rebounder or no leading rebounder, I'm willing to believe that the Cougars can keep playing as long as they have lovely ladies like this cheering them on.

Unfortunately, as much as I would love to boast about discovering this picture, I cannot. I stole it from the great Gabe Zaldivar, who described the girl in the picture as being "as cute as a capuchin monkey wearing a hat feeding a little puppy."

In case you're wondering, the answer is no. I cannot top that.

11. Wisconsin

To be honest, I'd rather not talk about the Wisconsin Badgers. It's because of them that Kansas State, who I picked to make the Final Four, is out of the tournament altogether.

Unfortunately, men in dark suits and sunglasses are telling me to get on with it, so I'm afraid I have no choice.

Like I mentioned back in the Butler slide, the Badgers are one of those teams that just seem to make life very frustrating for opponents. It's pretty much impossible to score more than 60 points against them, and they have two players in Jordan Taylor and Lon Leuer who can drop 20 on you in a heartbeat.

Another thing that might make life frustrating for opponents is the fact that Wisconsin's fans are much hotter than they get credit for. An opposing player might feel like he signed with the wrong school, and a his sense of despair might be powerful enough to cause an untimely turnover or a missed foul shot.

Wisconsin

Just in case you weren't quite getting the point, here's another picture for you to mull over.

Personally, I think it's funny that Wisconsin has a reputation of being primarily a football school. The Badgers are indeed a gridiron powerhouse, but they're not too shabby on the hardwood either.

They've been to the NCAA tournament every year since 1999, and the program has produced great players like Devin Harris.

Go Big Red indeed.

10. Duke

Like most people, I hate Duke. For the most part, this has a lot to do with the fact that Coach K just always seems to dig up the most annoying players, but the way in which they are so consistently successful is also something I could do without.

This year, the Blue Devils definitely seem like they have the goods to be the first team to repeat as national champions since Florida in 2006-2007. They've got experienced players up and down the roster, and not many teams can contend with them when it comes to depth at the guard position.

Nolan Smith was named the ACC player of the year, Kyrie Irving looks as good as he did before his toe injury, and Seth Curry is liable to start raining threes at any given moment.

Of course, as annoying as the team is, Duke fans are annoying too. I mean, just look at this girl. She may as well be saying, "If you had gone to Duke, you could have sat next to me in class."

It's just not fair!

Duke

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Whenever people talk about Duke's overall excellence in the last 30 years, I don't think enough credit it given to the cheerleading squad. Because the Blue Devils have made the NCAA tournament 27 times in Mike Krzyzewski's tenure, I think it suffices to say that Duke cheerleaders have logged more time on the court than any other cheer squad over the last three decades.

Therefore, as much as I hate the team itself, I have no problem tipping my cap to all the fine women who have served as Duke cheerleaders throughout the years.

Come to think of it, is tipping your cap still fashionable? I mean, I don't want to creep these ladies out by looking like some kind of displaced time traveler from the 1930s. That would be a pretty terrible misunderstanding.

9. Connecticut

At some point., Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies are going to run out of gas. My hope is that they can at least honor my decision to place them in the Final Four before they finally do.

The Huskies have themselves a pretty tough matchup against San Diego State in the Sweet 16. The Aztecs play a very fast-paced, up-tempo style of game. Led by Kawhi Leonard, they have one of the most talented frontcourts in the country, and there is simply no beating them if Leonard and co. are getting to the basket.

On paper, I'm not so sure I like how the Huskies stack up against the Aztecs. That's why I printed this picture out on another piece of paper, and taped it on my wall next to my bracket. I find that it comforts me every time it looks like the tide is being turned against Huskies.

And because Walker always tends to do something awesome in times like those, I'm going to guess that this picture is near and dear to his heart too.

Connecticut

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A couple slides ago, I talked about how too many people make the mistake of thinking of Wisconsin as just another football school. Flip that around, and the exact same thing is true of UConn. The Huskies may be known for their prowess on the court, but they can play some pigskin too.

As we all know, 2010 was a banner year for the UConn football program. They managed to come out on top of a very weak crop of Big East teams, and they got to play in their very first BCS bowl game as a result.

Unfortunately, their Fiesta Bowl matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners didn't go so well, but that doesn't mean people are excused from showing respect, dammit.

8. VCU

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Anybody who bothered to read my work before should know that I am absolutely bonkers about VCU cheerleaders. In fact, this very same cheerleader was enough to convince me that the Rams have the hottest cheerleaders in the land urging them on.

In retrospect, this might just have something to do with how the Rams absolutely bullied their way to the Sweet 16. They notched double-digit victories against USC, Georgetown and Purdue to get there, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they end up stomping Florida State too.

To be sure, the Seminoles do play some pretty great defense, but that's not going to do them any good if the Rams can shoot 57 percent from the field like they did against Purdue.

VCU

It would appear that any and all hotties who go to VCU are immediately apprehended and forced to serve as cheerleaders. Because of that, one might think that the university boasts one of the most prestigious athletic programs in the country.

That might be a stretch, but it is a pretty good one.

The Rams are making just their 10th tournament appearance this year, and this is the first time they've ever made it as far as the Sweet 16. The Rams have, however, won three of the last five Colonial Athletic Association regular season championships.

The Rams also have a pretty good baseball program. They've won five CAA championships, and the program has produced players like Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge, Washington Nationals reliever Cla Meredith and Chicago Cubs reliever Sean Marshall.

7. Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes haven't won an NCAA championship in basketball since 1960, but it's looking like they have a very good chance to get off the hook this season. They absolutely destroyed both Texas-San Antonio and George Mason, and my gut tells me that they're not going to go any easier on Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

Yes sir, as long as you can turn a blind eye to what's going on with the football program, these are fine times to be an Ohio State fan. Maybe that's why there's so much sisterly love going on in this picture.

Then again, maybe the booze had something to do with it too. Either way, Ohio State is really, really good.

Ohio State

As we all know, one of the major reasons the Buckeyes are so successful is because they have one of the best players in the country in freshman forward Jared Sullinger. It's pretty much a given that he's going to have himself a double-double by the end of the game, and he's also one of those rare bigs who seems to have the mind of a point guard.

He understands spacing in a way no freshman should, and his presence alone is a big reason why the team as a whole shot at a 50 percent clip from the field this season.

When the NBA draft rolls around in late June, there's a very good chance that Sullinger could be the first Ohio State player taken first overall since Greg Oden in 2007. Hopefully, Sullinger's career will pan out better than Oden's has so far.

Thus concludes my little tribute to Jared Sullinger. If you bothered to read even a single word, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. Goodness knows it must have been tough with that lovely lady staring you in the face.

6. Arizona

As Derrick Williams goes, so go the Arizona Wildcats. Luckily, it just so happens that Williams is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country. Whether the team needs a big shot, a clutch rebound, or a game-saving block, Williams just always seem to be Johnny on the spot.

Williams has already saved Arizona's bacon twice so far in the NCAA tournament, but he's probably going to have to do it a third time if the Wildcats are to beat Duke to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.

Instead of freaking out about it, maybe Williams should relax. After all, at the end of the day, he still goes to a school that's chock-full of some of the hottest babes in the country. If that doesn't do the trick, perhaps he can remind himself that it's warm and sunny year-round in Tucson.

I just made you envious of Derrick Williams, didn't I?

Arizona

If you answered no to that last question, what say you now?

Indeed, by all accounts, Arizona is a fine school, and it obviously has a very rich basketball tradition. This of course has a lot to do with the great Lute Olson, who led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament in all but one of his 24 seasons at the helm. That included four Final Fours, and one national championship in 1997.

Arizona has a pretty good football tradition as well. The program hit a bit of a snag when Dick Tomey resigned in 2000, but Mike Stoops appears to have things headed in the right direction. He's led the Wildcats to bowl games in three straight years.

For the record, I'm not sure whose jersey that girl is wearing, but I'm sure Stoops must have been the one who recruited him. So he has that going for him too.

5. Kentucky

Because they have to go up against the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet 16, I almost feel bad for the poor Kentucky Wildcats. However, maybe the matchup is not as lopsided as it seems.

Despite the fact Ohio State is a much better shooting team than Kentucky, there really isn't much of a gap between the two teams when it comes to offensive production. The Wildcats have outstanding perimeter players in Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb, and let's not overlook the fact that they were able to win a game in which Knight made only one bucket.

The big concern will obviously be how to limit Jared Sullinger, but I'm of the mind that Josh Harrellson just might be up to the task.

Now that we have all that out of the way, I'm seriously wondering where this girl managed to find that Cliff Barker shirt.

Kentucky

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Ah yes, the great Ashley Judd. In addition to being a fine actress, she's quite possibly the most famous college basketball fan in the country.

As you may have guessed, she's a Kentucky alum, and she's quite proud of it. Judd is a regular in the student section at Kentucky basketball program, and she's actually written articles about Kentucky basketball before.

Her biggest contribution to Kentucky athletics, however, is the picture in which she posed in a Kentucky hockey sweater. It was a for a poster that was released in 1998, and it is now a tradition for celebrities with ties to the program to follow in Judd's footsteps.

Kentucky

Among the Kentucky alums who have posed in Kentucky hockey gear for the annual poster are Julia and Chandra Costello. Or, if you prefer, "The Juggy Twins" from The Man Show. They also went on to compete in WWE's Diva Search in 2004.

To be honest, I didn't even know Kentucky had a hockey program before I found out about this poster business. It's supposed to be pretty good too. I'm not so sure it's as good as the posters it has inspired, but it's pretty good.

4. North Carolina

Like most people who hate Duke, I rather dig North Carolina. Not because I have ties to the program, mind you, but because I grew up worshiping Michael Jordan, and loving the Tar Heels kinda comes with the territory.

I'm not so sure about this year's rendition of the Heels. They certainly have plenty of talent, but they just don't seem to be as good as the sum of their parts.

Still, I do think they can get by Marquette. The Heels should be able to keep pace with them offensively, and I think their bigs are going to make the difference. This is, of course, provided John Henson can refrain from having any more brain farts.

This young lady's jersey also reminds me that Kendall Marshall is looking a lot like Ty Lawson these days. If he can keep it up, the Tar Heels might just be good enough to make it to the Final Four.

North Carolina

Because of the considerable prestige of the North Carolina basketball program, it's possible that Roy Williams doesn't have to put forth much of an effort when it comes to recruiting.

This may or may not be true, but it shouldn't overshadow the fact that Williams played a huge role in getting Jordan to come to Carolina back in 1981. You could say he paid his dues with that one.

Things might be a little different these days. For example, if this picture is any indication, all Williams might have to do in order to land a blue-chip player is take him on a stroll through the Carolina dormitories.

I'll have to put in a call to Harrison Barnes and ask him about it.

North Carolina

In all seriousness, Roy Williams has more to sell than just a great basketball program and a fair number of cute girls. According to Forbes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the seventh-best public university in the country, ranking one spot ahead of my beloved University of California, Berkeley.

This is actually a little disconcerting. I was under the impression that Berkeley was the best public university in the country.

Well, I guess my degree is rubbish. Better go fill out an application for undergraduate study at UNC.

If I were to attend Carolina, I would make it a point to seek this girl out and beg her to give me the answer to what lies beyond that ellipsis. I just have to know.

3. Florida State

We come to yet another "holy crap, they play basketball there?" school. Indeed, it's still kind of weird to look up and see the Florida State Seminoles in the Sweet 16. The last time it happened was in 1993, when your humble narrator was still knee-high to a grasshopper.

It's no secret how the Seminoles managed to get this far. They're by no means the best scoring team, but they might just be the best defensive team in the field. They've held both of their tourney opponents under 60 points so far, and they might just do so again if they can hold VCU to less than 34 percent shooting like USC was able to do.

Are you getting all this, Florida State fans? I mean, I know you guys aren't used to this whole basketball thing, and I can't say I blame you. It's hard to focus on such things when you're surrounded by one of the most notoriously beautiful student bodies in the country.

Florida State

The subject of the FSU Cowgirls was going to come up sooner or later, so we may as well get it out of the way.

The Florida State football program has given sports fans many gifts over the years, chief among them being players like Fred Biletnikoff, Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward and Anquan Boldin.

But let's face it, the players Florida State has produced pale in comparison to the greatness of the FSU Cowgirls. There has never been a hotter group of fans, and there probably never will be, either.

Yes, that is a challenge.

Florida State

I wanted so desperately to leave Jenn Sterger off this list. Ultimately, I came to my senses and realized that doing so just wouldn't be fair to Florida State. She's a major part of the essential hotness of university's fanbase, and without her, the FSU Cowgirls would be nothing.

As we all know by now, Jenn rose to fame back in 2005 when an ABC cameraman just happened to catch a glimpse of her and several other Cowgirls. His shot of Jenn prompted Brent Musburger to say, "1,500 red-blooded Americans just decided to apply to Florida State."

And like that, a star was born.

I've obviously never met Jenn, but she seems like a pretty awesome person. She definitely knows her sports, and her tweets are often quite hilarious. Alas, it's such a shame that's she's seen the things she's seen...

2. Florida

The state of Florida is known for four things: old people, lousy baseball fans, unbearable humidity, and hot chicks. Indeed, if it weren't for that last thing, the place would probably be totally uninhabited.

Of course, if you totally lack a sense of humor, Florida is also known for college athletics. The Florida Gators football program is one of the most decorated programs in the country, and let's not forget that we are barely four years removed from the second of the back-to-back national championships the Gators won on the hardwood in 2006 and 2007.

This year, the Gators probably don't have the goods to be championship contenders, but they are certainly a very strong team. Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton are two of the best guards you're going to find, and the Gators also have a very talented frontcourt.

The Gators play BYU in the Sweet 16, and I shall go ahead and preview that matchup as soon as you're ready to take your eyes of this lovely lady.

Florida

You still with me? Good. In the immortal words of Han Solo, this is where the fun begins.

I don't think we should kid ourselves by saying something to the tune of, "Containing Jimmer Fredette will be a huge key for Florida against the Cougars." I heard some guy on ESPN say this yesterday, and he just sounded stupid.

Shoot, it was barely over a year that BYU bounced Florida from the NCAA tournament in the first round, and they were able to do so largely thanks to Jimmer's 37 points.

Instead of containing Fredette, which is more or less impossible, the Gators would be better off not trying to play his game. That basically means that Walker and Boynton shouldn't try to match him shot for shot. They need to control the tempo of the game by sharing the ball with Florida's bigs, who are going to have an advantage in the paint.

Or they could just hang this picture up around the arena in hopes that it challenges BYU's collective resolve. Either way.

Florida

Come to think of it, maybe they would be better off with this picture. Because, you know, it might give Jimmer and the Cougars a sudden urge to go play football instead.

That would actually be oddly ironic. After all, people love to compare Jimmer to former Florida great Tim Tebow. Not only is he arguably the most dominant player in his respective sport, he's also the respectable religious sort.

Such people are hard to come by. I know this because I'm an ordained minister.

I'm not killing this slide's buzz by bringing religion into the conversation, am I?

1. San Diego State

I don't care what team you root for, you have to feel good for San Diego State right about now. They came into the NCAA tournament with exactly zero tournament wins under their belt, and they've managed to win two.

Of course, the possibility definitely exists for the Aztecs to go much further. Like I said before, they have an immensely talented frontcourt, and they can be deadly when Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas are getting to the basket.

UConn is by no means an easy team to beat, but the Aztecs should be able to get the job done.

If the Aztecs do advance to the Elite Eight, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of partying going on in San Diego. In fact, there will probably be parties even if the Aztecs lose. Partying is what they do at SDSU, and they do it well.

From the look of things, it would appear that it's customary for some to map out their party plans on their stomachs with a black magic marker.

San Diego State

When San Diego State students are not partying, they participate in other extracurricular activities. For example, some prefer to take part in  the "Undie Run," which is just what it sounds like.

The Undie Run is by no means unique to San Diego State. Arizona State does one. So does Texas. As a matter of fact, I think most schools have one.

But come on, this is San Diego State we're talking about here. If ever there was a place to go running around in one's underwear in the middle of the night, it's San Diego. In the parlance of our times, they're doing it right.

So basketball, partying, and Undie Runs are all well and good, but what really makes San Diego State deserving of the No. 1 spot on this list?

I will show you...

San Diego State

That's why. And I'm not even going to bother to explain. I've said enough already, don't you think?

The truth is that San Diego State has a proud tradition of winning. The Aztecs have taken home some form of national championship in basketball, football, volleyball, rugby and most recently, cheerleading.

The university can now boast about having the hottest fanbase among all the schools that made it to the Sweet 16 this year. The way I see it, that's no small accomplishment.

Hope you enjoyed the show, folks. Here's hoping we have ourselves a great Sweet 16, and I'll probably be checking back with you when we get to the Elite Eight.

Oh, and feel free to follow me on Twitter. I say many awesome things.