Sweet 16: Power Ranking the Rounds Most Enticing Matchups

The Sweet 16 features the best teams remaining in college basketball and you can count on nearly every single game being a tightly contested one.

However, there are a few that carry a little extra weight and should be considered absolute must-sees.

Let’s take a look at them.

No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 2 Ohio State

These two Ohio schools have only clashed once since the Bearcats beat the Buckeyes in back-to-back championship games in the 1961 and 1962 NCAA tournaments.

The rivalry will be renewed on Thursday night and it promises to be a battle.

Both teams pride themselves on defense and tough interior play, which means a fierce, low-scoring game is ahead of us.

Expect the team that dominates the post to come out ahead.

No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 1 Kentucky

The Hoosiers were the only team to beat the Wildcats during the regular season. However, that was just a mere nine games into the campaign and Kentucky’s group of freshman has grown exponentially since.

They will be hungry for revenge and looking to advance to the Elite Eight with a victory.

It will be interesting to see if Indiana can keep up with KU’s athleticism and speed and play their game to keep it tight. 

No. 13 Ohio vs. No. 1 North Carolina

It’s crazy, but the Bobcats have a legitimate shot to win this if Kendall Marshall isn’t able to go or is severely limited due to his surgically repaired wrist.

Ohio is the Cinderella of this tournament and has been playing as well as anyone on the planet right now.

If they can keep up this hot streak against the Tar Heels, who knows how far they might make it in the Big Dance.