NCAA Tournament 2018: Early Predictions for Sweet 16 Teams Post-Selection Sunday
The NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket was released on Sunday, but by now you've configured your predictions in a few different ways as you look to get an upper hand on the other competitors in your bracket pool.
While round-of-64 predictions may be the focus right now, it is never too early to select which teams advance to the second weekend of the Big Dance.
All four No. 1 seeds appear to have a good chance of making it to the Sweet 16, but upsets are bound to happen elsewhere in the four regions.
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Picking all 16 teams correctly is something few can do because of the unpredictable nature of the competition, but we should see plenty of marquee programs mixed in with a few Cinderella teams in this year's edition of the Sweet 16.
Predictions for the Sweet 16
South Region
No. 1 Virginia
No. 4 Arizona
No. 7 Nevada
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago
No. 1 Virginia has the toughest road to the Final Four of all the No. 1 seeds, but it should experience an easy opening weekend, with victories over No. 16 UMBC and No. 8 Creighton or No. 9 Kansas State.
The Cavaliers, who won the ACC regular-season and conference tournaments, should handle their matchups in the first two rounds, but the road gets much more difficult in the Sweet 16.
No. 4 Arizona is expected to face No. 5 Kentucky in the round of 32 in what could be one of the best games of the NCAA tournament.
Arizona holds an upper hand over John Calipari's squad because of the strength of freshman DeAndre Ayton in the paint.
Kentucky is able to keep up with the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament champion when it comes to shooting, but the SEC tournament champion doesn't contain a big who can successfully contain Ayton, who should cause trouble to Virginia as well.
The bottom half of the bracket is prime for upsets, as two dangerous mid-major teams in No. 7 Nevada and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago are set up for runs into the second weekend.
Loyola-Chicago enters the Big Dance on a 10-game winning streak, and it has a full week of rest since winning the Missouri Valley tournament.
Nevada was seen as a contender for a No. 5 or No. 6 seed before getting blown out by San Diego State in the Mountain West tournament quarterfinals.
Look for the Wolf Pack to come out with a point to prove, and they're going to cause trouble against No. 10 Texas and No. 2 Cincinnati with four players who average over 13 points per game, led by Caleb Martin's 19.1 points per contest.
Once the Ramblers and Wolf Pack reach the Sweet 16, they will be playing with nothing to lose, which could make it an entertaining high-scoring affair.
East Region
No. 1 Villanova
No. 5 West Virginia
No. 6 Florida
No. 10 Butler
Compared to the other top seeds, No. 1 Villanova has the easiest path to the Final Four.
The Wildcats should cruise into the second weekend, but they could face a difficult matchup against No. 9 Alabama and star freshman Collin Sexton in the round of 32.
As long as the Wildcats play as they did in the Big East tournament, they should overpower their pair of opponents in Pittsburgh, even if Sexton goes off in the second round.
No. 5 West Virginia was criminally underseeded after making the Big 12 tournament final. Seniors Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. form one of the top guard duos in the nation, and the Mountaineers possess a big man in Sagaba Konate, who is one of the best rim protectors in the country.
Between the pair of senior guards and Konate down low, the Mountaineers should be able to control their quadrant of the bracket in San Diego, including a victory over No. 4 Wichita State.
No. 6 Florida may be susceptible to an upset from either No. 11 St. Bonaventure or No. 11 UCLA, but the Gators enter the Big Dance with a wealth of experience from last year's run into the Elite Eight.
The Gators should get past No. 3 Texas Tech, who lost five of its last seven games, in the second round behind experienced hands Chris Chiozza and KeVaughn Allen.
No. 10 Butler made a name for itself as an upset specialist when it was in the Horizon League, and the Bulldogs should take on the same mindset as an at-large team from the Big East this season.
The battle-tested Bulldogs have a dynamic duo in Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin, who combine to average over 35 points per game.
Martin and Baldwin will have a fantastic first two games, and the Bulldogs should find a way to counter the size of Purdue's Isaac Haas with an all-out assault from beyond the arc led by the top-two scores on their roster.
Midwest Region
No. 1 Kansas
No. 2 Duke
No. 3 Michigan State
No. 5 Clemson
The traditional powers of men's basketball are lining up for a fantastic showcase in Omaha, Nebraska, for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in the Midwest region.
No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Michigan State could face tests in the round of 32, but their respective rosters should overwhelm any first-weekend opponent.
The Jayhawks might have issues with Angel Delgado of No. 8 Seton Hall, but they proved during the Big 12 tournament they're more than just Udoka Azubuike in the frontcourt.
Silvio De Sousa and Mitch Lightfoot provided Bill Self's team with valuable minutes at the Big 12 tournament, while Malik Newman rose into the spotlight alongside seniors Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
Duke's talented bunch of freshmen could be in for a challenge against another star in their class if Trae Young and No. 10 Oklahoma reverse their poor form of the last month and knock off No. 7 Rhode Island.
Although Young presents an intriguing individual showdown with Marvin Bagley III, the Blue Devils should have enough to run past an Oklahoma supporting cast that is lackluster at best.
Michigan State hasn't been talked about too much on the national level, but it's poised for a deep run in March behind a deep collection of sophomores led by Miles Bridges and a stud freshman in Jaren Jackson.
No. 5 Clemson could face the most competitive round-of-32 game in the region against No. 4 Auburn, which is a matchup normally reserved for college football.
However, there's an chance both sets of Tigers could lose in the round of 64 since they both lost five games since the start of February.
West Region
No. 1 Xavier
No. 2 North Carolina
No. 3 Michigan
No. 4 Gonzaga
The top-seeded Xavier Musketeers didn't receive any favors from the selection committee, as No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Michigan reside in their region.
North Carolina might have been one win away from taking Xavier's top seed, but it lost in the ACC tournament final to Virginia.
The Tar Heels are playing as well as any team in the nation, led by guards Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson, who are looking to end their careers as back-to-back national champions.
Michigan improved its seed the most of any program over the last month by winning nine straight games and the Big Ten tournament.
It's hard to think of No. 4 Gonzaga as an underrated team given its stature on the national level, but that's what the Bulldogs are entering the Big Dance.
Sophomore Killian Tillie could be one of the breakout stars of the tournament, as he eclipsed 20 points in each of his three games at the West Coast Conference tournament.
Mark Few's team could face a challenge from either No. 5 Ohio State or No. 12 South Dakota State in the second round, but it is Xavier who faces the biggest potential threat in the first weekend.
Looming in the round of 32 for the Musketeers is the potential of Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr., who is working his way back to full strength.
If Porter thrives against No. 9 Florida State, it sets up a clash of experience versus youth, with Porter being the most talented player on the court.
Click here for B/R's Printable Bracket
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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