NCAA Bracket 2011: Power Ranking the Sweet 16 Teams
Now that the craziest weekend in the NCAA tournament is over, it's time to let the dust settle and assess who is left. There are 16 teams left, and they all have a certain chance of winning it all.
Surprise exits Pittsburgh, Louisville and Notre Dame all went down early. With lower seeds like Butler, Richmond, VCU and Florida State advancing to the Sweet 16, clearly anything is possible this year.
So who looked the best over the weekend? What team is ready for a deep tourney run, while others will go down the next round?
Let's break it down—here are the power rankings for the remaining 16 teams.
16. Richmond Spiders
1 of 16
Richmond certainly isn't the worst team left, but it has the worst draw.
The upset-minded Spiders will face off against Kansas on Friday. Unfortunately for Richmond, this doesn't appear to be a favorable draw.
Richmond's best player, Justin Harper, will have to attempt to limit both Morris twins from dominating the game.
On top of that, Kansas has the size on the perimeter.
Richmond's stud senior guard Kevin Anderson is under six feet and will face off against guards that are at least three to four inches taller.
Although this doesn't look good on paper, it's March Madness, people—anything can happen.
15. VCU Rams
2 of 16
Coming into the tournament as the "what was the committee thinking?" team, VCU has used that label to motivate itself.
VCU started off the tournament with a win over Georgetown and followed it up with a rout of Purdue.
VCU head coach Shaka Smart is quickly on the rise and looks so young that he could be mistaken for a player out there.
The Rams have solid all-around play, matching up quite well with FSU.
Don't sleep on the Rams of VCU—they could be this year's George Mason.
14. Marquette Golden Eagles
3 of 16
Even though the rest of the Big East has let the country down, Marquette has not.
The Golden Eagles kicked off the tournament with a win over Xavier and followed it with an upset of Big East foe Syracuse.
Buzz Williams has his kids playing at a very high level out there. Led by guards Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette looks like one of the best teams the Big East has to offer.
Unfortunately for Marquette, it matches up with North Carolina in the next round.
Williams is a very underrated coach, and it will be interesting to see how he tries to handle the athleticism of the young Tar Heels.
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13. Butler Bulldogs
4 of 16
In what was a "what were you thinking?" ending to the Butler vs. Pitt basketball game, the Butler Bulldogs came out on top. Two stupid fouls occurred back to back, and Butler emerged with the less dumb foul.
That part is history though, and Wisconsin is now in the forefront of Butler's view.
Butler versus Wisconsin will be a fun game for "old-timer" basketball fans to watch. Both teams are high-IQ, slow the ball down and play quality defense.
Butler has already taken down a No. 1 seed in Pittsburgh, so anything is possible in this one.
Don't be shocked if Butler makes another Final Four run, this time without Gordon Hayward.
12. Florida State Seminoles
5 of 16
Late last night the Florida State Seminoles shocked the basketball world.
The 'Noles not only beat Notre Dame—they crushed them. The final score went by a count of 71-57.
However, it was more about how FSU did it. Notre Dame looked uncomfortable on offense all night and only went 7-of-30 from three-point land.
The Seminoles are known for their stifling defense, but last night was about the offense.
FSU shot 46 percent from the field and 47 percent from three. If FSU can shoot like that every game, you might be looking at a potential Final Four team.
The 'Noles have a favorable Sweet 16 matchup against the VCU Rams.
Don't sleep on these Seminoles—they certainly have the defensive firepower and offensive streakiness to shake things up.
11. Wisconsin Badgers
6 of 16
Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers do a great job of flying under the radar and have done just that so far.
The Badgers have a well-balanced attack and play very stingy defense.
Versus Kansas State, senior forward Jon Leuer posted another solid all-around line. Leuer went for 19 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, it gets to play a very similar team in Butler. The Bulldogs have a slower approach to the game, which means these teams have good matchups.
This lower-scoring affair should come all the way down to the last few possessions, making for great TV drama.
Also keep on eye on the big-time frontcourt matchup. Smart seniors Matt Howard and Jon Leuer will square off down low, which will have several implications.
If Leuer is able to get Howard away from the basket, where he snatches up countless rebounds, expect Wisconsin to come away with this one.
10. Arizona Wildcats
7 of 16
Arizona escaped the Texas game with a very controversial ending. Regardless of the ending, the bottom line reads that Derrick Williams and Arizona are on to the Sweet 16.
However, things won't get easier for the Wildcats.
Sean Miller's Wildcats face off against No. 1 seed Duke next round.
The team will simply have to play much better to top the Blue Devils. Stud forward Derrick Williams had a good game against Texas but missed far too many free throws.
Role players Solomon Hill and Kyle Fogg will need to have great games on both ends of the floor.
Also, head coach Sean Miller played nine guys over 10 minutes versus Texas. This might be a useful strategy against Duke, which tends to stick with a much smaller rotation during tournament time.
Good luck, Arizona; ride the shoulders of Derrick Williams as far as you can.
9. UConn Huskies
8 of 16
The casual basketball fan might ask, "Why is UConn so low on this list?" However, if you consider UConn's recent workload, one might be surprised it's even at this point.
The Huskies played five games in five games to win the Big East tournament, and things didn't get easier from there.
They handled Bucknell in the first round and beat Big East foe Cincinnati by 11 in the next round.
While everyone loves UConn and the story of Kemba Walker, you have to wonder how long this can go on for.
The team has to be somewhat tired, and winning that many games in a row is a tough feat.
Sorry UConn, but your time might be coming to an end.
8. Kentucky Wildcats
9 of 16
The young Kentucky Wildcats have won two close games already.
In the first round Kentucky beat Princeton 59-57 and followed it with a win against West Virginia, 71-63. Winning close games like that is huge for such a young team.
Not only is it big for team chemistry, it's big for Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight's draft stock.
Expect Kentucky to use its supreme athleticism against Ohio State, possibly shocking the Buckeyes early on.
Good luck, Kentucky; Ohio State is a very sound and smart team.
7. BYU Cougars
10 of 16
Although many people were skeptical of BYU without Brandon Davies, the Cougars have fared just fine.
BYU won by just eight in the first round and followed it with a 23-point statement win over Gonzaga. Gonzaga is usually the definition of upset, but it wasn't able to apply that versus BYU.
Now Jimmer Fredette and company will go against the balanced Florida Gators.
BYU knows Florida well since it knocked them out in the first round last year. That doesn't mean Florida certainly won't be looking for revenge.
If BYU wants to advance, Jimmer, along with the weakened frontcourt, will have to have big games against Florida.
6. UNC Tar Heels
11 of 16
John Henson is smiling in this picture, but I guarantee he wasn't after Roy Williams talked to him after the narrow win over Washington.
Henson nearly had two bonehead plays in a row. The freshman dropped the ball out of bounds to give the possession back to Washington with under a second left and then nearly goaltended the final shot of the game.
Besides that, UNC has had a very high-powered attack so far. It dropped over 100 points the first game and nearly 90 the second.
In its Sweet 16 matchup, UNC will play 11th-seeded Marquette. The Golden Eagles upset Syracuse on Sunday and should be ready for the run-and-gun attack of UNC.
UNC matches up very well against Marquette and should advance without much surprise. The next round would bring a much tougher matchup by playing Kentucky or Ohio State.
5. Florida Gators
12 of 16
The Florida Gators get their chance at redemption versus BYU and Jimmer Fredette. Last year BYU knocked out Florida in the first round.
The Gators seem prepared this go-around.
Florida has a balanced attack, having guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton teamed up with big men Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus.
The real X-factor for Florida is Chandler Parsons. Parsons is a stat sheet stuffer with the ability to impact the game in every way possible.
If Florida can advance past BYU, it would play the winner of Wisconsin against Butler. Besides Kansas, Florida has the easiest draw to advance to the Final Four.
4. Duke Blue Devils
13 of 16
Duke probably would be No. 1 in these power rankings if it weren't for the last five minutes of the game versus Michigan.
The Blue Devils looked terrible, turning the ball over and making bad decisions with the ball.
Duke has looked less than comfortable since Kyrie Irving returning to the lineup. With this new addition to the lineup, Duke will have to gel quickly if it wants to advance over Arizona.
The Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them trying to contain the red-hot Derrick Williams.
Not only does Duke have a tough matchup versus Arizona, it would then have to play Connecticut or San Diego State to go to the Final Four.
Be careful, Duke—everyone is gunning for you.
3. San Diego State Aztecs
14 of 16
San Diego State has been one of the most overlooked teams this entire year. The NCAA tourney is no different so far.
For the Aztecs, they play more so to win than blow the other team out.
San Diego State beat Temple on Saturday in a double-overtime thriller, which gives them more close-game experience. Expect the Aztecs to build off that close win.
The Aztecs have a well-balanced attack, which can only help for a deep tournament run. If you look at past champions, most teams had at least three or four guys that would score around 10 points a game.
For San Diego State, it had all five starters score nine points or more on Saturday.
Don't sleep on San Diego State—it has all the tools for a deep run this year.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
15 of 16
If Kansas didn't have its favorable road to the Final Four, Ohio State would be the No. 1 power-ranked team.
The Buckeyes dominated the first weekend, winning their games by a combined 61 points.
Ohio State dictated both games in all areas. The Buckeyes shot well, rebounded, played defense, were smart with the ball and made plays all over the place.
Ohio State has a team built great for a deep run, consisting of solid guards with bruising big men. Freshman point guard Aaron Craft has looked very good so far in his play and decision-making.
The Buckeyes square off against Kentucky next round and will have to bring their A game. This game will truly be a matchup of athleticism and inexperience versus finesse and brains.
1. Kansas Jayhawks
16 of 16
The Jayhawks had a solid first weekend by handling Boston University and Illinois.
Kansas was led both games by the Morris twins, who seem impossible to handle down low.
Fortunately for Kansas, it has one of the easiest roads to the Final Four in recent memory. If it wins its region, the highest seed it would have played would be Illinois at No. 8.
Florida State routed Notre Dame, VCU crushed Purdue and Richmond was able to beat upset-minded Morehead State to advance to the Sweet 16.
Kansas' next game falls against Richmond, which it matches up very well with. After that it will play the winner of VCU versus Florida State.
Having those types of more casual games can be a blessing or a burden. It's a blessing because the Jayhawks don't have to face the top-ranked teams in their immediate path. It can be a burden since they will be pressured to win handily over lower-ranked opponents.
How will the Jayhawks handle this type of fortune? Well, we don't know, which is what makes March Madness awesome.
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