NCAA Tournament 2011: Sweet 16 Power Rankings

Welcome to the Sweet 16.

After four days of upsets, buzzer-beaters, and head-scratching performances, the field of 68 has dwindled down to the cream of the crop. Every team left in the tournament deserves to be there and easy games will no longer exist.

The mix of teams is diverse. The top four programs of all time (Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke) are sharing the stage with elite mid-majors like San Diego State and VCU. The state of Florida has two teams left in the field and the state of Indiana is once again represented by the Butler Bulldogs rather than a traditional Hoosier squad.

With so many different, talented teams remaining, I'm here to re-rank the tournament from No. 16 to No. 1.

16. Marquette

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Joseph Fulce #21 and Darius Johnson-Odom #1 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate with teammates after defeating the Syracuse Orange during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March

A No. 16 ranking may seem a little too low for a team that has knocked off both Xavier and Syracuse, but this just goes to show how strong the remaining field is.

Marquette held Xavier to 55 points and Syracuse to 62. It is a major surprise to me that of the 11 Big East teams that made the tournament, Marquette is one of two who remains in the Sweet 16.

However, a week for Roy Williams to game plan for Marquette should lead to a North Carolina victory.

15. Richmond

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Darien Brothers #3 and Conor Smith #31 of the Richmond Spiders celebrate after defeating the Morehead State Eagles during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Col

Richmond is a difficult team to rank because they had an impressive regular season, but they haven't beaten high caliber teams yet in the tournament.

The reason I place them ahead of Marquette is because Richmond proved all season long that they were a top 25 (or top 16) team. Even with a week to prepare, Bill Self's Jayhawks are really going to have to scratch and claw to get past the Spiders.

The senior combination of Justin Harper and Kevin Anderson are what make this Richmond team worthy of the No. 15 ranking.

14. Florida State

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CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 20: Deividas Dulkys #4 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates after their 71-57 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the United Center on March 20, 2011 i

Florida State looked very impressive against Notre Dame last night. This was the type of Florida State performance we remembered seeing against Duke earlier in the season and a sign that the Seminoles could make it to the Final Four.

What's interesting about Florida State is five of their 10 losses this season came to teams who are still alive in the tournament. This helps justify their 23-10 record, but it doesn't give me confidence in them moving into the Elite Eight.

Florida State deserves to be this far in the tournament, but a win over Duke in the regular season doesn't guarantee a deeper run. Just look at St. John's.

13. Arizona

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates with teammates Kevin Parrom #3 and Lamont Jones #12 after defeating the Texas Longhorns 70-69 in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on M

Arizona has outscored their opponents by three points so far in the tournament. Their win against Texas was impressive, but Arizona has not exactly dominated their way through the opening rounds.

What keeps the Wildcats alive is the fact that they have Derrick Williams, one of the best players in the country. Whenever you have an elite talent like this, you will always be in the mix to upset a No. 1 seed like Duke.

12. Butler

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: After making the game winning free throw, Matt Howard #54 of Butler jumps into the arms of teammate Zach Hahn #3 as Pittsburgh's Travon Woodall #3 looks on following their game in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball

Butler has the best win in terms of seeding so far in the tournament.

However, when your wins are a controversial one point triumph over an upset prone Pittsburgh team and a Matt Howard buzzer-beater victory over Old Dominion, I can't allow myself to put Butler in the top 10 just yet.

11. Wisconsin

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TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 19: Mike Bruesewitz #31, Jon Leuer #30, Jordan Taylor #11 and Tim Jarmusz #24 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate during their 70 to 65 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tourname

Wisconsin seems to always be a top 16 team in the country. This year may be their best chance to get to the Final Four.

10. VCU

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PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 19: Bradford Burgess #20 of the VCU Rams cheers during the game against the UCLA Bruins during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Wachovia Center on March 19, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

VCU is shredding teams apart.

All three of their victories so far have been by over 13 points and the competition has not been easy.

What's scary about VCU is how balanced they are. In their win over Purdue, six players scored in double-figures and they looked like the superior team at every position.

VCU could be the only Cinderella left in the Elite Eight and will put up as strong a fight as any team can against Kansas.

9. Florida

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TAMPA, FL - MARCH 19: Albert the mascot from the Florida Gators performs against the UCLA Bruins during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at St. Pete Times Forum on March 19, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Im

I think Florida should have been a No. 3 seed all along. As a No. 2 seed they are slightly overrated, but you have to like their chances to navigate out of the Southeast region.

The gap between the Gators and the No. 8 team in this slide show is very small, which should lead to an excellent Sweet 16 matchup.

8. Brigham Young University

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 17: Jimmer Fredette #32 of the Brigham Young Cougars looks on while playing against the Wofford Terriers during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 17, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Phot

BYU's 22 point victory over a streaking Gonzaga team should raise some eyebrows. Even without Brandon Davies, the Cougars are still very much alive in this tournament.

Jimmer Fredette is carrying his team the way Stephon Curry did with Davidson three years ago. Curry carried Davidson within a three-point shot away from the Final Four and I think Fredette could go one step further.

There is no 2008 Jayhawks team left in their region, which is why I think Jimmer will carry his team one step further than Curry was able to.

7. San Diego State

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TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 19: Malcolm Thomas #4 and Billy White #32 of the San Diego State Aztecs celebrate after defeating the Temple Owls 71 to 64 in double overtime during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at McKale Center on March

The logic here is simple.

Both San Diego State and BYU are great teams.

BYU with Brandon Davies is better than San Diego State. BYU without Davies falls to No. 8 and San Diego State leapfrogs them to No. 7.

6. Kentucky

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TAMPA, FL - MARCH 19: (L-R) Brandon Knight #12, DeAndre Liggins #34, Eloy Vargas #30 and Jon Hood #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after they won 71-63 against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball t

The selection committee should have flip-flopped Kentucky and Florida in the bracket.

The Wildcats beat the Gators the last two times they played, including the SEC championship, and deserves to be playing BYU rather than the difficult Buckeyes.

5. North Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Harrison Barnes #40 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the first half while taking on the Washington Huskies during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2011

North Carolina is right up there with any of the No. 1 seeds. They belonged in Pittsburgh's spot.

4. Connecticut

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 17: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies calls a play against the Bucknell Bison during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Verizon Center on March 17, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nick Lah

Kemba Walker has the type of magic in him to carry the Huskies to the Final Four.

They won the Big East Tournament, they blew out Bucknell, and then beat a tough Cincinnati team by double figures.

College basketball fans deserve a Duke vs. Connecticut Elite Eight matchup.

3. Duke

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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: Nolan Smith #2 of the Duke Blue Devils moves the ball upcourt while taking on the Michigan Wolverines during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2011 in Charlotte,

Resurrecting Kyrie Irving to life for the tournament puts Duke in position to repeat.

They will have the toughest road of the No. 1 seeds having to endure Arizona, Connecticut/San Diego State and then finally Ohio State before the National Championship.

They have the pieces and the experience, but will they be able to survive the difficult road?

2. Kansas

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after a play against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tuls

The Jayhawks' first halves against Boston and Illinois had Kansas fans everywhere in a panic.

Their two second halves of the tournament have been domination.

Kansas has a very favorable road ahead and will not play a single digit team until the Final Four. The Morris twins look unstoppable and the secret weapon, Josh Selby, has yet to go off.

The Jayhawks have all the right pieces, but need to put together two full halves for an entire 40 minute performance to win the title.

1. Ohio State

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Jared Sullinger #0, Jon Diebler #33 and William Buford #44 of the Ohio State Buckeyes look on from the bench during the second half against the George Mason Patriots during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament a

The Buckeyes have won both of their games by over 30 points.

Put this into perspective, George Mason finished first in the conference that contained VCU and Old Dominion. VCU is flying through the tournament and Old Dominion would be where Butler is right now if Matt Howard had not tipped the ball in at the end of their first round game. A 32-point victory over George Mason is a very scary win for all fans not associated with Ohio State.

The Buckeyes will face tests against Kentucky and North Carolina this week and we will have a better gauge at just how dominant the overall No. 1 seed is.

Their only losses this year were at Wisconsin and at Purdue. The Buckeyes are in good position to meet up with the Jayhawks in the Finals.

If that game happens, we are all in for a treat.