Ranking Every Team in the Sweet-16

The Sweet-16 begins today, and this year we were blessed with one of the most diverse and unexpected gathering of teams we have seen in a long time. Nearly every seed is represented, with no seed having more than two representatives left in the bracket. Does this make it significantly easier for the one and two seeds to win? Probably. However, we will worry about that in the Final Four when this parity eventually collapses in on itself. For now, get excited for a very interesting Sweet-16.

16. Princeton

The lone double-digit seed left in the tournament, Princeton is the last remaining true Cinderella story. They were overshadowed in the first two rounds because of FDU and their improbable win over Purdue, but now they are back in the glass slipper spotlight. They toppled Arizona in round one before defeating Missouri in a pretty one-sided game. They're a team full of a ton of heart, but at the end of the day that can only carry you so far. They are definitely the least talented team in the bracket, and they're about to face off against a Creighton team that has been red hot. Could I see Princeton doing it again and picking up the win? Sure. But if I were to bet on any team to lose in this round it would have to be the Tigers.

15. Florida Atlantic

This team went from being a potential Cinderella team to being one of the most hated teams in the country. They took down Memphis in the first round and then faced off against a 16-seed FDU team that had just beaten Purdue. They struggled to beat that team, and in the closing seconds a 360 windmill dunk attempt sealed their fate as a team everyone would be rooting against going forward. They're a more talented team than Princeton, but not by much, and I don't expect them to stand much of a chance against the staunch defense of Tennessee. The only way I see them winning is if Tennessee's offense crumbles like it has on several occasions this season.

14. San Diego State

San Diego State may be a five seed, but it still feels like them being here is a fluke. Most people picked Charleston to upset them in the first round, but they prevailed. Then Furman was a popular pick against them in round two, but they prevailed. Now they take on the top seed in the entire tournament in Alabama, and I just don't see them prevailing this time. A talented team for sure, but I think they lack the IT factor that is required to make it far in this tournament. They are definitely a step above the two teams below them, but I still think they're one of the weaker teams in the bracket.

13. Michigan State

Michigan State at their best is one of the top teams remaining in this tournament. However, they have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the country all year. At the beginning of the year I would have told you this team was special, but by the end I wasn't so sure. I am not shocked in the slightest to see them here, but I would be shocked to see them get much further. I think they are a team that's capable of beating any team in the country, but I have a hard time seeing them stringing multiple wins in a row. They are a team that if they get hot at the right time can be very scary, but I think it would be dumb to put your faith in them.

12. Kansas State

This Kansas State team is an incredibly weak 3-seed. They didn't beat Montana State by a ton in round one, and then barely beat a confused Kentucky team in round two. They played horribly in their last game and only made it through because Kentucky also played horribly. They rely heavily on their two-main guys, and if either of those guys are off you can't expect them to make it far. I may have them ranked above Michigan State, but I think there's a very good chance they lose this game by a decent amount. At their best they're very good, but if they play anything like they did last round they will lose this game.

11. Xavier

I have been out on Xavier all year, and for good reason. I know a player on this team, so I watch basically all their games, and this season I have not liked what I've seen. They are a team full of ball-hogs and low IQ players. They are incredibly talented, but I think they are the least cohesive team left in the tournament, and I think the fight that broke out on their bench last game proved that. They've had pretty easy games up to this point, and they did not dominate in either of those games. I don't trust them and I don't like the way they play basketball, that's why they're this low on the rankings.

10. Arkansas

Before I say anything bad about this team I have to give them their flowers. Their win over Kansas was huge, and that could be the spark they've needed all year. This team could very well be the most talented team in the tournament, they just happen to be incredibly young and inexperienced. That's been their issue all season long, but maybe now they've seen enough to prepare them for a deep run in the tournament. I think to have them any higher would be disrespectful to the other teams who have been better all year, but this is a team that could easily win this whole thing if they have things figured out.

pc: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

9. Gonzaga

I am not huge on Gonzaga, and before I wrote this blog I thought I would have them lower. They are talented and experienced, but something just seems missing. Grand Canyon stuck with them for the majority of their first round game, and they barely beat TCU in the second round. They have a star in Drew Timme, but at points it does seem like they're in a "how far can one guy carry us" scenario. At the end of the day they are Gonzaga, and Gonzaga just doesn't win tournaments. On top of that, this is one of their less talented teams in recent years.

8. Houston

For a one seed, Houston has been pretty underwhelming in this tournament. I understand that they play a slow paced defensive game, but they haven't impressed me thus far. On top of that, we aren't even sure if their best player, Marcus Sasser, is healthy. Over the past several seasons Houston has been one of the top teams in the tournament, but they can never seem to get over the hump. I don't think you can trust this team to win six games in a row, especially as they get further into the bracket and take on better teams.

7. Tennessee

Tennessee would have been much lower on this list if it weren't for their win over Duke in the second round. That was one of their best games this season, and if they can keep playing like that they have a really good chance to go deeper in the tournament. They also play Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16, and Tennessee should definitely win that game. This is not the best Tennessee team we've seen, but due to circumstances such as Purdue losing in the first round they very well make the deepest run we've seen from a Tennessee team.

pc: Ben Solomon/Getty Images

6. UConn

Like Tennessee, this UConn team would be lower on these rankings but they've impressed me in the tournament so far. They dominated Iona in the first round and handled St.Mary's in the second. I don't think they're the most talented team in the world, but something they are doing is working and it's working well. I do think Arkansas is the more talented squad in their matchup this round, but if UConn plays anything like how they've played the rest of this tournament I think they will get the best of Arkansas.

5. Miami

This Miami team looked fantastic in their second round game against Indiana. They easily beat a team that many had going deep. However, they did struggle in their first round game against Drake, barely beating the mid-major team. I do think they have the perfect mix of talent and experience needed to succeed in the tournament, but their inconsistency does scare me. Luckily for them, they are playing Houston in the Sweet 16, and while they are a one seed they are the least threatening top two seed team left in my opinion. If Miami gets good performances from their top guys they could win this game by a lot.

4. Creighton

I have been high on Creighton all year, and I am only higher now than I was before the tournament started. It was consensus that Creighton and Duke were the two hottest teams coming into the tournament, and now that Duke is gone Creighton remains as the hottest team in the country. Like Miami, they have the perfect mix of talent and experience, and even though they've been inconsistent on the season as a whole, they've been very consistent as of late. They did luck out in their matchup this round, facing 15-seed Princeton. I think Creighton could beat any team in the bracket, and as long as they don't return to their mid-season form they should be alright.

3. UCLA

I have learned over recent years not to trust UCLA to win it all. However, I love this team. It is basically the same team from last year, but just a little better. They have looked pretty dominant up to this point, and they played good against a Northwestern team that pushed them to the end. They are the better version of Miami and Creighton, having talent, experience, and consistency. I like them to get the best of Gonzaga in this round. If they can slow Drew Timme down even a little bit I think they will win this game.

2. Texas

I really wanted to have Texas as my number one in these rankings, but I just couldn't do it. As of right now they are my pick to win it all, but that doesn't mean I think they're the best team. They are the second best team remaining in the bracket, but for several reasons I have them winning it all. So far they have looked really solid, and I expect that to continue. The only way I see them losing is if their opponent plays the best game of their year. I just don't see Texas crumbling in this tournament. They play Xavier in the Sweet 16, and I already talked about how I think Xavier is a fraudulent team. I think they will win this game with ease.

1.Alabama

I think Alabama has to be ranked number one, but I still don't think they're winning it all.They are definitely the most talented team remaining in the bracket, but there are too many question marks. I think they handle San Diego State in this round, and run into some trouble throughout the rest of the tournament. There are just way too many theatrics going on behind the scenes for this team to keep their head straight. Teams that face this many storylines always struggle when things get serious, and very few teams have had to deal with as many negative storylines as this Alabama team has. They could definitely win this whole thing, but something tells me that's not going to happen.

pc: UA Athletics