Feb 10, 20187 min read

CBB: Sweet Sixteen Rankings Vol. 4

1. Virginia Cavaliers (23-1, +1, 99 Pts): The Virginia Cavaliers have continued their streak of dominance, having won their last 15 games. During that win streak, they have knocked off Duke, Clemson, and North Carolina. Despite being snubbed of their number one spot this past week, the Cavaliers will take that spot following the loss of Villanova. Coach Tony Bennett has extended this team’s chances of getting to the national championship, and the best way to help that is defense. Virginia still has the number one defense in the country, holding teams to low scores every single game. When you have a defense this good, you don’t need a ton of offensive power. Kyle Guy leads the Cavs with 15.4 points per game. They also do not turn the ball over at all, only averaging 9.1 turnovers per game, which is the lowest in college basketball. The Cavs still have Miami on the schedule, but if Virginia can win the ACC Tournament, they have a great chance of getting to the finals, especially with a defense that Bennett generates.

2. Villanova Wildcats (22-2, -1, 94 Pts): The Villanova Wildcats slipped up this past week, losing to St. John's, 79-75, but that doesn't rule them out to be a No. 1 seed come March Madness. However, they'll need to get healthy sooner rather than later. Eric Paschall and Phil Booth, two starters, are still out for the time being. Paschall is dealing with a concussion and has been ruled out for the Butler game. Meanwhile Booth is still 2-3 weeks away from returning with a hand injury. The Cats have the juice to win the national title for sure, but they won't unless they're healthy going into the tournament. Both Butler and Villanova are 4-1 in their last five games, but lost their most recent matchup. The Bulldogs lost at home against No. 5 Xavier in overtime on Tuesday. Villanova will look to their Player of the Year candidate, Jalen Brunson, to do much of the heavy lifting until reinforcements come back. He is averaging a team-high 19.8 points and 4.9 assists per game. Mikal Bridges, who has immense talent, must take on more of a workload as well, as he is putting in 16.6 points per outing. Villanova finishes the season with games against Butler, Providence, No. 5 Xavier, DePaul, Creighton, Seton Hall, and Georgetown. Villanova should finish the year with no more than four losses.

3. Michigan State Spartans (23-3, +6, 92 Pts): Currently on a seven-game winning streak, Michigan State has been playing all around great team basketball the whole season. Despite all the off the court issues, the Spartans have come together as a unit and performed up to their expectations. With only three losses against ranked teams, Tom Izzo looks to break that barrier going into the Big Ten Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament. He has emphasized team basketball throughout this whole season. During the year, all five starters are averaging double digits in scoring, showing the team basketball Izzo was talking about. Led by Miles Bridges and his 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, Bridges has been making an impact on his teammates all season long showing why it was a great choice to return to MSU. The Spartans take on No. 4 Purdue today, Michigan State looks to get a big win at home and push the momentum going into the tournament.

4. Purdue Boilermakers (23-3, -1, 84 Pts): The Purdue Boilermakers had a 19-game winning streak going into their home game against Ohio State. Most people expected the nation's longest streak to reach 20, but the Buckeyes had other ideas. Ohio State won, 64-63, behind a game-winning put back from Keita Bates-Diop. And now Purdue's chances to win the Big Ten regular season title are suddenly in question. Ohio State and Michigan State now have a real opportunity to take home to crown and earn the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Purdue clashes with Michigan State tonight, and the winner will stay in the race. Purdue will rely on their Big Ten Player of the Year candidates and veterans, Isaac Haas and Vincent Edwards, who are combining for 30.0 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. With that said, Carsen Edwards, the sophomore guard, is arguably the best player on the team. He has had a breakout year after a good freshman campaign. He is averaging a team-high 17.0 points per game to go along with 1.2 steals. His defense, as well as the stability of the frontcourt has made it so the Boilermakers have a real chance of getting to the Final Four. And a win over the Spartans would do wonders for their confidence. After the Michigan State match, the Boilermakers finish the season with games versus Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, and Minnesota.

5. Xavier Musketeers (22-3, +5, 83 Pts): The Xavier Musketeers have been playing great basketball all season. After losing back-to-back games against No. 1 Villanova and Providence, the Musketeers have won seven straight games. Xavier has slowly crept up the rankings in the last few weeks, and have played at a different tempo after their two consecutive losses. While only beating one ranked this season, Xavier looks to rack up points with their top-10 offense and get their way to the national championship. The Musketeers are led by senior guard, Trevon Bluiett, who is averaging 19.4 points per game and also shooting lights out from three, with 43.6 percent. Chris Mack’s offense has got them out of many close games but when cold, the defense is often a liability. With a rematch of Villanova remaining on their schedule, the Musketeers must be efficient on both sides of the ball if they want to advance far in the NCAA Tournament.

Sweet Sixteen Rankings:

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (20-4, +1, 78 Pts)

7. Kansas Jayhawks (19-5, +1, 78 Pts)

8. Duke Blue Devils (19-5, -4, 63 Pts)

9. Cincinnati Bearcats (22-2, +2, 61 Pts)

10. West Virginia (18-6, -5, 37 Pts)

11. Oklahoma Sooners (16-7, -5, 37 Pts)

12. North Carolina (18-7, +1, 32 Pts)

13. Miami Hurricanes (18-5, +5, 30 Pts)

14. Arizona Wildcats (19-6, +3, 28 Pts)

15. Wichita State Shockers (18-5, -3, 24 Pts)

16. Kentucky Wildcats (17-7, -1, 20 Pts)

Right Side of the Bubble: Arizona State (18-6, 6-6) started the season 12-0 with wins over Xavier and Kansas, but are just 6-6 in their last 12 games. They're safe for now, but if they slip up and lose to Oregon State or Stanford down the stretch, they might not be so lucky. Michigan (19-7, 8-5) has looked so good at times with wins over UCLA, Texas, and Michigan State, but have looked downright lost at times as well in losses to Nebraska and Northwestern. They need to get to 20 wins to be safe, and a win over Wisconsin or Iowa in the next week should do it. Louisville (17-8, 7-5) ended their three-game losing streak with a win over Georgia Tech last night, which certainly helps keep them in good graces. However, they've failed to score 80+ points in four straight games and are having trouble scoring, which will make it hard down the stretch against teams like North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, and NC State. Florida (16-8, 7-4) has so much talent but is just 2-3 in their last five games with losses to South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. They still need four more wins to be a lock in the tournament, which should come with victories over South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and either Auburn or Kentucky. Texas (15-9, 5-6) is just barely hanging on to a bid, and the last two games have been a microcosm of their season - upsetting No. 12 Oklahoma and then losing to Kansas State at home - they're much too inconsistent, and it may be why the Longhorns go to the NIT instead. They need four more regular season wins and one Big 12 tournament win, which would have to come against TCU, Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, or West Virginia, and I'm not sure this young team can achieve that feat.

Wrong Side of the Bubble: Oregon (16-8, 6-5) is playing better ball lately, after reaching the Final Four last year and then getting off to a slow start this season. The Ducks face a must win on Sunday against Washington State and then will have to upset either USC or UCLA on the road to have a realistic chance. Syracuse (16-8, 5-6) got a much-needed resume building win over Louisville on Monday, 78-73, but they're still just 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Orange must get to 20 wins so their next two games against Wake Forest and NC State at home are nearing must-win territory. Baylor (14-10, 4-7) was left for dead after their home loss to Oklahoma last week which was their fourth straight loss, but since, the Bears have ran off two wins in a row by a +25 margin. If they can somehow pull off an upset against Kansas tomorrow afternoon, then they'll have a chance to play their way in. South Carolina (13-11, 4-7), like Oregon made the Final Four last season, but haven't had the same level of success after two starters left for the NBA. Despite big wins over Kentucky and Florida, the Gamecocks would have to win at least five more regular season games to make the dance, and that doesn't seem likely in the rising SEC. Minnesota (14-12, 3-10) has lost six straight and went from a possible Sweet Sixteen team to maybe missing the NIT. In order to even remotely have a chance, the Golden Gophers would have to win out with games against Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Purdue.

Elite Eight Players:

1. Trae Young (Oklahoma) - 100 Pts.

2. Marvin Bagley III (Duke) - 96 Pts.

3. DeAndre Ayton (Arizona) - 89 Pts.

4. Jalen Brunson (Villanova) - 89 Pts.

5. Miles Bridges (Michigan State) - 81 Pts.

6. Mo Bamba (Texas) - 58 Pts.

7. Kyle Guy (Virginia) - 39 Pts.

8. Mikal Bridges (Purdue) - 37 Pts.

Final Four Picks (November 7, 2017):