{"id":4342,"date":"2013-03-28T12:59:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-28T16:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4342"},"modified":"2013-03-28T13:07:11","modified_gmt":"2013-03-28T17:07:11","slug":"just-how-sweet-is-sweet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=4342","title":{"rendered":"Just How Sweet is Sweet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, we are down to 16 teams.\u00a0 We can all rank the remaining teams based on how good we think they have been all year or what we expect them to do going forward.\u00a0 And, we will all have similar – yet slightly different – opinions.\u00a0 But, what if we tried to assess the 16 remaining teams strictly<\/em> on their tournament performances to get here.\u00a0 Who was the most impressive through the first two rounds?<\/p>\n

This isn’t a list of who I think is the best team or who I think has the best chance of cutting down the nets.\u00a0 This is strictly my assessment of how good each team looked last weekend.\u00a0 Obviously, everyone is 2-0 (except LaSalle, who is 3-0), so I took am strictly basing these rankings on the quality of their opponents and the nature of their victories.\u00a0 The higher seeds are at a bit of a disadvantage in this form of analysis because, by definition, they would have been playing weaker opponents, but they still had the ability to dominate these lower opponents – some did and some did not.<\/p>\n

So, here is my list of the\u00a0Sweet 16, in order of how dominant they looked in getting to this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Louisville<\/span> <\/strong>– (#16 N.C. A&T 79-48,\u00a0#8 Colorado St. 82-56)<\/em>
    \nThe #1 overall seed played every bit the part over the weekend.\u00a0 They are a couple levels better than N.C. A&T, so that wasn’t a surprise, but their utter domination of a very good CSU team.\u00a0 Yes, they earned and easier road through their #1-seed and were playing in their home state, but these two performances were head-turningly good.
    \n\u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. Wichita St.<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#8 Pittsburgh 73-55, #1 Gonzaga 76-70)<\/em>
    \nWhatever your feelings are about whether Gonzaga should have been a #1 or a #2, nothing changes the fact that they had 3 fewer losses than ANYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY, and were clearly a top 5 or 6 team coming into the tournament, and Wichita St. flat-out beat them.\u00a0 And, that was coming off a drubbing of, what seemed to be, a woefully underseeded Pitt team.\u00a0 Beating Pitt and Gonzaga over three days is very impressive in any fashion, but this team did so in dominating<\/em> fashion.
    \n\u00a0<\/li>\n
  3. Florida Gulf Coast<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#2 Georgetown 78-68, #7 San Diego St. 81-71)<\/em>
    \nBy no means am I saying the Dunk City Eagles are the 3rd-best team in the country.\u00a0 I am not even saying that I think they have much of a shot against Florida on Friday.\u00a0 But, if we are honest about evaluating the weekend’s performances, wouldn’t you say that only Louisville was more impressive this weekend?\u00a0 They had double-digit wins over Georgetown and San Diego St. – and, as everyone knows – they looked like the better basketball team on each night.\u00a0 With my love of low-major basketball and the fact that my parents own a place across the street from the FGCU campus, I have actually been following this team all year and consider myself a fan.\u00a0\u00a0Their athleticism and bravado came as no surprise to me.\u00a0 But, let’s pump the brakes on the arguments that they were underseeded.\u00a0 I fully expected a 16-seed and would have been happy not to be in the First Four.\u00a0 The A-Sun was one of the lowest rated conferences in the country this year – and THEY DIDN’T EVEN WIN THE LEAGUE.\u00a0 They were 2nd-place, behind Mercer.\u00a0 They were swept by Lipscomb and even lost a game to the lowly Black Bears of Maine.\u00a0 They struggled to stop people all year and committed a TON of turnovers at various points in the season.\u00a0 But, they put it together at the right time and played two phenomenal games of basketball in Philly this weekend.\u00a0 They deserve this spot – not for the dunks, but for the defense they played against two loaded teams.
    \n\u00a0<\/li>\n
  4. Oregon<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#5 Oklahoma St. 68-55, #4 St. Louis 74-57)<\/em>
    \nEveryone who knew anything about the sport this year knew, without question, that Oregon’s 12-seed may have been the worst seeding job in recent history.\u00a0 But, just because they weren’t your typical 12-seed doesn’t mean that the Ducks were supposed to have been THAT good.\u00a0 The win over OSU was a really good – and convincing – win, but wasn’t completely unexpected.\u00a0 But, the pummeling of a red-hot and incredibly-talented St. Louis team was shocking.\u00a0
    \n\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Michigan<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#13 South Dakota St. 71-56, #5 VCU 78-53)<\/em>
    \nIt is hard to say just how much The Palace helped the Wolverines, from a homecourt standpoint, but regardless of that, they\u00a0looked really <\/em>good.\u00a0\u00a0S.Dakota St. was\u00a0not quite as good as everyone might think, but they did have a future NBA draft pick in Nate Wolters, so that’s always a scary\u00a0First Round matchup.\u00a0 But, they beat up the Jackrabbits handily.\u00a0 That wasn’t nearly as surprising as what they did to a VCU team that\u00a0several people had going to the Final Four.\u00a0 They Wolverines absolutely pounded VCU, looking a lot more like the #1 team in the country that they were in January rather than the 5th-place\u00a0Big Ten team they were in February.
    \n\u00a0<\/li>\n
  6. Michigan St<\/span><\/strong><\/em>. – (#14 Valparaiso 65-54, #6 Memphis 70-48)<\/em>
    \nThe other home team in\u00a0The Palace last weekend also put on a show for its faithful.\u00a0 The Spartans may have played some flawed opponents, but they absolutely dominated both games.\u00a0 The Valpo game was the most lopsided 11-point game I’ve ever seen,\u00a0and then\u00a0Memphis looked like they didn’t even belong.\u00a0 Coach Izzo – as usual – has this team rolling in March.
    \n\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Syracuse<\/span><\/em><\/strong> – <\/span>(#13 Montana 81-34, #12 California 64-61)<\/em>
    \nThe most dominant single-game performance of the tournament so far was, without a doubt, the absolutely drubbing that the ‘Cuse put on a solid Montana team.\u00a0 And, then to follow that up with a solid win over a Cal team that was coming off an impressive win over UNLV and was, essentially, playing home games here is also a nice feat.\u00a0 This Syracuse team might be playing their best ball of the year right now.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Florida<\/span><\/em><\/strong> – (#14 NW State 79-47, #11 Minnesota 78-64)<\/em>
    \nFlorida wasn’t really challenged at all this weekend, but that\u00a0had more to\u00a0do with them than their opponents – in my opinion.\u00a0 NW State was a dangerous 14-seed that the Gators just dispatched, and Minnesota is one of the scarier 11-seeds I can remember because of their gobs of talent.\u00a0 But, again, the Gators had no trouble.\u00a0 It\u00a0will be hard to know about this team, though, as their path to an Elite Eight is through a 14-, an 11-, and\u00a0now a 15-seed.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Arizona<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – <\/span>(#11 Belmont 81-64, #14 Harvard 74-51)<\/em>
    \nGames against Belmont and Harvard looks more like a November non-conference schedule for Rider than a path to the Sweet 16, but you can only play who’s in front of you, and the ‘Cats have dominated who is in front of them.\u00a0 And, it’s not like these are cupcakes at any point in the season – Belmont is a very <\/em>good team, and Harvard (still a year away) took out New Mexico two days prior to the pounding they took from UA.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  10. LaSalle<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#13 Boise St. 80-71, #4 Kansas St. 63-61, #12 Ole Miss 76-74)<\/em>
    \nWhen thinking about these rankings, I totally expected LaSalle to be higher on this list because I am counting the First Four win they had over Boise St.\u00a0 They are the only team to have won three games to get here.\u00a0 And, as good as they look right now (and they look really <\/em>good), they didn’t blow anyone out, and they didn’t really beat any real contenders.\u00a0 Boise, K-State, and Ole Miss are all very good teams and good wins, but did anyone really think these teams were going anywhere?\u00a0 I’ve got a TON of love for the Big Five – with LaSalle as my little brother team – and I will be rooting hard for the Explorers the whole way, but I couldn’t put them any higher on this list, even with that extra win.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Duke<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#15 Albany 73-61, #7 Creighton 66-50)<\/em>
    \nThe Dukies had a bit of a tussle with Albany in the first round, but I credit the Great Danes more than I discredit the Devils.\u00a0\u00a0And, then on Sunday,\u00a0Duke\u00a0took care of a dangerous Creighton team with no trouble.\u00a0 Their defensive performance against a potent Creighton offense on Sunday was mighty impressive.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Miami<\/span><\/em><\/strong> – (#15 Pacific 78-49, #7 Illinois 63-59)<\/em>
    \nAs good as the ‘Canes looked on Friday (and they looked real<\/em> good) in\u00a0manhandling an overmatched Pacific team, that’s how much they struggled against the Illini.\u00a0 But, this time of year is about survive and advance, and that is what they did.\u00a0 And, Illinois is a feisty team with big-time shotmakers, so that is a scary recipe for a second-round opponent, so it’s hard to hold too much against the ‘Canes.\u00a0 They just are going to need something<\/em>\u00a0from Durand Scott going forward, especially now that they are without Reggie Johnson.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Indiana<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#16 James Madison 83-62, #8 Temple 58-52)<\/em>\u00a0
    \nThe Hoosiers handled JMU with\u00a0an unsurprising ease, but we all know how much they struggled to beat the Owls on Sunday.\u00a0 And,\u00a0with the exception of Khaliff Wyatt (offensively),\u00a0Temple wasn’t\u00a0all that great.\u00a0\u00a0It isn’t a stretch (or me being a homer) to say that\u00a0IU\u00a0is lucky to still be alive in this\u00a0tournament.\u00a0 That being said, they did make the plays they needed to make and have to be given some credit for\u00a0holding the non-Wyatt Owls to just 21 points.\u00a0 But, they will not beat Syracuse playing the game they played on Sunday.
    \n\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Ohio St.<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#15 Iona 95-70, #10 Iowa St. 78-75)<\/em>
    \nI\u00a0have to admit, I might be low on the OSU performance this weekend because I’m kind of low on them, in general, but I will still stand firm that their two performances were underwhelming, to me, particularly if you factor\u00a0that these games were being played in the backyard in Dayton.\u00a0 Granted, they did beat Iona, who was probably the best of the 15-seeds going into the tournament (yes, that definitely includes the Dunk City Eagles), by\u00a025, but they didn’t look completely dominant in that game.\u00a0 And,\u00a0say what you will about the\u00a0block\/charge call on Craft, but those calls are missed\u00a0multiple times throughout\u00a0every game, this\u00a0one just happened to be in the final two minutes.\u00a0 And, it’s not like that literally<\/em> lost them the game.\u00a0 There\u00a0were still 80 seconds left\u00a0in a one-possession game.\u00a0\u00a0That said,\u00a0ISU is good, but\u00a0not great, and they took it to the Buckeyes – in Dayton – in the final\u00a08 minutes of that game and easily could have\u00a0found themselves near the top of this list today.
    \n\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  15. Kansas<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#16 Western Kentucky 64-57, #8 North Carolina 70-58)<\/em>
    \nHere’s a bold statement for you – if I had to redo my brackets today, I would have the Jayhawks winning this tournament.\u00a0 But, as bold as that is, it is not AT ALL because of how they played in the first two rounds.\u00a0 They actually played 3 BAD<\/em> halves of basketball.\u00a0 If they weren’t playing a 16-seed, their First Round performance would have ended their season.\u00a0 And, the first half of their game against UNC easily could have ended their season.\u00a0 But, that second half was a thing of beauty.\u00a0 If they play like that, they will win the title.\u00a0 But, any more halves like those first three and my boldness will be thrown in my face.
    \n\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  16. Marquette<\/strong><\/span><\/em> – (#13 Davidson 59-58, #6 Butler 74-72<\/em>)\u00a0
    \nMarquette won two games and\u00a0probably should have lost them both.\u00a0 They definitely <\/em>should have lost the Davidson game, as that was the biggest heartbreaker of the tournament.\u00a0 Then, that crazy\u00a0Butler finish could easily have gone the other way.\u00a0 But,\u00a0a 3-point margin – total – in two wins counts just the same as Louisville’s 55-point margin.\u00a0 Both teams are four wins from a\u00a0title.<\/span><\/li>\n

    \u00a0<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    So, we are down to 16 teams.\u00a0 We can all rank the remaining teams based on how good we think they have been all year or what we expect them to do going forward.\u00a0 And, we will all have similar … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[239,109,404,1401,215,47,1403,44,1318,1404,1168,43,261,1400,405,1402],"class_list":["post-4342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college-hoops","tag-arizona","tag-duke","tag-florida","tag-florida-gulf-coast","tag-indiana","tag-kansas","tag-lasalle","tag-louisville","tag-marquette","tag-miami","tag-michigan","tag-michigan-st","tag-ohio-st","tag-oregon","tag-syracuse","tag-wichita-st"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4342"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4349,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342\/revisions\/4349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}