Busting Brackets
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NCAA Tournament: Reseeding the Sweet 16

By Matt Ostrowski

Mar 23, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; A view of the NCAA logo on the basket while Miami practices during practice the day before the semifinals of the South regional of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; A view of the NCAA logo on the basket while Miami practices during practice the day before the semifinals of the South regional of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) and Virginia Cavaliers guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) celebrate in the final minute against the Butler Bulldogs in the second half during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at PNC Arena. The Cavaliers won 77-69. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) and Virginia Cavaliers guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) celebrate in the final minute against the Butler Bulldogs in the second half during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at PNC Arena. The Cavaliers won 77-69. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

The One Seeds

4. Villanova (previously seeded No. 2)

Talk about having a burden lifted off of your shoulders. Jay Wright hasn’t made the Sweet 16 since 2009, when his Wildcats qualified for the Final Four. That includes two seasons in which they have earned a two-seed, and one season in which they earned a one-seed.

So Wright had a bit of a reputation for underperforming on the big stage. Many people, myself included, thought Villanova would fall victim to a similar fate this season. Jarrod Uthoff of Iowa would cause a matchup nightmare for them in the round of 32, and it would be another early exit for Villanova.

Boy, were we wrong.

They won 87-68, and it was never close as they were winning 54-29 at the half. Nova shot 59 percent from the floor, and 52 percent from three. Uthoff had just 16 points.

It was by far the best game I have seen Villanova play for as long as Wright has been there, including his teams led by Scottie Reynolds.

So let’s give these guys a bit more respect.

3. Virginia (previously seeded No. 1)

“Virginia is so boring to watch because they just play great defense and don’t play offense.”

That right there is the biggest myth in college basketball, and it gets me irrationally upset everytime I hear it.

First of all, it’s not even remotely true that they don’t play offense. As a matter of fact, KenPom rates their offense as being almost better than their defense, and sixth in the country! That ranks ahead of more stereotypical “offensive juggernauts” like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Villanova.

This offense was on full display in their Round of 32 victory over Butler. Virginia shot almost 56 percent from the floor, and 73 percent in the second half, leading to a 54 point explosion.

So, to me, Virginia is like that lame internet meme that’s been popular lately, captioned: get you a man that can do both.

Virginia can play both offense and defense. Stop confusing yourselves.

2. North Carolina (previously seeded No. 1)

Coming into this tournament, the biggest cause of concern for any Carolina fan was Marcus Paige. After missing the first month or so of the season with his broken wrist, he never quite became the same player this year that he was in year’s past. From January onward he shot just 29 percent from three.

And that’s a really bad sign considering he’s one of Carolina’s only outside shooting threats. Him, Joel Berry, and Nate Britt are the only North Carolina players to be shooting over 30 percent from downtown.

As a team, they shot just 31 percent this season. Spacing the floor is so important for a team that has three massive post scorers in Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks.

The good news for the Tar Heel faithful is that in Paige’s first two games of the tournament, he is 5-of-12 from three. Small sample size, sure, but it’s still great to see him potentially getting back to his old self at the tail-end of his senior year to try and secure a championship.

1. Kansas (previously seeded No. 1)

Some people may disagree, but Kansas is playing the best basketball of any team in the country right now. They haven’t lost since January 25th at Iowa State.

Since then, Landen Lucas has made his way into the starting lineup, and the Jayhawks finally got their much-needed stability that I have been harping on.

Lucas has been the anchor of one of the best two-point defenses in the country, as opponents are shooting just 43 percent from inside the arc against the Jayhawks. In conference play, when Lucas’ playing time went up, that number is 41 percent.

He’s also turned the Jayhawks into a good rebounding team. Last season, they allowed 14 offensive rebounds per game in conference play, last in the Big 12. This year, it was just 11 per game, and that was up to sixth in the conference.

Many Jayhawk fans were terrified that UConn center Amida Brimah was going to cause them issues in their round of 32 matchup. Brimah grabbed almost two offensive rebounds per game in just 21 minutes per game this year, and Kansas had nobody tall enough to match his 7-foot height.

More busting brackets: Best games of Round One

Of course, Lucas made sure that was never an issue. Brimah grabbed just two rebounds, both defensive, in 17 minutes. Kansas won the rebounding battle 42 to 21, and on the scoreboard 73-61.