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NCAA Tournament 2019: Reranking the teams remaining in the Sweet 16

By Lukas Harkins

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 and the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after their win against the Baylor Bears in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 23: Brandon Clarke #15 and the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after their win against the Baylor Bears in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 23, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Virginia Cavaliers celebrate. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: Virginia Cavaliers celebrate. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is now complete and 16 teams remain in contention for the national title. How might they be reranked?

The NCAA Tournament is one of the most entertaining sporting events of the entire year but it does not last long. After three months of anticipation, the season ended for many teams on Selection Sunday. And then, following four days of intense competition, 52 other teams were eliminated from contention for the national title. Now, with only the Sweet 16 remaining, everyone is closing in on potentially cutting down the final nets.

Unlike many years in the past, this tournament has been extremely chalky. In saying this, I mean that the vast majority of the top seeds heading into the Big Dance are still alive as there were very few major upsets. In fact, only two teams that were not anticipated to reach this point by seeding only are present (Oregon and Auburn). Funnily enough, the only two schools that were awarded a top-4 seed in their respective region to not reach the Sweet 16 were Kansas and Kansas State; not exactly a great tournament for the Sunflower State.

Looking ahead to the final few weeks of the tournament, the remaining 16 teams have already played two games and it is time to visit how well they have performed. In this article, I will be ranking each of the Sweet 16 teams in the field based on their play to this point with a heavier emphasis on these most recent performances in the NCAA Tournament.

Let’s get into it. (Note: All statistics used in this article were found via Sports-Reference or KenPom.)

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