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

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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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: Coach Benford of LSU talks. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

10. LSU Tigers

Results: Wins over Yale (79-74) and Maryland (69-67)

LSU played its first two games of the NCAA Tournament without head coach Will Wade roaming the sidelines but that hasn’t really seemed to stop them. In both games of the Big Dance, the Tigers have been able to ride some balanced scoring and point guard leadership to take victories. With that said, though, their journey has not been easy. In the first round, they had to fight in the second half to put away Yale. In general, that one never seemed to really make LSU fans sweat but it was a little too close for comfort at times.

The Tigers then followed that performance up with a close-fought win over Maryland. The worry, though, is that LSU once again struggled a bit down the stretch of that game as they allowed Maryland to make it extremely tight down the stretch. Thankfully, though, the Tigers were able to put the ball in the hands of sophomore superstar Tremont Waters and let him go to work to find the game-winning bucket.

In my opinion, LSU is one of the most talented teams remaining the tournament but their lack of overall experience is a bit concerning. This is an extremely young team and that might come back to haunt them in close-game situations. And while one may point to the fact that they took down Maryland in a tight game, I want to remind you that Mayland was also one of the youngest teams nationally. Talent, though, often wins out and the Tigers have plenty of that.

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