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NCAA Tournament 2019: Ranking the upcoming Sweet 16 matchups

By Lukas Harkins

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs is defended by Terance Mann #14 of the Florida State Seminoles in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs is defended by Terance Mann #14 of the Florida State Seminoles in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The Tennessee Volunteers huddle. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: The Tennessee Volunteers huddle. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

(2) Tennessee Volunteers vs. (3) Purdue Boilermakers

This is the most underrated matchup of the Sweet 16, in my opinion. In general, this matchup lacks great storylines and therefore will not be as hyped as some of the others. The superstars in this matchup do not draw a ton of NBA attention, there are no coaching controversies, and neither team has really made a splash this season outside of simply handling their business over and over again. And while all of this is true (and the reason why the matchup is ranked so low), it would be a mistake to think that this will not be a great game.

Tennessee and Purdue have been two of the top-10 teams in the country throughout this season and they have arguably the most combined talent of any Sweet 16 matchup. Additionally, neither team features a future first-round NBA Draft choice but their collegiate stars are absolutely worth settling down and watching. For Tennessee, forwards Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams make up a dynamic duo that will steadily produce every single night. Purdue, on the other hand, boasts elite scoring guard Carsen Edwards, who has no problem pulling up from anywhere on the court and can explode for 30+ in any game.

Additionally, one storyline that is flying under the radar is Purdue’s inability to win a Sweet 16 game. The Boilermakers have been extremely successful as a program under head coach Matt Painter but they are yet to reach an Elite Eight even though they have reached the second weekend on five occasions under Painter. Will this be the year that the streak is snapped?

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