NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Sweet 16 teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament

1. Gonzaga (#1 seed)

Last season, Gonzaga entered the NCAA Tournament with an unbeaten record and marched all the way to the championship game before falling to Baylor. The Bulldogs have been one of the best postseason teams in recent years, so it’s no surprise to see this team still dancing after two wins. What may be surprising is the way these wins happened, considering neither was exactly as dominant as many expected.

It took nearly thirty minutes to put away 16-seed Georgia State, even if that 93-72 win still looks somewhat dominant. However, they found themselves in a double-digit hole at the half against 9-seed Memphis, before battling for an 82-78 victory. Drew Timme had 32 points against the Panthers, and had a 25-point, 14-rebound effort in that important win over the Tigers. Not only do they also boast talented big man Chet Holmgren (19 points, 17 rebounds on Thursday), but they needed the 23-point effort they got from Andrew Nembhard, who played every single minute against the Tigers.

Despite what some uninformed parties will say, this Gonzaga team was absolutely tested throughout the season, even if they looked a little shaky at times this past weekend. The Bulldogs, who still boast the most efficient offense in the nation, absolutely remain one of the favorites to cut down the nets two weeks from now. It’s hard to find a team that can match up with the size and talent on this Gonzaga squad; planning for the two-headed monster of Holmgren and Timme is going to keep Arkansas up late all week.

We’ve completed our ranking of the Sweet Sixteen teams, but who do you think is going to prevail and make the Final Four next week in New Orleans?