NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking the 8 matchups in the Sweet 16

This past week in the NCAA Tournament has been a major example of how difficult it is to win in college basketball. We’re not even specifically talking about the teams that have already been upset or had disappointing performances this season. We’re talking about programs like Penn State and Providence, who saw their seasons end last week and their coaches snatched away by other programs, making their futures look increasingly unsteady. These coaches and players put in months of hard work.

In fact, it’s been months of exciting college basketball action that has led us to this very moment. The NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend gave us plenty of intrigue and unforgettable moments. The ruthless nature of the Big Dance is certainly unfair, but only the teams that make the Tournament and win when it matters most have their chance in the spotlight, and we’re ready for the Sweet Sixteen.

The remaining sixteen teams are all here for a reason. It’s not just that these teams can win games, but they’ve won the important games, sometimes against high odds, and deserve this shot at eternal glory. You could easily argue that a team like Purdue, Kansas, Arizona, or Baylor is a more worthy Sweet Sixteen team than some of this year’s selection, but that simply is not the case. These teams are worthy because they won their games; they weren’t upset like those teams we listed.

With the Sweet Sixteen about to start, we’ll be looking closely at these matchups and ranking them in order of intrigue. Just because a game is put at the bottom or top of the list doesn’t mean it won’t be exciting or filled with action. We’re clearly at the point in the season where all the games matter and anything can happen, but that doesn’t mean we’ll get eight close down-to-the-wire games either. Without further ado, let’s get into these matchups.