Basketball

Sixteen Thoughts on the Sweet Sixteen

By Jason Romano Mar 21, 2017

March Madness is in full effect as we get ready for the Regional Semi-Finals and Finals this weekend. Sixteen teams remain as the journey to college basketball glory continues.

With that, here are sixteen thoughts about the Sweet Sixteen.

  1. Kansas is the best team remaining in the tournament. The Jayhawks are stacked, Josh Johnson is hot and the team is peaking at the right time and look poised to make it back to the Final Four.
  2. Two weeks ago if you had said Michigan was a legit threat to reach the Final Four, we’d all have laughed at you. But they are. This is the most exciting Michigan basketball team we’ve seen since the Fab Five.
  3. We miss you Villanova. When the defending champs get ousted prior to the Sweet Sixteen, you can’t help but miss seeing them try to defend their title.
  4. The Big Ten is better than we all thought. Seven teams made the tournament, five won a first round game and three teams are in the Sweet Sixteen.
  5. Lonzo Ball is worth the price of admission. He’s NBA ready and gets to display his skills in prime time on Friday Night against John Calipari and Kentucky.
  6. South Carolina is that team nobody is talking about. Remember this name — Sindarius Thornwell. He’s been the most complete player in the tourney. Look out for the 7-seed Gamecocks.
  7. Can Gonzaga finally do it? With only one loss, is this the year the Zags make their first trip to the Final Four? 36-1 is no joke.
  8. I love that there will be a team cutting down the nets to go to the Final Four at the basketball mecca that is Madison Square Garden. (Florida, Wisconsin, Baylor or South Carolina)
  9. What happened to Duke? Everybody watched them roll through the ACC tournament but then play as bad a half of basketball as they could and lose to 7-seed South Carolina. Whether you root for them or against them, basketball is better when the Blue Devils are in the Sweet Sixteeen.
  10. It’s time for a buzzer-beater. Just one. C’Mon March Madness!! We need that big time finish to a game. We need that one shining moment.
  11. West Virginia should not be taken lightly. Their win over Notre Dame was a demolition. The Mountaineers vs Gonzaga is a sneaky good game to watch Thursday Night.
  12. Quietly, Oregon has been a top notch team all year winning 31 games and the Pac-12 regular season title. They survived Rhode Island last weekend and hope to do the same Thursday vs Michigan.
  13. The most anticipated game of the Sweet Sixteen is Kentucky vs UCLA. Two storied franchises. Both very young and chock full of talent, this is a rematch of their close game back in December when the Bruins prevailed 97-92 in Lexington.
  14. If Kansas is the best team remaining, North Carolina is right behind them. They’ve played at a high level all season long and look locked in. The Tar Heels are trying to make it back to the championship game after losing on a buzzer-beater to Villanova last year.
  15. The South Regional is absolutely stacked. Between UNC, UCLA, Kentucky and a red hot Butler, these three games will be fun no matter who advances.
  16. Final Four Picks: Kansas, UCLA, Arizona and Florida