Top Five Teams in the Sweet 16

The NCAA Tournament has been reduced to just 16 teams. Looking at the teams left gives one the opportunity to pick the top 5 still playing.

The first weekend of action was filled with great games and the Sweet 16 is sure to be the same. The remaining field this year features three schools from the Pac-12 and the Big Ten, which is not surprising at all. However, it includes three schools – Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky – from the SEC.

Dayton and Stanford two seeds above No. 10 are still in the mix, while teams like Syracuse, Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and previously unbeaten Wichita State are not.

That is what makes the tournament so exciting, as almost anything can happen, and usually does.

Looking at the team that remain, five come to mind that are playing better at this time than the rest of the remaining field.

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona easily defeated Weber State in their first game, which had been expected. However, Gonzaga at No. 8 had a legitimate opportunity going into the game to beat the Wildcats. However, that never happened. Arizona beat Gonzaga by 23 points giving them an opportunity to show the viewers their talent. The Wildcats are versatile athletic and are tops in defensive efficiency.

Florida Gators

The top seed in the tournament is expected to win big in each of its first two games. Florida however did not enjoy that dominance but nevertheless defeated a valiant Albany team and ripped apart the Pittsburgh Panthers to move on to the Sweet 16. It is the fourth straight season the Gators have been to the last 16 and are unbeaten since December 2.

Kentucky Wildcats

At last, the real Kentucky Wildcats came to play. This group of players was labeled the best recruiting class of all time in college basketball. No one questioned how talented the players were and are today, but the team could not find chemistry to excel for the entire regular season. However, the team now realizes just how talented it is and proved that with its win over Wichita State. The win sent the Shockers home with their first loss of the season. Watch out remaining 16, the Wildcats have awoken.

Virginia Cavaliers

The Virginia Cavaliers have flown below the radar all season. They started slow against Coastal Carolina in their first game and trailed by 5 points at the half. Many were wondering if that would be the first No. 16 upset of a No. 1 seed. That never happened. Virginia came out strong and beat CC by double digits. The Cavaliers then disposed of Memphis forcing the Tigers to miss 10 of their 13 shots from 3-point land. Virginia turned the ball over just a combined 17 times in the two games. With their defense, watch out.

Stanford Cardinal

This might be the Cinderella story of the tournament. Johnny Dawkins has his team playing great ball after a frustrating season. However, Stanford eliminated New Mexico a strong team and was impressive in eliminating Kansas in the second round. The team is a sleeper and could surprise in their next game as well.