49 down, 16 left, are you ready for the Sweet 16?  A look at each team and where they stand

SCOTT JACOBS

Now that the NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and the pretenders have been removed from the contenders what does this next weekend of college hoops have in store?  Here’s a quick guide to the remaining teams left in the tourney (though probably not all are left in your bracket).

Sleeper no more: Davidson
If you’ve been paying attention to college basketball analysts they have been singing Davidson’s praises all season long as a potential tournament sleeper.  Well folks, their sleeper is now wide awake after upsetting Georgetown and Stephen Curry is the reason why.  Arguably the most exciting player in the tournament Curry is a fabulous player who may just have another upset under his sleeve.

That really good number three seed: Louisville
The Cardinals absolutely pasted Oklahoma on Sunday setting up a terrific matchup with Tennessee.  While many predicted the Vols to go far, not many saw the Cardinals running over their first two opponents. But are they Final Four caliber? They sure look pretty good right now.

Nervously Alive: UCLA
Phew, that was close.  UCLA nearly fell to Texas A & M in an upset that probably would have destroyed the internet.  Seriously, do you know anyone who picked the Bruins not to at least make the Final Four?  It would have been a shocking upset, and the Wizards of Westwood are lucky to still be around.

We beat Duke (so there’s that): West Virginia
The Mountaineers brought their A game against the Blue Devils and sent them packing early for the second year in a row.  Say what you want about Duke’s reputation as an elite program right now, but beating Duke no matter how good they are, is always considered an accomplishment.  So even though West Virginia lost football coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan, at least they can say they beat Duke.  Michigan didn’t even make the tournament!

That really shaky number one seed: Memphis
For love of elevation Memphis, make a foul shot.  With a chance to ice away a win against Mississippi State the Tigers bricked foul shot after foul shot allowing the Bulldogs to remain in the game.  Shooting under 60 percent on the season from the stripe is not going to get it done.  Shooting 49% like you did against Mississippi State will get you eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen.

Thanks for the opportunity: Villanova
If you can get in you’ve got a shot.  Villanova did just enough to squeeze into the NCAA Tournament as a twelve seed and lucked into a second round matchup with Sienna and look at that, now they’re in the Sweet Sixteen with a chance to knock off Kansas.  Though no one seems to like their chances.

No one even knows we’re here: Washington State
The best team no one seems to know anything about, the Cougars are in the Sweet Sixteen—for the first time since 1941!  Expect few people to learn their names as the Cougs get the mighty Tar Heels in Charlotte.  Ouch!

How did we get so lucky: Texas
The two seed Longhorns not only have the weakest one seed in their bracket (Memphis), but they also have a huge home court advantage.  Their regional final will be played in Houston where half the state of Texas will be on hand to root them to a Final Four berth. 

Can’t touch us: North Carolina
Not that anyone expected otherwise, but the Tar Heels have destroyed their first two opponents Mount St. Mary’s and Arkansas by a combined score of 221-151.  If you’re looking for a vulnerable spot they only put up 108 against the Razorbacks, five points less than they hung on the Mount.

Still upset without being upset: Tennessee
The effects of not getting a number one seed have lingered on the Vols who have struggled in their first two games, tight affairs against American and Butler.  But the mighty checkerboards will get their shot to prove they should have been a top dog with Louisville and North Carolina on deck.

O, that team again: Wisconsin
The Badgers have quietly earned their way into the Sweet Sixteen with a pair of impressive wins. Georgetown would have been a fun matchup, but instead the Badgers get Davidson.  Wisconsin does nothing amazing, but they’re so methodical it’s like watching the Spurs of college hoops.  Yet they’ve only been to the Final Four twice, that last trip coming in 2000.

This is the year: Kansas
Every year Kansas seems to be one of the prohibitive favorites to win it all and this year seems to be no exception.  But can the Jayhawks win their first title in 20 years?  As always that is the question.  As always, they have a great opportunity. And a potential Final Four pairing with North Carolina is so mouth watering that something will probably go wrong to prevent it from happening.

I love twins: Stanford
The two Lopez brothers have carried the Cardinal all season, and they helped propel Stanford over Marquette in a wild overtime classic.  If the Cardinal hopes to be a title contender, it’ll fall onto the twins to continue to dominate.  Brook hit the game winner to knock out the Golden Eagles, pouring in 30 points and Robin added 9 rebounds and 3 blocks as the Cardinal continued their push towards their first Final Four since 1998.

The X-Factor: Xavier
The Musketeers are a really good team, but no one wants to buy their three seed because they came from the Atlantic 10.   Buy this:  Xavier’s been in the tourney six times since 2000 and has won six games in that span.  This team can play and West Virginia will soon find that out.  But can they beat UCLA?  Could be interesting.

Look who’s back: Michigan State
Fun fact: Michigan State was once called the Aggies.  One year their mascot was a live brown bear.  It should be noted that was in 1909, and that the school decided a better nickname would be Spartans.  As for this year’s team:  State hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2005.  That year they were a 12 seed and made it all the way to the Final Four.  You hear that Villanova and Western Kentucky, you guys have an actual chance.

Take that Kentucky: Western Kentucky
The last time Western Kentucky was a relevelent college hoops power: try 1971.  How far back is that?  Well, besides 37 years, consider that in 1971 25 teams made the tournament field.  WKU’s Jim McDaniels led the tourney in scoring and led the Hilltoppers (by far the best nickname left in the tourney) all the way to the Final Four before Villanova eliminated them in double overtime.

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