What are the five best Final Four matchups we could get out of this year’s Sweet 16 field?
As per the usual, we’ve got an interesting mix of seeds in the Sweet 16 from Gonzaga as an 11 to all four No. 1 seeds still remaining. There are two of each in the 2, 3, 4, and 5 seed lines – plus Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Syracuse who made it from 6, 7 and 10 respectively.
We could end up with a completely unexpected Final Four or all chalk. Chances are it will be somewhere in between, but here’s to hoping for the best games possible. There are 32 different Final Four matchups we could see – anywhere from Texas A&M vs. Villanova to Wisconsin vs. Iowa State and everywhere in between.
Those two potential matchups could produce great games, but they don’t really whet the appetite or produce compelling reasons to make sure you are in front of a TV in time for tip-off.
1 seed vs. 1 seed with the same thing on the other side of the brackets doesn’t necessarily mean it’s that exciting either. There are great teams who prove they are great in the tournament despite not having great seeds to start with – UConn 2011 and especially 2015 come to mind. Even though the Huskies were a 7 seed in 2015 and faced 8 seed Kentucky in the final, it was still a great matchup because of who the programs were and how great they were playing
What we really want is a great reason to watch the game. Two great coaches matching whits or great players clashing. Old time rivalries renewed or historic milestones reached.
Time to narrow all the potential matchups down to just five games we’d like to see in the Final Four.
Next: No. 5