March Madness 2023: Re-ranking every NCAA Tournament team in the Sweet 16

The Sweet 16 is officially set. Let’s re-rank every team left in the NCAA Tournament from best to worst as March Madness rolls on.

We’ve officially hit our first break in March Madness after six days of chaos have upended the brackets nationwide. 68 teams have been trimmed down to 16 hopefuls still trying to make their way to Houston for the Final Four on April 1.

While we wait for the Sweet 16 to tip off on Thursday with Michigan State taking on Kansas State in New York, let’s rank the 16 teams remaining in the field from best to worst.

Re-ranking the Sweet 16 teams in March Madness

16. Princeton Tigers

Everyone loves a Cinderella story but Princeton simply isn’t on the same level as the other teams left in the bracket. The Tigers are playing with house money, however, which will make them a dangerous out for whoever is in their path.

15. Miami Hurricanes

The ACC’s best team has hit a few potholes over the course of the season and isn’t particularly deep. The health of big man Norchad Omier is also an open question as he battled through an ankle injury in the first two rounds of March Madness.

14. Xavier Musketeers

The absence of Zack Freemantle has forced Sean Miller to go to a smaller lineup. The Musketeers are still good defensively and can shoot quite effectively but Xavier may run into some problems against bigger teams.

13. Florida Atlantic Owls

The darlings of Conference USA did win 33 games to this point but struggled to get by 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday night. There is a lot to like here for the Owls, including the fact that they are playing in the wide-open East Region.

12. Michigan State Spartans

This isn’t a vintage Michigan State team on the interior but the Spartans are one of the nation’s most effective three-point shooting teams that hasn’t gotten hot from beyond the arc yet. Betting against Tom Izzo in March Madness is also very risky given his 18-6 record in the second weekend as the Spartans’ coach.

11. Arkansas Razorbacks

Eric Musselman’s team is growing up as the tournament moves on and has a major confidence boost after shocking Kansas in the Round of 32. Arkansas’ inconsistent regular season play makes you wonder whether this talented bunch can keep it together for four more games.

10. San Diego State Aztecs

The Aztecs are a rugged defensive team that likes to play at a glacial pace. That approach is good at winning games in the Mountain West but is problematic when you run into teams with more firepower in March.

9. Tennessee Volunteers

This team looked like a national title contender early in the season but the loss of starting point guard Zakai Zegler to injury limits this team’s already low-wattage offense even further. Rick Barnes’ track record in March Madness also isn’t anything to write home about.

8. Kansas State Wildcats

K-State has already exceeded expectations by going from a projection of dead last in the Big 12’s pre-season polls to being just one of two teams left from the powerhouse conference in the field. Jerome Tang’s team is getting underestimated, which is exactly where he wants the Wildcats to be.

7. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Having the nation’s most explosive offense and an experienced March Madness vet like Drew Timme certainly helps the Bulldogs’ cause. It remains to be seen if Gonzaga’s guards are good enough to shoot their way past some tough competition over the next two weeks.

6. Creighton Bluejays

The Bluejays had Final Four expectations in the preseason before a rough patch in December and early January torpedoed their NCAA Tournament resume. The talent is still there from Creighton, one of the nation’s most explosive offensive teams, as Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ryan Nembhard lead a dangerous squad brimming with confidence.

5. Texas Longhorns

The firing of Chris Beard in the middle of the season could have torn this team apart but interim coach Rodney Terry deserves a ton of credit for keeping this talented team together. Texas is battle tested from its Big 12 competition and more than capable of cutting down the nets in Houston.

4. Connecticut Huskies

Few teams looked better on the opening weekend than UCONN, which demolished Iona and ran away from Saint Mary’s in the second half. The Huskies are physically imposing but Dan Hurley still has to prove he can guide this group deeper into the NCAA Tournament.

3. UCLA Bruins

The loss of star guard Jaylen Clark to a season-ending Achilles’ injury may hurt UCLA’s ability to win a national title but Mick Cronin is one of the best coaches still in the field. UCLA’s rugged defense gives them the ability to win any game.

2. Houston Cougars

The only reason the Cougars aren’t on top of this board is due to lingering concerns over the status of Marcus Sasser’s groin injury. A healthy Sasser could make Houston the favorite to cut down the nets in front of their hometown fans.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

The top overall seed in March Madness looked the part in the first weekend by taking care of business with ruthless efficiency. The Brandon Miller situation still lingers as a potential distraction but very few teams are capable of beating Alabama when the Crimson Tide are on their game.

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