The Sweet 16 is here and guess what? The FanSided team remains alive in March Madness survivor pool picks!
Cody Williams ably guided you through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Now it's up to me to get us through Thursday's Sweet 16 games...no pressure.
Either of Cody's suggested picks for Sunday's games would have worked out. Michigan State made it through No. 10 seed New Mexico. No. 4 seed Maryland made it a whole lot more stressful, but the Terrapins managed to survive.
Can we all go a bit further?
Teams already picked: St. John's, Arizona, Tennessee, Maryland
Team to hold onto in your March Madness survivor pool
1 Duke (vs. 4 Arizona)
I fully expect Duke to look like the powerhouse they are against the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats. The Blue Devils already beat the Wildcats on the road this season by 14. Cooper Flagg scored 24 that night. There's no reason to expect anything different in New Jersey on Thursday night.
In the Elite Eight, the Blue Devils will face the winner of BYU vs. Alabama. They'd also be a valuable team to have available in the Final Four. They are the championship favorites, after all.
Team to avoid in your March Madness survivor pool
2 Alabama (vs. 6 BYU)
Cody swerved Alabama in their second round matchup with St. Mary's. That turned out to be unnecessary but he avoided the Crimson Tide for a reason. That reason gets even bigger with BYU.
The Cougars were a popular Cinderella pick in the tournament and they've proven the experts correct with a Sweet 16 run. They advanced by No. 11 VCU in the first round, then toppled No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the second round. Star forward Richie Saunders dropped 16 points in the first game and had a 25-point outing in the second. He's shooting 53.6 percent from the field in the tournament so far.
I wouldn't bet against Nate Oats, but I also wouldn't want to test the magic of March too strongly.
March Madness survival pool pick for Sweet 16 Thursday
1 Florida (vs. 4 Maryland)
Now might be the time to burn a No. 1 seed. As mentioned earlier, I'd still hold onto Duke. That leaves Florida, who will take on No. 4 Maryland.
The Terrapins are here because of Derik Queen's late game heroics against Colorado State. The 6-foot-10 forward's buzzer-beater kept his team alive, but the matchup with the Gators is far less advantageous. The Rams had just one player taller than 6-foot-9. Florida boasts a handful, including sophomore standout Alex Condon.
The Gators have an even clearer edge in the backcourt with Walter Clayton Jr. leading the way. He's dropped 23 points in each tournament game while shooting 52.9 percent from beyond the arc.
3 Texas Tech (vs. 10 Arkansas)
If you want to take a risk and hold onto your No. 1 seeds, you could always take your chances with Texas Tech. The No. 3 seed is matched up with the lowest seed remaining: John Calipari's No. 10 seed Arkansas.
The concern with Arkansas is the same as BYU: The Razorbacks are playing with house money. More concerning, they've got a coach who has been here before. Calipari has taken more than his share of teams past the Sweet 16. So why are the Red Raiders an option here?
Well, Arkansas will need some magic to win this one and I'm just not sure Calipari can wring much more out of this squad. Texas Tech ranks eighth in KenPom this season with a stellar offense and solid defense. The Razorbacks don't have the firepower to keep up with the Red Raiders and their defense will have a hard time shutting down JT Toppin and Darrion Williams. The size advantage will be tough to overcome.
Official Pick: 1 Florida (vs. 4 Maryland)