This Sweet 16 as loaded as you'll ever see
Posted: Sunday, March 23, 2008 9:10 PM
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March Madness
Is this really the Sweet 16?
No Duke. No Georgetown. No UConn. Drake swept the Mo Valley, piled up 28 wins and it won’t play during the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend. Big East tourney champ Pitt, ousted. Vandy sets a school record for wins and can’t even win a game in the Big Dance.
Most of the NBA lottery picks (O.J. Mayo, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Jerryd Bayless, DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin) are out. And, take a breath Dickie V, only 1 ACC team remains, just like last season.
And how’s your bracket doing?
But take a second look. (Hyperbole alert!) It’s as loaded of a final 16 you'll ever see.
All the top seeds remain. Four 3 seeds have designs on the Final Four. The always dangerous Spartans and an experienced Washington State team remain. The four darkhorses remaining are two Big East teams and two teams who have combined for 58 wins.
In fact, all 16 of these teams have piled up wins like we’ve never seen before.
Boosted by teams like Memphis (35-1), North Carolina (34-2), UCLA (33-3) and Kansas (33-3), the average record for a Sweet 16 team this season is 29-6. (29.3-5.9 to be more exact.)
That means Xavier (29-6) is simply average. Wazzu (26-8) and West Virginia (26-10) are below the curve. Villanova (22-12) is dragging it way down. (Think about midterms, ‘Cats!)
Look at the South Region. Memphis, Michigan State (27-8), Stanford (28-7) and Texas (30-6) resemble a Final Four lineup, not four teams who just reached the tourney’s second weekend. Their combined record of 120-22 is better than the 2004 Final Four – which featured three 30-win teams.
Nearly half of the remaining teams have already hit 30 wins. Butler won 30 games and is back home in Indy. Such is life with this Sweet 16.
And, while teams simply play more games than ever before – 562 total games by this Sweet 16, 45 more than the 2004 Sweet 16 – they’ve also won at a better rate. A typical team Sweet 16 team in 2008 has played 35 games, and won 29 of ‘em (83 percent). Last year, 34.75 games and 28.5 wins. It was 33 games and 27 wins in 2006; 32.88 games and 26.6 wins in 2005. In 2004 it was 32 games and 25 wins.
It’s not just wins, either. This Sweet 16 features 13 of kenpom.com’s top 20 teams, which is better than any of the previous four tournaments. Teams 1-7 are still playing, while teams that were underrated by polls to start the season (Xavier, West Virginia) are also in residence.
Even Davidson, ranked 29th on kenpom, isn’t your usual tourney Cinderella. Between Stephen Curry’s scoring ability and Jason Richards’ court savvy, the Wildcats figured to be a tough team. (Saying Curry can score is a gross understatement. He now has 100 points in 3 NCAA Tournament appearances, an ppg average that’s only behind only Austin Carr, Bill Bradley, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Bob Petit. He oughta make a shooting video ASAP.)
The only aberrations are Villanova (46th) and Western Kentucky (61). But considering opponents for the Wildcats and Hilltoppers were Siena and San Diego were 101 and 113 on kenpom (and both 13 seeds), their inclusions make more sense. Plus, Western Kentucky has won 29 games -- and it's a 12 seed! Talk about loaded.
(They’re unlikely to be playing much longer, though. Kansas and UCLA are huge favorites to win this week.)
Man, I’m breathless. I feel like Dick Vitale laying on the praise for Tyler Hansbrough, bending over backwards to applaud everyone. Basically, I’m staring at those 16 teams remaining and shaking my head at how loaded this week’s games are, not to mention the possibility of an amazing weekend slate.
It’ll overload my synapses. Can’t wait.
