Sweet 16 best and worst of the remaining teams
By Colin Kelly
Well, we’ve all made it through a marathon weekend. In a span of 96 hours, we’ve feasted on a basketball buffet of 48 games as the NCAA tournament hit fever pitch from Thursday through Sunday.
We’ve seen some good, some bad, and definitely some ugly. So let’s try to break down what’s been the best – and worst – of the first four days.
BEST TEAM
Ohio State. No question. The Buckeyes were the No. 1 overall seed, and they’ve done nothing to show the selection committee made the wrong decision.
They did what they were supposed to do against No. 16 seed Texas-San Antonio, rolling 75-46 to easily cash as a 24.5-point chalk. Then they met No. 8 seed George Mason – a giant-killer of the past – and pasted the Patriots 98-66, covering the 11.5-point spread nearly three times over.
Kansas has replaced Ohio State as the favorite to win the tourney but that has more to do with the Jayhawks' easier path. The Big 12 champs play Richmond in the Sweet 16, then the winner of VCU-Florida State in the Elite Eight, while the Buckeyes play Kentucky first followed by the winner of UNC-Marquette and then most likely Duke in the Final Four.
Oddsmakers are dealing Kansas at +240 and Ohio State is a close second at +275.
BEST PLAYER LEFT IN THE TOURNEY
OK, it would be easy to choose Jimmer Fredette, the scorin’ Mormon from BYU. He had 32 points in an opening victory over Wofford, then racked up 34 as the Cougars boat-raced Gonzaga 89-67 to reach the Sweet 16.
But Derrick Williams of Arizona is the man. The guy shoots, rebounds, blocks shots and just constantly makes huge plays at both ends of the floor. In the Wildcats’ opener against Memphis, Williams had 22 points and a huge blocked shot in the final seconds of a 77-75 win. Then, he capped Sunday’s thrilling 70-69 victory over Texas with a three-point play in the closing seconds, completing a 17-point night.
BEST COACH
The Butler did it, so Brad Stevens gets the nod here. Yeah, he was lucky that top-seeded Pittsburgh committed one of the stupidest fouls in tournament history, giving the Bulldogs the free throw that sealed the victory Saturday. But that was only after Butler committed an almost equally stupid foul that allowed the Panthers to tie it with 1.4 seconds left. Pitt should have never been in position to win there.
Bottom line: Stevens got this team to the national championship game last year, where the Bulldogs came within an eyelash of beating Duke. Now, as a No. 8 seed, he’s got a pair of wins this year, including one over a No. 1 seed. The 34-year-old wunderkind can flat-out coach.
HOTTEST TEAM
There are a lot of teams to consider here. Aforementioned Butler has won 11 straight. Kansas has peeled off 10 in a row, Ohio State nine straight, Kentucky eight in a row. And how about UConn, which went on a five-game spree to win the Big East tournament and has now won seven in a row straight up and against the spread.
Ah, yes, the spread. This is a website focused on sports betting, after all. So I give you truly the hottest team: No. 12 seed Richmond is 9-0 SU and ATS in its last nine games, riding the wave to the Sweet 16, and making any bettor smart enough to back the Spiders very happy in the process.
BEST CONFERENCE
The ACC took a lot of flak during the regular season. The conference isn’t nearly as good as it has been in the past. It was lucky to get four teams into the tournament. But those four teams have done plenty of damage, going 7-1 SU.
Top-seeded Duke and No. 2 North Carolina were no surprises in posting a pair of victories apiece. Clemson won a play-in game before bowing out. But the big surprise has been No. 10 seed Florida State.
The Seminoles beat Texas A&M on Friday 57-50, then spent Sunday evening beating the tar out of Notre Dame and ultimately prevailing 71-57 as 4.5-point pups.
WORST CONFERENCE
This one was easy.
The Big East got a record 11 teams into the field. Four days and two rounds later, there are just two teams left – and the only reason the conference still has two left is because UConn and Marquette both played Big East foes in the round of 32. Someone had to win, you know?
Marcus Morris.The Huskies dropped Cincinnati 69-58 Saturday, and No. 11 seed Marquette stunned No. 3 seed Syracuse 66-62 Sunday.
BEST OVER/UNDER BETS
If you’re looking to wager on totals, there are a couple teams worth a gander. Ohio State is 19-13-1 on the over this year (1-1 in the Big Dance), and the Buckeyes have cleared the posted total in seven of their last 10 games. They put up 75 points in their tourney opener, falling short of the 140-point total due to a defense that yielded just 46 points.
Kansas is another fair over bet, as the Jayhawks are 20-14-1. However, five of Kansas’ last seven have come up short of the total, including both its NCAA tourney starts.
For unders, Marquette is the best among the Sweet 16 at 19-11, with both of the Golden Eagles’ tourney games coming up low. The under has hit in five straight and 14 of the last 16 games for Marquette.
Richmond has also been a good under bet, at 19-12 on the year, including 7-0-1 in the Spiders’ last eight starts and 9-1-1 in their last 11 contests.