The opening weekend of the NCAA tournament produced plenty of surprises, but it did not change the favorite to capture the national title. That remains No. 1 overall seed Louisville, which looked as dominant as anyone advancing to the Sweet 16.
With the regional semifinals set to tip off Thursday evening, here’s ranking of the 16 teams still alive from most likely to least likely to win a championship. To be clear, this is not merely a best-to-worst list – it also takes into account upcoming draw and where those games will be held.
4. Ohio State
How they got here: Defeated Iona and Iowa State
Up next: No. 6 Arizona
Outlook: Ohio State hasn’t necessarily proven it’s one of the four best teams left in the field, but the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time and benefit from the chaos that has eliminated the other four highest-seeded teams in the West. Although the Ohio State defense was more vulnerable than usual against Iowa State, the Buckeyes got the complementary scoring they need for Deshaun Thomas, this time from Aaron Craft and LaQuinton Ross.
Continue Reading: Reseeding the Sweet 16 from most likely to least likely to win a championship (The Dagger: College Basketball Blog)
