Seemingly every season at least one double digit seed that nobody has past the first round advances to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. They bust brackets and ruin days/weeks worth of research.
Double Digit Sweet 16 Teams:
- 2018: Loyola Chicago and Syracuse
- 2017: Xavier
- 2016: Gonzaga and Syracuse
- 2015: UCLA
- 2014: Dayton, Stanford, and Tennessee
- 2013: Oregon, La Salle, and Florida Golf Coast
Lets break down the 5 teams seeded 10+ most likely to advance.
Honorable Mentions:
12 Murray State: It could happen, but with two tough games against Marquette and Florida State combined with all the ESPN driven hype, it will be tough.
11 Belmont: Belmont would have been top 3 on the list if not for a play in game. A solid ASU team, an above average Maryland team, and a talented LSU team stand in the way of the Sweet 16. Thats tough for any team.
No. 5: 13 Yale
Path: LSU and The Winner of Belmont/ASU/Maryland
LSU just lost their head coach Will Wade and will be panicking a bit to go into the tourney. After dominating SEC play, they ended the season without Wade by losing to a very average Florida Gators team that went 18-15 this season. Yale has a legit NBA prospect in Miye Oni and some upperclassman with enough size to battle with LSU in the paint. With 3 possible matchups in the round of 32, its tough to predict a matchup, but Yale could realistically beat all 3.
No. 4: 12 Oregon
Path: Wisconsin and Winner of KSU/UC Irvine
Once Bol went down, Oregon’s season seemed lost. Once projected as a Top 25 team they finished in a 3 way tie for 4th in the worst P5 conference. Then, they got hot at the right time won 8 straight and secured the Pac 12’s Auto Bid. Pritchard and King are playing their best basketball and Oregon is looking like a scary team. Wisconsin is a good team, but Ethan Happ’s free throw shooting could open a window for the Ducks. Dean Wade’s chances of playing look slim, which isn’t a guaranteed win for the Ducks, but is certainly helps.
No. 3: 12 New Mexico State
Path: Auburn and Winner of Kansas/Northeastern
New Mexico State is a super balanced team with 10 players averaging 4.5 or more points. The WAC isn’t exactly the ACC, but NM State did go 30-4 this season. I don’t care if they we’re playing intramural teams, its tough to be that consistent throughout a whole season. Auburn is red hot coming off an SEC title and Kansas is coming off a Big 12 title. Both teams have flaws, but this is a tough slate for NM’s sweet 16 chances.
No. 2: 10 Seton Hall
Path: Wofford and Winner of Abil Christian/Kentucky
Seton Hall has the most impressive wins on this list including Kentucky, Villanova, Maryland, and Marquette twice. Their path however is not as promising. A tough game against 29-4 Wofford is followed by a matchup with a 2 Seed Kentucky team that has found their groove. 22.9 PPG Scorer Myles Powell dropped 28 on Kentucky last matchup and will need two phenomenal games to reach the Sweet 16.
No. 1: 11 St. Marys
Path: Villanova and Purdue/Old Dominion
St. Marys is coming of a monster win over Gonzaga in the WCC finals and have enough talent to make a decent run. Their Top 3 scorers are all marksman with 50+ 3PM on the season. Keep an eye out for Lead Guard Jordan Ford who is the Gael’s best player, averaging 21.3 PPG on some efficient shooting. Villanova has been shaky this season to say the least losing 3 games in a row to unranked opponents at one point. If they can squeak by them, they will likely face a Purdue team that has seen Carsen Edwards shoot less than 25% from the field in 4/7 of Purdue’s recent games (He has averaged 19.4 shots in those 7 games). Can you smell that? Smells like Upset.
