NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen Power Rankings

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March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Lauri Markkanen (10) grabs a rebound against Saint Mary’s Gaels center Jock Landale (34) during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

Teams 7 and 8

Sweet Sixteen Appearance: 19th (First since 2015)

Head Coach: Sean Miller, 220-65 (Eighth Season)

Top Players: F Lauri Markkanen: 15.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg (First Team Pac 12); G Allonzo Trier: 17.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg (Pac 12 Tournament MVP); G Kadeem Allen: 9.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.6 spg (Pac 12 Defensive Team).

How they got here: Arizona opened the first round by beating 15-seed North Dakota 100-82. They followed that up with a 69-60 victory over 7-seed Saint Mary’s in the second round.

Best Case Scenario: Arizona opens the Sweet 16 by beating Sean Miller’s former school Xavier. They then get revenge for an earlier season loss by beating Gonzaga by one.

Once in Phoenix, the Wildcats are a home crowd favorite. They blitz past Florida and make it into the Championship game in a showdown with UNC. The Tar Heels remind Lauri Markkanen why he should have chosen them by beating Arizona with a three-pointer at the buzzer.

March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Scottie Lindsey (20) moves to the basket against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Zach Collins (32) and forward Killian Tillie (33) during the second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Sweet Sixteen Appearance: Eighth (First since 2016)

Head Coach: Mark Few, 500-112 (18th Season)

Top Players: G Nigel Williams: 16.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.7 apg (West Coast Conference Player of the Year); C Przemek Karnowski: 12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg; F Zach Collins: 10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg.

How they got here: Gonzaga opened the first round by beating 16-seed South Dakota State 66-46. They followed that up with a 79-73 victory over 8-seed Northwestern in the second round.

Best Case Scenario: Despite talk that they are overrated, Gonzaga keeps finding ways to win. They beat West Virginia in the Sweet 16 and then Arizona for a second time in the Elite 8, making their first ever Final Four.

Once in Phoenix, they take care of Florida and move on to face North Carolina in the National Championship Game. Gonzaga. with nothing left to prove, comes out firing. However, they eventually fall to the Tar Heels who pull away in the final five minutes of the game.

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