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March Madness 2017: Ranking and previewing all Sweet 16 teams

By Keith Rivas

Dec 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) dives for the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) dives for the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35), guard Kadeem Allen (5) and forward Lauri Markkanen (10) react during the 69-60 victory against the Saint Mary’s Gaels second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
March 18, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35), guard Kadeem Allen (5) and forward Lauri Markkanen (10) react during the 69-60 victory against the Saint Mary’s Gaels second half in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona is the PAC-12 team to beat right now. They put up 100 points in the first round followed by a closer game versus St. Mary’s.

Now the Wildcats will go toe-to-toe with Xavier with the hopes of continuing their championship run.

If they can get past the Mountaineers, a lot of doors open up for them. They’d play the winner of West Virginia-Gonzaga for their shot at making the Final Four.

The reason Arizona is over the Bruins in this article is because they did better in the regular season as well as in the division. Because of this, they were given a No. 2 seed as opposed to a No. 3 or something lower.

Against St. Mary’s, they went into halftime trailing by a point. They came out strong in the second half, keeping the Gaels at 30 points again while reaching 40 themselves.

Instead of doubting Xavier’s talent, what Arizona needs to do is respect it, but still play their game. If they can’t do that, they too could be on the upset bubble in the second weekend.

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