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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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Mar 18, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard J.P. Macura (55) and guard Trevon Bluiett (5) react after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard J.P. Macura (55) and guard Trevon Bluiett (5) react after defeating the Florida State Seminoles in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Xavier Musketeers

In the tournament, the Xavier Musketeers had an interesting way to get to where they are now. As a No. 11 seed, they were able to get by Maryland and then pummel Florida State.

For a shot at the Elite Eight, the Arizona Wildcats stand in their way. The PAC-12 wasn’t given too much credit this whole season, and now the Musketeers are going to find out why that was a mistake.

Although they scored 91 points in their last game, Arizona will still know how to find more baskets. The Wildcats dropped 100 points in their opening round game, while only scoring 69 against St. Mary’s.

What this means is that they’re capable of winning fast and slow paced games, which is a problem for Xavier. In beating Florida State, Xavier was able to take advantage of the fact that the Seminoles shot single digits from beyond the arc.

They only made nine percent of their attempts from three.

Arizona will be much more efficient than that, at least based on paper, but there’s always a chance for another upset.

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