Wow, what a tournament so far. There have already been so many shockers to come from the first 2 rounds already and I’m sure there are many more. I’m going to be talking about each sweet 16 teams and discuss their weaknesses and their strengths. First up we have an extremely exciting team, one that no one thought should even be here, Oral Roberts. Oral made history by not only beating the 2nd seed Ohio state but being the 2nd fifteen seed to make it to the Sweet 16 in tournament history.  They have a great offense and can score as many as around 85 points a game, however, struggles when it comes to defense. Oral is still a mean and aggressive team that’s looking for another win. The next team we have is #12 Oregon State. This team just came off of taking down Tennessee and a great Oklahoma team. They have a very good defense and shut down their opponent’s scoring runs quickly however I notice that if they don’t get off to a hot start they could very well lose confidence and lose. Now for #11 UCLA, this team is a killer when it comes to finding a way to win, They beat Michigan State in the first four and followed up with 2 more wins over BYU and Albi Christian. They do lack in turnovers though as they have made many mistakes on the offensive side of the ball. #11 Syracuse, yes there are two 11 seeds in the sweet 16. Syracuse took down West Virginia in the last game and is really good at ball control. They barely ever turn it over, however, they lack good defense. Next, we have a #8 seed Loyola Chicago, 3 years ago in 2018 they went to the final 4 as an #11 seed. This year they knocked out the number 1 seed Illinois and look to beat Oregon State to advance to the elite 8. It’s hard to find a flaw that one to look at if they aren’t super good at ball control. #7 seed Oregon is looking good after knocking off #2 seed Iowa in a blowout win. They have a high-scoring offense yet is slow when it comes to figuring out the opponent’s patterns in how they play. Next is #6 USC who just came off of a 30 point win over the three seeded Kansas. USC has an explosive offense however needs to work on not drawing many fouls during the games. #5 Seed Villanova plays well under pressure except for this year they have really been off their game when it comes to their offense. They are gonna need more points if they want to compete for a final 4 spot. Then we have #5 Creighton. Many people expected for them to get out in the early first rounds yet they are here. They are a good offensive team yet when they are losing a game in the first half, It’s hard for them to get the confidence to fight back. #4 seed Florida state is a younger team with young players who still need time to grow into the game, They are a good defensive team and move the ball well but need better understanding and knowledge of the game. #3 Seed Arkansas is a surprise as many people thought they were going to be upset in the 2nd round. They are a strong team when rebounding and have a powerful push in the paint but can not shoot very many 3s. Here we have #2 seed Houston that AGAIN people doubted their arrival to the sweet 16. They control the ball well and are a good rebounding team except for every game they have played is within 5 points and is always a nail-biter. #2 Alabama is looking good however they must learn to not turn the ball over so many times while playing. Other than that they may have a good chance to make the final 4. Now we are at our #1 seeds. #1 Michigan lost their star player before the tournament yet is playing like a championship team. They have learned how to play while missing a star and have a really good shot at making the final 4. #1 Baylor is an energetic team who is amazing both on offense and defense. Yet after a three-week stop in their season due to COVID they haven’t been the exact same and seem to have lost their unique style of gameplay. Finally, we have the Number 1 all-seed Gonzaga who is a very well-balanced team this year with many great shooters and defenders. It’s hard to find a flaw with this team yet I feel like if they make a couple of mistakes during one of their games they may be in trouble.

featured image source: newsweek.com