by Vegas Writer
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026From 68 to 16, that's quick, and we have just two weeks left in the college basketball season.
I decided to throw the remaining 16 teams from the dance into a blender and rank what teams we have left.
A quick glance into the regional semifinals:
1. Arizona - The Wildcats rank 10th in the dance with 85.0 points per game, a hair short of the 86.1 ppg. average they had for the season. The stat that is glaring for me is on the defensive end of the floor, where the 'Cats were allowing 68.4 ppg. this season, but after two games have given up 62.0 ppg.
2. Michigan - The Wolverines have been the most productive team offensively after two rounds, averaging 98.0 ppg. The problem I see with this team is its scoring defense, having allowed an average of 76.0 ppg., which is up from a season average of 69.6 ppg. It's significant because the Wolverines played No. 16 seed Howard and No. 9 Saint Louis.
3. Duke - With only 16 teams left, the Blue Devils don't fall in the top 16 in field-goal percentage, having shot .472 from the floor through two games. It's certainly something to think about now that teams will have opponents scouted, considering Duke ranked 26th out of 362 teams with a .489 shooting clip all season.
4. Houston - No real surprise here, as the Cougars come out of opening weekend with the No. 1 scoring defense through two games, having allowed only 52.0 ppg. They've done a good job of stifling opponents to a .315 shooting clip. And while it's known for its defense, Houston has been excellent at the other end of the court, averaging 83.0 ppg. - tied for 13th in the field.
5. Purdue - The Boilers will bring a six-game win streak into Thursday's game against Texas, and it's been an impressive showing at the defensive end during that streak that has my eyes on the preseason No. 1 team. Purdue has also covered four of its last five games.
6. Illinois - The Illini bring their high-flying act into the second weekend after scoring 90.5 ppg. through two games. People seem to forget about the Illini out of the Big 10 with Michigan and Purdue stealing the headlines, but Illinois can be dangerous if it catches fire long range. The Illini have drained 24 treys through two games, an average of 12.0 per game, which is tied for seventh most in the event.
7. UConn - If the Huskies make it to the regional final, it'll be because of their defense, which ranks tied for ninth in the tourney after allowing an average of 64.0 ppg. It's a tad lower than UConn allowed all season (65.1), which was 11th nationally. The Huskies have won seven of their last nine, but have struggled to stay consistent at the window, covering just three of their last eight.
8. Iowa State - This might be the most dangerous dark horse from this point. The Cyclones have been playing top-tier basketball against top-tier competition since November, when they were in Las Vegas for the Players Era tournament. Now they head into the regional semifinals having the third-highest scoring average in the tournament with 95.0 ppg. That's 12.5 points more than they averaged all season (82.5). And keep in mind, they come into this one having covered six straight games since March 7.
I decided to throw the remaining 16 teams from the dance into a blender and rank what teams we have left.
A quick glance into the regional semifinals:
1. Arizona - The Wildcats rank 10th in the dance with 85.0 points per game, a hair short of the 86.1 ppg. average they had for the season. The stat that is glaring for me is on the defensive end of the floor, where the 'Cats were allowing 68.4 ppg. this season, but after two games have given up 62.0 ppg.
2. Michigan - The Wolverines have been the most productive team offensively after two rounds, averaging 98.0 ppg. The problem I see with this team is its scoring defense, having allowed an average of 76.0 ppg., which is up from a season average of 69.6 ppg. It's significant because the Wolverines played No. 16 seed Howard and No. 9 Saint Louis.
3. Duke - With only 16 teams left, the Blue Devils don't fall in the top 16 in field-goal percentage, having shot .472 from the floor through two games. It's certainly something to think about now that teams will have opponents scouted, considering Duke ranked 26th out of 362 teams with a .489 shooting clip all season.
4. Houston - No real surprise here, as the Cougars come out of opening weekend with the No. 1 scoring defense through two games, having allowed only 52.0 ppg. They've done a good job of stifling opponents to a .315 shooting clip. And while it's known for its defense, Houston has been excellent at the other end of the court, averaging 83.0 ppg. - tied for 13th in the field.
5. Purdue - The Boilers will bring a six-game win streak into Thursday's game against Texas, and it's been an impressive showing at the defensive end during that streak that has my eyes on the preseason No. 1 team. Purdue has also covered four of its last five games.
6. Illinois - The Illini bring their high-flying act into the second weekend after scoring 90.5 ppg. through two games. People seem to forget about the Illini out of the Big 10 with Michigan and Purdue stealing the headlines, but Illinois can be dangerous if it catches fire long range. The Illini have drained 24 treys through two games, an average of 12.0 per game, which is tied for seventh most in the event.
7. UConn - If the Huskies make it to the regional final, it'll be because of their defense, which ranks tied for ninth in the tourney after allowing an average of 64.0 ppg. It's a tad lower than UConn allowed all season (65.1), which was 11th nationally. The Huskies have won seven of their last nine, but have struggled to stay consistent at the window, covering just three of their last eight.
8. Iowa State - This might be the most dangerous dark horse from this point. The Cyclones have been playing top-tier basketball against top-tier competition since November, when they were in Las Vegas for the Players Era tournament. Now they head into the regional semifinals having the third-highest scoring average in the tournament with 95.0 ppg. That's 12.5 points more than they averaged all season (82.5). And keep in mind, they come into this one having covered six straight games since March 7.
