Andy Katz has ranked the remaining 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Katz has Villanova at No.1 followed by Duke. Texas A&M, Kansas and Clemson round out the top 5.
Kentucky comes in at No. 6:
6. Kentucky: The Wildcats lost games in the SEC. So what? News flash: The SEC was much better. The Wildcats are right at the place they need to be — winning the SEC tournament, beating back upstart Davidson and blowing past Buffalo, just two days after the Bulls crushed Arizona. The Wildcats have matured at the “normal” pace for a traditional freshman class. Kentucky has a great shot to end the season where it always expects to be: The Final Four.
Kansas State, which plays Kentucky in Atlanta this week, comes in at No. 16:
16. Kansas State: The Wildcats got to the Sweet 16 without their leading scorer Dean Wade, and yet beat Creighton by 10 and then ended the magical weekend for UMBC in a grinding 50-43 final. One team had to be at the bottom of these rankings and the Wildcats knocked off the weakest opponent and scored the fewest points. But that doesn’t mean Kansas State can’t pull off an upset against Kentucky. Stay tuned.
