LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina and Kansas remain the top two teams in the NCAA Vegas Rankings, and even separated themselves from the rest of the remaining Sweet 16 with dominant wins over the weekend -- and the unexpected exit of Michigan State.
Now, we didn't expect the Spartans to get upset by Middle Tennessee State, but we're certainly happy we didn't have them as the top team like others were touting them. Virginia and Villanova are now tied for our No. 3 spot.
Seven of our top 16 teams last week didn't make it to the Sweet 16: Michigan State (No. 3), Kentucky (tied for No. 7), Purdue (tied for No. 7), West Virginia (tied for No. 10), Xavier (tied for No. 12), Arizona (tied for No. 12) and Wichita State (tied for No. 12). Syracuse was our lowest-rated team to make the Sweet 16, as the Orange were tied for No. 36 in last week's rankings after the field was cut to 64.
The NCAA Vegas Ranks are compiled from the power ratings of handicapper Dave Tuley with input from other ESPN Chalk handicappers. They're used to compare the relative strength of the teams and can be used to compare to the current point spreads.