NCAAB · 2 days ago

March Madness: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Power Rankings

David Connelly

Host · Writer

The Road to Indianapolis
Championship DNA: Which Trend Will Hold in the Sweet 16?

History tells us the national champion almost always boasts a Top 40 offense and Top 25 defense. As we head into the Sweet 16, No. 1 seeds Duke, Arizona and Michigan are checking every box.

The biggest question remains: Can a mid-tier seed like Nebraska or Tennessee continue their Cinderella runs, or will the heavyweight efficiency of Illinois and Purdue finally take over? The road to the Final Four in Indianapolis goes through these eight squads—and the margin for error is now zero.

Tell us who have cutting down the nets! Who do we have overrated and underrated? Let us know in the comments.
The Power Rank Reset
Elite 8 Power Rankings

The first weekend of March Madness lived up to the "Mayhem" moniker, but the dust has settled on a redefined field. While Duke survived a massive scare against #16 Siena and an even bigger one against #5 St. John's, and Michigan looks like a juggernaut, our top dog remains the same with eight teams remaining.

Based on dominance through the first three games, injury fallout on several teams, and advanced metric shifts, we’ve re-ranked the remaining eight teams. From Arizona’s leap to the #1 spot to surprise runs by Tennessee and Iowa, we're ready to see who will advance to this season's Final 4.
1. Arizona
In terms of overall seed order heading into the tournament, the Wildcats have leapfrogged the Blue Devils after their performances on the opening weekend. They have continued to look like the most complete team in college basketball over the past few weeks, and they showed some grit by hanging on to get past Utah State on Sunday night. With Jaden Bradley playing like the best closer in the country, they feel like such a safe bet to get the job done when the going gets tough late in games.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Arkansas 109-88

Elite 8 Odds

Arizona - 5.5 Purdue
3. Duke
In a game that should have been the afterthought of the Thursday afternoon slate in the opening round, Duke had the entire nation tuned in as they trailed #16 Siena for the first 35 minutes of regulation. The Blue Devils got their act together and mustered out a six-point victory, but questions about the backcourt that popped up since losing Caleb Foster due to injury now seem to have some merit. With Foster back on the court, the Blue Devils survived maybe their toughest challenger in the East, in St. John's. Now they face another tough Big East foe.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. St. John's 80-75

Elite 8 Odds

Duke - 5.5 UConn

Sunday | 5:05 PM | CBS
4. Purdue
The Boilermakers were under a lot of pressure from the public after claiming the Big Ten Tournament title and receiving one of the more favorable opening draws. Matt Painter and Co. took care of business by pushing past a pesky Miami team in the second round despite facing a seven-point deficit late in the first half. It was encouraging to see them find a way to win against a solid opponent, even when centerpiece guard Braden Smith had an off day.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Texas 79-77

Elite 8 Odds

Arizona - 5.5 Purdue

Saturday | 8:49 PM | TBS/truTV
5. Illinois
This Illinois offense is becoming laughable. They have scoring weapons at every position and an efficiency level that keeps them in every game, no matter the margin. They have not been tested yet in the tournament. We thought that will surely change with Thursday night's date with Houston. It was a tough draw as a virtual road game for the Fighting Illini, but they proved they have the horses to stuff any foe in a locker for 40 minutes.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Houston 65-55

Elite 8 Odds

Illinois - 6.5 Iowa

Saturday | 6:09 PM | TBS/truTV
6. UConn
Alex Karaban picked a perfect time to post his career high, pouring in 27 points in the team's second-round victory over UCLA on Sunday night. He willed the team to victory after going back and forth with the Bruins for most of the game until the Huskies pulled away late. He helped them survive an MSU comeback with 17 points in the Sweet 16. The last thing that the tournament wants to see is a UConn team getting the ball rolling. If Silas Demary can continue to get healthy and the sharpshooting pairing of Braylon Mullins and Solo Ball can start knocking down shots, then this team could disrupt things in the East region.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Michigan State 67-63

Elite 8 Odds

Duke - 5.5 UConn

Sunday | 5:05 PM | CBS
7. Tennessee
If someone is capable of dragging his team to the Final Four with some heroics, it may be Tennessee's Ja'Kobi Gillespie. The senior is playing his best basketball at the perfect time, pouring in 66 points and dishing out 17 assists across their first three games of the tournament. If the Maryland transfer continues to play like this, the Volunteers are live to beat anybody remaining in this field.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Iowa State 76-62

Elite 8 Odds

Michigan - 7.5 Tennessee

Sunday | 2:15 PM | CBS
8. Iowa
Ben McCollum has proved to the nation that he belongs in the conversation of the top ten coaches in the sport right now. That may feel premature to some, but there is zero denying how much of a winner he is, no matter where he goes after dominating the Division II level at Northwest Missouri State, and then bringing Drake and now Iowa to new heights. Sunday's win over Florida was a coaching masterclass, and there was no reason to believe they couldn't pull off something similar over Nebraska on Thursday night. However, beating Illinois might be their toughest challenge yet.

Sweet 16 Result: Won vs. Nebraska 77-71

Elite 8 Odds

Illinois - 6.5 Iowa

Saturday | 6:09 PM | TBS/truTV
NCAA Tournament Futures Odds
National Championship Odds
- Arizona: +260
- Michigan: +280
- Duke: +290
- Illinois: +700
- Connecticut: +1100
- Purdue: +1400
- Tennessee: +2700
- Iowa: +5500
The Road to Indianapolis
Championship DNA: Which Trend Will Hold in the Sweet 16?

History tells us the national champion almost always boasts a Top 40 offense and Top 25 defense. As we head into the Sweet 16, No. 1 seeds Duke, Arizona and Michigan are checking every box.

The biggest question remains: Can a mid-tier seed like Nebraska or Tennessee continue their Cinderella runs, or will the heavyweight efficiency of Illinois and Purdue finally take over? The road to the Final Four in Indianapolis goes through these eight squads—and the margin for error is now zero.

Tell us who have cutting down the nets! Who do we have overrated and underrated? Let us know in the comments.
The Power Rank Reset
Elite 8 Power Rankings

The first weekend of March Madness lived up to the "Mayhem" moniker, but the dust has settled on a redefined field. While Duke survived a massive scare against #16 Siena and an even bigger one against #5 St. John's, and Michigan looks like a juggernaut, our top dog remains the same with eight teams remaining.

Based on dominance through the first three games, injury fallout on several teams, and advanced metric shifts, we’ve re-ranked the remaining eight teams. From Arizona’s leap to the #1 spot to surprise runs by Tennessee and Iowa, we're ready to see who will advance to this season's Final 4.

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March Madness: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Power Rankings

Championship DNA: Which Trend Will Hold in the Sweet 16?

Elite 8 Power Rankings

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

Elite 8 Odds

National Championship Odds

Championship DNA: Which Trend Will Hold in the Sweet 16?

Elite 8 Power Rankings

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