LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky's out. We all know that. The Wildcats' early exit from the NCAA Tournament is no less shocking than it was a week ago. That doesn't mean you should turn off the Big Dance, however. Not when things are about to get interesting.
With that in mind, here's a guide to who Kentucky fans should be rooting for, ranked 1 to 16, when Sweet 16 play begins Thursday night.
1. Saint Peter's. They are, after all, the Peacocks, the New Jersey upstarts who bounced John Calipari from the proceedings last week. Saint Peter's is only the third No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16. If Shaheen Holloway's team continues its Cinderella run, maybe UK fans won't feel quite so bad.
2. Arkansas. The NCAA Tournament began with six SEC teams. Three lost in the first round. Two more were gone by the second. Only Arkansas remains. Do you really want UK's conference to be a complete tournament failure?
3. Gonzaga. The Zags deserve it. They lost in the 2017 finals to North Carolina. They lost in the 2021 finals to Baylor. Besides, Mark Few's Bulldogs have been the sport's most consistent team all season.
4. Purdue. The Boilermakers haven't reached the Final Four since former Transylvania coach Lee Rose guided Purdue in 1980. In other words, Purdue is overdue.
5. Texas Tech. Mark Adams is the season's best coaching story. A successful small college coach in Texas, Adams joined Tubby Smith's staff at Texas Tech in 2013. When Chris Beard left for the University of Texas after last season, Adams was promoted to the top spot at age 65. He's made the most of it.
6. Villanova. I know, Villanova could win its third national title since Kentucky won it in 2012. But Jay Wright is just so darn likable it's hard to root against 'Nova.
7. Houston. Just the other day I heard an ESPN radio personality continually refer to Houston coach "Calvin Sampson." It's Kelvin. And he can coach.
8. Michigan. On the one hand, Juwan Howard is the Michigan coach who threw an open-hand punch at a Wisconsin assistant in the regular season. On the other hand, Juwan Howard is the Michigan coach who consoled a crying Kennedy Chandler when the Wolverines knocked Tennessee out of the postseason.
9. Providence. Ed Cooley deserves Coach of the Year honors for leading the Friars to the Big East title. And Providence hasn't been to the Final Four since a young fellow named Pick Pitino burst onto the scene in 1987.
10. Iowa State. The Cyclones went from 2-22 last season to the Sweet 16 this season under new coach T.J. Otzelberger. After beating No. 6 seed LSU, the 'Clones beat No. 3 seed Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16.
11. Miami. Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga looks like everyone's lovable grandfather. Miami wasn't so lovable to Bruce Pearl and Auburn, however, knocking the Tigers out of the tournament.
12. Arizona. The Wildcats haven't won a title since 1997 and former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd has done a fabulous job. It's difficult to root for a program that is currently sitting in the NCAA infractions office, however.
13. North Carolina. First-year coach Hubert Davis has engineered quite the turnaround with this year's Tar Heels. But if Carolina wins it all in New Orleans, UNC would be just one national championships (seven) behind Kentucky (eight).
14. UCLA. You're kidding, right. Nothing against Johnny Juzang and Mick Cronin, but the Bruins are the all-time leaders in NCAA titles with 11. They haven't won one since 1995, but it won't hurt the UCLAns to wait a little longer for No. 12.
15. Kansas. Personally, I could not care less about which school has the most all-time college basketball wins, but another Kansas victory pushes the Jayhawks past Kentucky. Many UK fans are passionate about such things.
16. Duke. As if Mike Krzyzewski's final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium wasn't nauseating enough — we will be forever indebted to North Carolina for spoiling that party — imagine the Duke coach winning his sixth national title in his final game. It would be too much for the BBN to bear.
