Reseeding the Sweet 16: Where does each team sit after notables bid farewell?

When the NCAA selection committee ranked each of the 68 teams involved in this year's NCAA tournament, they took into consideration a number of different factors that led to their decision regarding each particular team.

Once games tipped off, however, teams began to prove that those numbers were not indicative of one's fate, just ask Villanova, or Duke, or SMU, or any other team that received an early exit from a lesser ranked opponent.

With so many teams still in the thick of things come Thursday, here is a re-seeding of each team based upon not just their respective seasons, but also how they have performed during the first two rounds of the tournament

Seeds 1-4

No. 1 - North Carolina
No. 2 - Kansas
No. 3 - Gonzaga
No. 4 - Arizona

Three of the four No. 1 seeds have managed to survive the first two rounds of the tournament with little threat from the opposition, and those that remain offered little reason to think they aren't deserving of being rated the top three teams left.

North Carolina, Kansas, and Gonzaga all took care of their first two opponents with relative certainty, avoiding the first-ever 1-16 upset. Of all three Sweet 16 matchups to come, Gonzaga may have the stiffest competition in a West Virginia team that handled a tough Notre Dame squad with relative ease in round two.

Setting aside the three No. 1 seeds, Arizona has continued to show its dominance despite being pushed by Saint Mary's in round two. The Wildcats' ability to come back from a halftime deficit against the Gaels proves that they are not a bunch that will crumble under pressure, and the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Allonzo Trier don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Seeds 5-8

No. 5 - UCLA
No. 6 - Kentucky
No. 7 - West Virginia
No. 8 - Michigan

Setting absolutely all of what LaVar Ball has had to say aside, Lonzo Ball and UCLA have shown exactly what all the hype is about surrounding the Bruins this season throughout the first two rounds.

UCLA found itself seeded below Kentucky to open the tournament, however, the Bruins have given themselves a far smoother road to the Sweet 16 than the Wildcats have. Kentucky was only able to defeat Northern Kentucky by nine points, a team that had never been to the NCAA tournament before, and barely scraped by a very competitive Wichita State. Both teams will enter the Thunderdome on Friday, with only one leaving for the Elite Eight.

West Virginia was able to polish off a very sound Notre Dame team to push head coach Bob Huggins one win closer to his first national title, but it will need to conjure every bit of magic it has in order to knock off Gonzaga on Thursday. Michigan is undoubtedly the hottest team in the tournament right now after taking down Louisville, and a matchup with Oregon doesn't seem that imposing especially with no Chris Boucher in the Ducks frontcourt.

Seeds 9-12

No. 9 - Xavier
No. 10 - Wisconsin
No. 11 - Oregon
No. 12 - Florida

Oregon entered the tournament ranked significantly ahead of the likes of Xavier and Wisconsin, but the play of the latter two teams has simply been too good not to notice.

The Musketeers absolutely obliterated Florida State in round two, and the Badgers took down the No. 1 overall seed in Villanova. Those are two monstrous wins that should put the remaining prospective opponents on notice. Wisconsin may have the easier path to the Elite Eight in Florida, but the Gators have shown they can play a strong defensive basketball game of their own. Xavier is slotted to go up against an extremely tough Arizona team, but if the Musketeers proved anything in round two, it's that giants fall and they know how to slay them.

Entering the tournament with a No. 3 seed, Oregon limped through round two, needing a game-winning 3-pointer from Tyler Dorsey to knock off upstart Rhode Island. The loss of Chris Boucher has affected the Ducks to the point that their interior defense has taken a hit, and with Michigan forward Mo Wagner currently hotter than a two-dollar pistol, that may prove to be the difference.

Seeds 13-16

No. 13 - Baylor
No. 14 - Butler
No. 15 - South Carolina
No. 16 - Purdue

In some ways, Baylor's identity as a strong team could very well be on the line when the Bears take on South Carolina on Friday.

The Gamecocks are coming off a major victory over Duke that carries a ton of momentum with it, but as a No. 3 seed, Baylor should realistically still be the favorite to win. If Sindarius Thornwell continues the torrid pace he's been playing at however, its not out of the question that South Carolina could tranquilize the Bears and move on to the Elite Eight.

Both Butler and Purdue will be provided all they can handle going up against North Carolina and Kansas, respectively, with little margin for error. Each team has been steady through the first two rounds, but neither has shown any glimpses of taking control of opponents thus far. That being said, Wisconsin proved that a No. 1 could go down, so nothing is ruled out in these two matchups.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)