Jay Bilas reveals his re-seeded Sweet 16 field

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas re-seed every team remaining in the NCAA Tournament with under 24 hours until the Sweet 16 tips off. Duke surprisingly came in at No. 7, while the 19-14 Michigan Wolverines are one spot ahead of the 27-8 Arkansas Razorbacks.

Bilas’ re-seeded Sweet 16

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-3)
2. Arizona Wildcats (33-3)
3. Kansas Jayhawks (30-6)
4. Houston Cougars (31-5)
5. Purdue Boilermakers (29-7)
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-9)
7. Duke Blue Devils (30-6)
8. Villanova Wildcats (28-7)
9. UCLA Bruins (27-7)
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (26-9)
11. Michigan Wolverines (19-14)
12. Arkansas Razorbacks (27-8)
13. Miami Hurricanes (25-10)
14. Providence Friars (27-5)
15. Iowa State Cyclones (22-12)
16. Saint Peter’s Peacocks (21-11)

Notably, Saint Peter’s is on the back of the list. Bilas doesn’t believe the Peacocks should still be in the field, but after wins against Kentucky and Murray State and a date with Purdue on Friday. Twice can be considered luck, but you can’t fake beating three teams several experts picked to make deep runs in the tournament. Not only is Saint Peter’s making history with every victory, they have a chance to become the best 15-seed in tournament history.

Bilas’ re-seeded No. 2 Arizona is battling his No. 4 Houston, which is the only game so far that has seen two 30-win teams face off in the NCAA Tournament. Bennedict Mathurin and Kyler Edwards is the matchup to watch on both sides of the ball in that one.

Duke vs. Texas Tech on Thursday is also another game that Bilas finds interesting. The Red Raiders are looking as good as anyone left in the field, while the Blue Devils limped to the finish line against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans last week. Is Mike Krzyzewski holding onto his career by a thread, or is his dream of winning one more championship stay alive?

If Bilas’ seeds hold up, we’ll be getting an Arizona vs. Gonzaga national championship game in New Orleans, with Kansas and Purdue earning Final Four berths. Of course, this is March, so nothing will pan out like it is supposed to, but that’s what makes the NCAA Tournament one of the most exciting times to be a sports fan every year.

The Sweet 16 is set to get underway on Thursday with two games featuring Gonzaga vs. Arkansas at 7:09 p.m. ET (CBS) and Villanova vs. Michigan at 7:29 p.m. ET (TBS), followed by nightcaps of Duke vs. Texas Tech and Houston vs. Arizona. The rest of the field will play the following day.