Utah basketball NCAA bracket: Utes a 3 seed, will face Fresno State in first round

The Utah Utes have to feel like a sleeper to get to the Final Four. Utah had a strong finish to the 2016 season and is riding that momentum into strong NCAA Tournament seeding.

Utah will play as a three seed in the Midwest against Fresno State in Denver. If they can win, the Utes face Seton Hall or Gonzaga in the Round of 32.

Utah finished their regular season 26-8 and 13-5 in the Pac-12, finishing second in the Pac-12 and the Pac-12 tournament runners up. Utah has one of the strongest tournament resumes of any of the Pac-12 teams, beating Duke, Cal twice and Arizona. The Utes finished their season winning nine in a row before the Pac-12 tournament final. The only reason Utah couldn't win the Pac-12 outright was their struggle to match up with Oregon--the Utes were swept by the Ducks, including a decisive defeat in the Pac-12 title.

But their seeding is favorable for a deep run in March. Is this the year the Utes go beyond the Sweet 16?