The 2018 edition of March Madness has been a story of upsets. Will that also hold true for this year's Uni Watch Sweet 16 uniform rankings? Let's find out.

As usual, each school's ranking is based on the uniform it is expected to wear in the Sweet 16 (as determined by what the school has previously worn in the tournament and its home or road designation for this round). But most schools have several alternate uniforms at their disposal, so it's possible that other designs may appear.

With that caveat in mind, here we go -- ready, set, argue!

1. Loyola-Chicago

The Ramblers, and their chaplain Sister Jean, have become a fan favorite in the tournament. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

What's better than a bracket-busting underdog? A bracket-busting underdog with a great uniform! The chest script looks great, the color combo works perfectly, and putting the conference logo patch on the shorts instead of on the jersey is a stroke of genius that puts this uni over the top. Here's hoping the Ramblers ride this design all the way to the championship.

2. Kansas

The Jayhawks' classic unis make another Sweet 16 appearance. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

North Carolina is usually the traditionally attired team that sits at or near the top of these Sweet 16 uni rankings. But with the Tar Heels out of the running, the "simple but classic" nod goes to Kansas, whose distinctive Trajan typeface and perfect balance of red, white, and blue look very good indeed.

3. Florida State

The Seminole influence is always present on the Florida State uniforms. Steve Roberts/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Technically speaking, black isn't a Seminoles color, but the garnet and gold sure look good against that ebony background, right? A modern-looking uniform that can hold its own against the classics.

4. Villanova

Villanova's unis get high marks for being almost amazing. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

This isn't history's most dynamic uniform, granted, but Villanova gets serious bonus points for a design element that's unique among the Sweet 16 schools: The players' names on the jerseys are vertically arched, a once-common feature that's now extremely rare. The typography on the names matches the vertical arching on the chest lettering and also just looks great on its own. And the rest of the uni looks fine. Not amazing, but fine.

5. West Virginia

The Mountaineers advance in our bracket, but go home after breaking out that trim that doesn't get the job done. Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Want to know how to design a very solid three-color basketball road uniform? Here's how you do it: dark background, split-level colored lettering, white number in the center. That's the Mountaineers' approach, and it works really well. They'd rank higher if not for the overly clunky trim on the side panels and shorts.

6. Michigan

Michigan's uniforms get the job done, just like Jordan Poole from deep. David Klutho/NCAA Photos/Getty Images

Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. And there's no denying it: That Jumpman logo looks great on a basketball uniform. But does anyone else think the chest lettering needs to be bigger? Also, as we pointed out last year, Nike's narrow tailoring template combined with Michigan's jersey piping results in the NCAA logo patch overlapping the piping -- an OCD nightmare.

7 and 8. Syracuse and Clemson

A Clemson-Syracuse showdown would be battle of every shade of orange ever invented. Donald Miralle/Getty Images, Elsa/Getty Images

Orange-o-rama! Both of these uniforms have their nagging issues (Syracuse has way too much bling, and Clemson has that annoying purple trim), but it's still pretty awesome to see one of the uni-verse's most underrated colors getting such a high-profile showcase from two Sweet 16 schools. And here's the beauty part: If they both advance to the Elite Eight, they'll face each other -- orange versus orange! (Well, OK, orange versus white, but you get the idea.)

9. Kentucky

When the amount of your checkerboard trim comes close to inducing vertigo, you know you've gone too far. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

A little bit of that checkerboard trim would go a long way. Imagine if they made it maybe half as wide, or if they put it only on the waistband instead of down the sides. As it stands now, it's a textbook case of going overboard.

10. Nevada

Nevada needs to pump up the font size on their unis to go up higher on this list. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

Great example of a uniform that looked great in the unveiling photos but doesn't look so good on the court. The silver "Pack" script on the chest is hard to read, the "Nevada" script on the back is even worse, and the Nevada-shaped chest mark just looks like an ink splotch when the players are in motion.

11. Texas A&M

When it comes to all those white stripes, less could be more on the Aggies' unis. Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos/Getty Images

Not a terrible uniform, but something about all of that white trim seems a bit ... chalky. Like, all of the white strokes are too thick, especially on the collar and the shorts logo. Thin out those lines and you might have something a lot sharper-looking.

12. Duke

Sometimes piping works. Sometimes it doesn't. Duke, sorry, but you are in the second category. Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Can anyone explain the point of that white piping that runs down the sides of the jersey and the shorts? The jersey is white, and the piping outlines a side panel -- that is also white. Why not scrap the piping and just have a clean white uniform? Questions like this keep your friendly uniform columnist up at night.

13. Texas Tech

Texas Tech lacks the inspirational look one would hope for from the Red Raiders. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

This is the only Under Armour uniform in the Sweet 16, and it's not one of its best. From the two-tone collar to the blocky typeface to the striping on the shorts, everything here feels like stock elements that were ordered out of a catalog (or, more likely, mixed and matched on a digital uni-builder interface). The resulting design isn't ugly, but it seems very uninspired.

14. Gonzaga

Gonzaga is the living example of it's better to play well than to look good. Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

And speaking of uninspired designs, when are the Zags going to do something about that overly blocky typeface, or that overly thick shorts striping, or that absurd red striping? They use basically the same color palette as Kansas, but so much less successfully.

15. Purdue

You can actually see the shoulder panels weighing Dakota Mathias down. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

What's worse than a jersey with a ridiculous-looking shoulder harness? A ridiculous-looking shoulder harness with a patch. Ugh.

16. Kansas State

The number one tip to staying off the bottom of this list? Stay far, far away from the purple. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

A uniform rendered in the world's most accursed color is bad enough. But when you throw in purple tights, purple socks and purple sneakers, that's a surefire ticket to the bottom of this list. Sorry, Wildcats.

Paul Lukas is really rooting for that Syracuse-Clemson matchup in the Elite Eight. If you like this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook and sign up for his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, check out his Uni Watch merchandise, or just ask him a question? Contact him here.