NCAA Tournament 2012: Ohio Bobcats and Greatest Sweet 16 Storylines

The best part of the NCAA tournament is learning about the Cinderellas that have defied all odds to emerge over juggernauts.

This year the best example is the Ohio Bobcats.

They have been stuck in the shadows of Ohio State for decades. Their coach, John Groce, was an assistant under Thad Matta before taking over for the Bobcats. There was a legal battle over who had the right to call themselves “Ohio,” and the Bobcats won. That’s why players make sure to emphasis THE Ohio State in Monday Night Football introductions.

The Bobcats have always been disrespected by their much larger brother, and finally they're getting the national attention they deserve. Guard DJ Cooper has NBA talent and will likely parlay his outstanding week into a second-round selection in June’s draft.

And you thought you were productive last week.

The team has won 10 of 11 games and hasn’t reach this level of the tournament since 1964, when they were a part of the final 25 teams. While the magical ride will likely come to an end against No. 1 seed North Carolina, you can’t help but root for a group of guys simply trying to remind the nation that they exist.

The two other greatest storylines aren’t too far away from Athens, OH.

Take the 90-minute drive up US Route 33 to find the Ohio State campus, where the football/basketball powerhouse has landed in the Sweet 16 once again. Their opponent is only another 90-minute trip away, this time down I-71 to the Queen City, where No. 6 seeded Cincinnati Bearcats resides.

The two schools have ancient history, dating back to when the Bearcats beat the Buckeyes in back-to-back championships in 1961 and 1962. The two teams have met a grand total of once since as Ohio State believes their program is above playing Cincinnati. Now that the Bearcats are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001, maybe they'll think differently. 

Here is UC, a team that is still trying to get past the Xavier brawl, that has the opportunity to get back on the basketball map in Ohio and nationally, against a team they've been dying to play for years. 

Kudos to the committee for setting up this one.

Finally, there is No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Indiana.

The two natural rivals typically play each other every year, and the bad blood has always been there. The rivalry took a significant turn this year when Indiana hit a buzzer-beater three to hand the Wildcats their only regular season loss.

ESPN created a commercial that showed the shot over and over again. Needless to say, the Wildcats don’t like to be reminded about this.

No team is as talented as Kentucky…or as young. How will the raw emotions of the freshmen affect their performance?

The intensity of this game is going to be off the charts, and don’t pencil in Kentucky for the win just yet. 

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