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The NCAA Tournament will finish off the Sweet 16 tonight, while drawing one step closer to determining the Final Four matchups in Houston next weekend.

We already know this much. On Saturday, the Southeast region bracket will be decided between No. 2 seed Florida and No. 8 seed Butler. It will be a rematch of their classic tournament game from years past. The Gators have put it all together at the most opportune time, but the Bulldogs know fully well what it takes to upset the big boys.

To settle the West region bracket, No. 3 Connecticut will take on No. 5 Arizona for a chance to advance to Houston. Kemba Walker is playing better than anyone in the country for the Huskies, although Derrick Williams could make a very strong case for the Wildcats.

We are not quite to that point in the East and Southwest region brackets. There is a lot that still needs to be worked out tonight before we can determine who is one step closer to Houston.

In the East region bracket, No. 1 seed Ohio State will face No. 4 seed Kentucky. The Buckeyes are led by freshman player of the year candidate in Jared Sullinger, while the Wildcats are led by a pair of freshmen in Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones.

But before that game takes place, No. 2 seed North Carolina will square off with No. 11 seed Marquette. The Tar Heels like to run up and down the court, while the Golden Eagles would prefer to slow down the tempo. Whichever team allows the other to control the pace will most likely be going home after tonight.

In the Southwest region bracket, No. 1 Kansas will look to up the all-time mark of No. 1 seeds vs. No. 12 seeds to 18-0 when they take on Richmond. The Jayhawks are many experts' picks (including my own) to cut down the nets in Houston in a little over a week. But the Spiders are led by Justin Harper, and coached by one of the young up-and-comers in the nation in Chris Mooney. This could be a closer contest than the seeds may lead one to believe.

The late game in the region will feature a pair of Cinderella stories when No. 10 seed Florida State takes on No. 11 seed VCU. The Seminoles have gotten to this point by playing stellar defense, and have done so with very little production from Chris Singleton. The Rams are led by another great, young coach in Shaka Smart, and his team has been playing as well as any of the teams remaining in the tournament.

After tonight, I see the Buckeyes getting past the Wildcats to take on the Golden Eagles, who will pull off the upset against the Tar Heels.

As for the last region, the Jayhawks will slip past the Spiders, while the Seminoles will overpower the Rams.

Ultimately, the 2011 Final Four will consist of Connecticut, Florida, Ohio State and Kansas. It will not be an easy path for any of them (aside perhaps from Kansas), but those will be the teams who will have a shot at cutting down the nets in Houston.

If I haven't helped you out quite enough already, look for Kansas to defeat Florida in a great game, and for Ohio State to eventually wear down Connecticut. 

Finally, Kansas will deliver the knock out blow to Ohio State to claim its second national championship in the past four tournaments.

For more on this weekend's action, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Etan Norof, who previews the NCAA Sweet 16: 10 Things to Watch For AS March Madness Rolls On.

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No. 1 seed Ohio State vs No. 4 seed Kentucky

Region: East

Time: 9:45 PM (approximately)

Channel: CBS

Location: Newark, New Jersey

Game Announcers: Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg

When the No. 1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes tip off just before 10:00 PM, they could be the last top seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. That is, if No. 1 Kansas was to become the first ever top seed to lose to a No. 12 seed in 17 appearances when they take on Richmond in the first wave of Sweet 16 games tonight.

The Buckeyes will take on the No. 4 seed Kentucky Wildcats and look to move one step closer toward advancing to the Final Four in Houston. Kentucky is hoping to become the latest giant killer to knock off the No. 1 seeds, joining the Butler Bulldogs and Arizona Wildcats.

When the Buckeyes and Wildcats face each other, the spotlight will be on some of the top freshman in the country from this season. Ohio State features Naismith Award finalist Jared Sullinger, while Kentucky is led by Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones.

But while the rookies may get most of the ink and airtime, especially for the Wildcats, it is the veterans who continue to lead the way in the tournament, at least according to Matt Jones of CBS Sports.

Jones says of Kentucky that "In the place known for 'one and done', there has been a resurgence of the veteran’s movement in Lexington. The program that is now processing more elite talent than any college in America has seen its fortunes rise late in the season, in large part thanks to three old men by current Wildcat standards. Darius Miller, Deandre Liggins and Josh Harrellson are certainly not “one and dones”, and in fact, none of them are even John Calipari recruits. But they all three could be the most significant reasons that Kentucky has advanced to yet another Sweet 16."

The fact that it took them longer than anticipated is the reason that Calipari is coaching tonight and that Billy Gillespie go fired by Kentucky and finally hired by Texas Tech.

Timing truly is key.

Dana O'Neil of ESPN says that the difference in this game will be from outside.

O'Neil says to watch for "What happens on the perimeter. Both teams are pretty good from behind the arc. Ohio State leads the nation, knocking down 42.4 percent of its 3-point attempts. 

Kentucky isn’t far behind. A year after the Wildcats were done in by their lack of perimeter game, they now rank 12th in the nation, draining 39.6 percent of their 3-point tries. 

Sometimes basketball isn’t confusing. Whoever is able to make more from long range could have the upper hand."

One might say that a great way to attack the Buckeyes would be to try and get their top players in foul trouble and make them go to the bench early and often. That would be the 'Greg Oden approach' of the last time Ohio State was this dangerous.

You might want to try a different strategy.

O'Neil also points out that "Ohio State is 345th out of 345 teams in fewest fouls per game. The Buckeyes commit just 14 fouls per game. OSU has shot 348 more free throws than its opponents and has made 126 more than its opponents have attempted."

In the end, I feel that the Buckeyes are just the better overall team. Neither team makes many mistakes, but Ohio State has looked superb so far, while Kentucky was lucky to survive against Princeton, and was in a battle late against West Virginia. The Buckeyes will win this game and advance to play on Sunday.'

For the latest on tonight's game, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Trevor Lowry, who takes a look at the NCAA Bracket 2011: Previewing Kentucky Wildcats vs. Ohio State Buckeyes.

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No. 2 seed North Carolina vs. No. 11 seed Marquette

Region: East

Time: 7:15 PM

Channel: CBS

Location: Newark, New Jersey

Game Announcers: Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg

The NCAA Tournament will be down to the Elite Eight following tonight's games, and No. 2 seed North Carolina will look to avoid the upset bug against No. 11 seed Marquette.

The tournament is down to two teams from the ACC and Big East conference, although not many people would have figured on these two teams being the last two survivors.

The Tar Heels rely on their offense, as they can flat out score. North Carolina has averaged 94 PPG in their first two games of the 2011 NCAA Tournaments, while the Golden Eagles of Marquette have scored 66 points in each of their first two games, with both resulting in upsets.

UNC has gotten great play in the tournament from Harrison Barnes, but Tyler Zeller and John Henson have been excellent inside for Roy Williams' bunch. The 'Heels will be the bigger team here, and they will also have the benefit of having a great point guard in Kendall Marshall. After that, however, they are not deep at all.

Dana O'Neil of ESPN says that North Carolina will need to keep up one thing if they are to get past Marquette.

"Tempo," says O'Neil. "North Carolina likes to go and while Marquette isn’t against an uptempo game, the Golden Eagles aren’t interested in a track meet with the Tar Heels. The interesting thing, as numbers guy Buzz Williams pointed out, is Carolina only averages two possessions per game more than Marquette."

That fact does come as a bit of a surprise. Still, it isn't how many possessions a team has, but rather what they can do with them over the course of the game.

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports says that the Golden Eagles are built upon many solid junior college transfers, and that the term 'juco' should not carry such a negative perception.

Freeman says that "As Marquette has upset and advanced and grabbed headlines, the microscopic examination of how the team has advanced deep into the tournament has begun. The focus has been on the juco players. That focus has grown somewhat intense, causing coach Buzz Williams, whose first name matches his haircut, to caution the media this week."

But the two teams, although it has happened in very different ways, have both become much closer as the season has progressed.

The Tar Heels got astronomically better and closer once Marshall took over as the team's starting point guard. He replaced a whiny quitter (whose name I have sworn never to mention again, sorry) and gave his teammates a reason to trust him.

But Freeman points out that Marquette is close, but for a different reason.

"What has happened with Marquette is simple and predictable," according to Freeman. "The Golden Eagles became close using their junior college experiences as a sort of glue. It's possible no other team left in the Sweet 16 is as tight as this one."

What it will all boil down to is who lets who play their style and tempo of basketball. If this turns into a shootout, it has to favor the 'Heels. If defense and half court offense prevails, then things will be looking good for the Eagles.

Ultimately, I see Marquette continuing its Cinderella run. They are playing solid ball as of late, and I believe that they will be able to take advantage of Carolina's youth down the stretch.

For another preview of tonight's matchup, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Correspondent Jim Berdysz, who takes a look at the NCAA Tournament 2011: Previewing North Carolina vs. Marquette Sweet 16 Matchup.

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No. 1 seed Kansas vs. No. 12 seed Richmond

Region: Southwest

Time: 7:27 PM

Channel: TBS

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Game Announcers: Marv Albert and Steve Kerr

When the 2011 NCAA Tournament resumes in the Sweet 16, the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks will look to avoid another early elimination when they take on the No. 12 seed Richmond Spiders.

In the history of the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the top seed has never lost, having won all 17 matchups in the past.

Can Kansas avoid becoming the first No. 1 seed to get upset by a No. 12 seed tonight, when they tip off at approximately 7:27 PM on TBS?

The Jayhawks have had the easiest path of all the top seeds to the Final Four, and it will not get much more difficult if you don't look far past the seeds. They beat No. 16 Boston University and No. 9 seed Illinois, and will take on the winner of No. 10 Florida State and No. 11 seed VCU if they are able to advance tonight.

But they should not expect any less than their best from Richmond tonight. Chris Mooney has his Spiders playing great basketball at the right time, and there is no reason to think that will change tonight.

Pat Forde of ESPN is quick to point out that "Richmond is 5-1 against teams from big-six conferences this season, beating Purdue, Arizona State, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and losing to Georgia Tech." Therefore, they are not intimidated against schools from bigger conferences.

But this is Kansas. Can Justin Harper find enough room to put up his typical monster numbers against the Jayhawks? He averages 17.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG to go along with shooting an incredible 45 percent from behind the three point line.

Yet Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports says that Kansas is here for a reason.

"The Jayhawks are clearly the favorite in the Southwest regional, with more talent and depth than any of the other three teams remaining," says Borzello. "They have dominant inside players with Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, perimeter shooters in Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar and a playmaker with Tyshawn Taylor. They are also one of the best defensive teams in the country. If Kansas plays to its potential, it should not be tested until the Final Four."

I feel that both men bring up valid points. In some ways, these two teams are quite similar. They both have a pair of bigs who can step back and knock down shots from the outside. They are also led by two excellent coaches.

But the Jayhawks have impressed me throughout the entire season. There is a reason why I have them cutting down the nets at the 2011 Final Four in Houston. That journey will not be interrupted by the Spiders tonight, who will put up a good fight, but ultimately be unable to catch Kansas in their web.

For more on Self's team, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Correspondent Chris O'Brien, who takes a look at the NCAA Bracket 2011: Ranking This Year's Top 10 Kansas Jayhawks.

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No. 10 seed Florida State vs. No. 11 seed VCU

Region: Southwest 

Time: 9:57 PM (approximately)

Channel: TBS

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Game Announcers: Marv Albert and Steve Kerr

The NCAA Tournament resumes tonight with more Sweet 16 action, and one of the late battles will be between No. 10 seed Florida State and No. 11 seed VCU in the Southwest region bracket.

The Seminoles and Rams will battle it out at approximately 9:57 PM on TBS, although the start time could be delayed depending on when the first game in San Antonio finishes.

It has been an improbable run by FSU, but it has paled in comparison to what VCU has accomplished, including winning their first round game in an upset over No. 11 seed USC, and then pulling off upsets against No. 6 seed Georgetown and No. 3 seed Purdue.

Head coach Shaka Smart has done an excellent job in leading his Rams, and they have been playing as well as any team in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

But Leonard Hamilton has also done a fine job with the 'Noles, especially considering that they have upset No. 7 seed Texas A&M and No. 2 seed Notre Dame with very little production from injured superstar Chris Singleton.

Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports says that Florida State has won with their strong defense.

Borzello said that "The Seminoles are the most efficient defensive team in the country, allowing only 0.86 points per possession. They completely stifled Texas A&M in the second round, then held a high-powered Notre Dame group to 50 points on 31 percent shooting. If Chris Singleton can get healthy, this team can play with anyone."

Pat Forde of ESPN said that VCU needs to keep the pressure on FSU all night.

Says Forde, "VCU is at its best when pressuring opponents and taking away the ball. The Rams are plus-129 in turnover margin in 26 victories, and plus-four in 11 defeats. If they’re not creating havoc, they’re in trouble."

The bottom line will come down to Singleton. I love how well the Rams have played, and they knocked off Purdue, who I thought was built to advance far in this tournament. But if Singleton can give the Seminoles some much needed offense, their defense will carry them past VCU. 

Since I think the rest will be enough for Singleton, Florida State will continue their Conderella run and eliminate VCU tonight.

For more on tonight's matchup, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Correspondent Christopher Howland, who takes a look at the NCAA Tournament 2011: VCU vs. FSU: Why This is The Seminoles Time to Shine.