NCAA Tournament 2011: Who Will Advance to the Final Four After This Weekend?

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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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