March Madness 2012: Powerhouse Programs That Will Fall Flat on Their Face

Unless you are a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the first round is when every team goes into panic mode. Eventually we will see a No. 16 win, but we will have to see it first to believe it.

This year's tournament is special because there are only two great teams (Syracuse and Kansas), with everyone else at least one tier below them. We want to see the upsets happen, it is what keeps us invested year after year. 

With smaller schools developing players better than ever, and bigger schools being forced to retool their roster every year thanks to the one-and-done rule, the gap between No. 1 and 65 is smaller than ever. 

Here are the major programs that are going to have a difficult time when the tournament begins. 

Duke Blue Devils

Mike Krzyzewski has made a habit of getting a No. 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, this is one of his weakest teams in recent memory. They have offensive firepower that can keep them in games, but there have been games where they fail to clamp down on defense. 

Odds are good that the Blue Devils will get a No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, so it is perfectly acceptable to think they will win their first game. 

The problem comes when you get into the second round. If they are playing a team that has size in the middle and a guard that can limit Austin Rivers' points, the Blue Devils will be in trouble. This is not going to be a tournament that Coach K wants to remember. 

Baylor Bears

After one of the best regular season performances in school history, the Baylor Bears are feeling good as the NCAA tournament approaches. Most teams would love to say they won 25 games in the Big 12. 

The problem with the Bears is, they have beaten up on mediocre competition and struggled against the good teams on their schedule. Their best win is against Iowa State, a nice team but not one that strikes fear into anyone. 

An impressive run in the Big 12 tournament could change their standing, but things don't look good for them now. They want to play an uptempo style that allows them to outscore opponents, though they do it while sacrificing a lot on defense. It is not a good formula for success in March. 

Ohio State Buckeyes

When the season started, the Buckeyes were supposed to be one of the best teams in the country. They lived up to that billing before the calendar flipped to February, when they posted a mediocre 6-3 record.

A season-ending victory over Michigan State took the sting away from their poor finish, but there were signs this team is in trouble. The offense, in particular, had problems putting up points on a consistent basis. 

Jared Sullinger has to be the star of the show, which has not been the case lately. He has scored 14 points or less in four of the last five games. When he struggles, the rest of the team struggles. They are stacked with talent, but have not played up to their potential in nearly a month. 

Follow @adamwells1985