March Madness 2012: Ranked Teams That Won't Make It Past First Weekend

Parity in college basketball is evident more than ever this year, and it's going to result in top teams not making it to the Sweet 16.

That much I know.

Finding those teams, however, is a little tougher because with the exception of maybe two or three teams (hello, Kentucky), every school has at least one significant flaw.

Here's a look at schools that won't be fans of Cinderella come late-March. 

Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers fool me every year. I always see their stout defense and ability to knock down threes and anoint them as a Final Four squad.

And every year, at least with Bo Ryan at the helm, they make me pay for it. Under Ryan, the Badgers always have a good team, but have only made the Elite Eight twice and have been upset many teams.

This year won't be any different. The Badgers, who get 35.6 percent of their points from the three-point line, rely too much on the long ball. As a result, they are vulnerable any time their shots aren't falling.

Throw in the fact the Badgers play at a glacier pace, and every possession is that much more important.

Wisconsin is too risky for my blood.

Florida State Seminoles

Much like Wisconsin, FSU plays an aggressive defense that allows it to stay with almost any team in the nation.

However, the Seminoles offense can be downright ugly at times, as evidenced by their 0.72 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is worst in the ACC and 321st in the country.

Yikes.

That means the Seminoles are far too stagnant on offense, and when you don't have an offensive threat who can score by himself, you can't be stagnant. It's a big reason why FSU only scored 41 against Harvard and 49 against Michigan State earlier in the year.

What's more, the Seminoles are stumbling down the stretch with losses at Boston College (yuck) and Miami and at home against Duke.

No momentum. No offense. Me no-like. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Here's what I don't like about the Irish. They don't create many extra possessions or extra chances. 

Their turnover percentage is 15.9 percent (second-to-last in the Big East) and they don't make up for that with steals (8.1 percent, 13th in Big East) or offensive rebounds (30 percent, 16th in Big East). 

The reason they've been so successful—and Mike Brey deserved mention for Coach of the Year with the job he did this season with this squad—is because they've been incredibly efficient scoring the ball.

The Irish score 1.07 points per possession, which is fourth-best in the Big East. If they stop scoring at such an efficient rate, they could be in trouble with their lack of extra opportunities. 

It's worth noting that Notre Dame plays terrific defense, as well, but they are still a good candidate for an early exit.