2012 NCAA Tournament Predictions: Big East Teams That Are Sweet 16 Bound

The Big East was once again the dominant college basketball conference and will be sending the most teams to the Big Dance.

But South Florida isn’t even going to make the field of 64 unless it can beat California, and the Bulls aren’t the only team that’s going to have a miserable time in the tournament.

Just because the conference is deep doesn’t mean it has very many power teams. In fact, I think only three of the nine teams survive to the second weekend.

East Region: No. 1 Syracuse (31-2)

The Orangemen don’t have the hardest region and they aren’t going to be the first team to drop a game against a No.16 seed.

That means only No. 8 Kansas State or No. 9 Southern Mississippi stand in their way. Neither team has the offensive talent to keep up with one of the best fast-break teams in the entire country.

This is an easy one. While I don’t believe Syracuse will be making the Final Four, Jim Boeheim's team will cruise in the opening weekend.

No. 6 Cincinnati (24-10)

The Bearcats won a game in the Big Dance last year and essentially returned the same team this year…but this time with an added sense of toughness.

The Crosstown Shootout brawl ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Bearcats, who have been playing angry ever since. Yancy Gates is a load in the post when motivated, and the senior has the potential to eat up 11th-seeded Texas' bigs in the paint.

While No. 3 Florida State can match the physically with the rugged Cats, the Seminoles don’t have a point guard like Cashmere Wright to not only score 10.7 points per game but also take care of the ball.

Cincinnati is one of the top 15 teams in the country when it comes to turnovers and that will be the difference in a win over the Seminoles.

West: No. 4 Louisville (26-9)

The Cardinals showed how dangerous they can be in a single-elimination tournament with their incredibly stingy defense.

No. 13 Davidson is too sloppy with the ball to pose a real threat to Louisville, and whether it is No. 5 New Mexico or No. 12 Long Beach State in the Round of 32, they don’t have the ball-handlers to fend off a team that ranks in the top 10 nationally in steals. Peyton Silva is one of the most underrated point guards in the entire country.

Rick Pitino is a mastermind of getting the most out of his team, and he is going to provide the best possible strategy for the situation.

Beware of the full-court press opponents. 

For your printable NCAA bracket, click here.

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