NCAA Bracket 2012: Breaking Down Each No. 1 Seed's Biggest Weakness

Technically, the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament are the best teams in the country.

But they're not perfect. The Kentucky Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, North Carolina Tar Heels and Syracuse Orange all experienced their share of struggles this season, some more than others. During their respective struggles, it was abundantly obvious that these four teams are as human as the other 60-plus teams that made the tournament cut.

What exactly makes these teams human?

A couple things, really. But for the sake of keeping things simple, let's go ahead and point out each team's biggest weakness. If any or all of the four No. 1 seeds get knocked out of the NCAA Tournament, it will be because of the weaknesses listed below.

Kentucky Wildcats: Inexperience

I thought about pointing out Kentucky's reliance on Anthony Davis as its biggest weakness, but the truth is that relying on Davis is also Kentucky's biggest strength. He's the best player in the country, and a true difference-maker at both ends of the floor.

Inexperience is an issue with this Wildcats team, though. Davis is a freshman, and so is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They're arguably Kentucky's two best players, so it goes without saying that the Wildcats will be in a tough spot if one or both of them happen to wilt in the spotlight.

It's not just these two that stand out as being in danger of wilting in the spotlight. Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones are only sophomores, and both of them are inconsistent. Jones in particular is a huge mystery, as he's just never really lived up to the hype that surrounded him early on in his freshman season.

In the event that Kentucky needs somebody to step up and lead the way, the question is who it will be. The Wildcats don't have a go-to senior, which should be considered a disadvantage given what we've seen in past tournaments. 

If Kentucky ducks out of the tournament earlier than expected, it will be because its players just weren't ready for the big stage.

Michigan State Spartans: Branden Dawson's absence

Michigan State is not the best of the No. 1 seeds on paper (that honor goes to Kentucky), but it's hard to find anything to complain about where the Spartans are concerned. They play great defense, they're an efficient offensive team, and they have a great, great player in Draymond Green and a great, great coach in Tom Izzo.

The Spartans' biggest weakness is one that arose through no fault of their own. Branden Dawson, one of the team's best players, was lost for the season with a torn ACL, and his absence will be a factor in the NCAA Tournament.

Dawsen is a player who did a lot of things for this Spartans team. He could score and rebound very well for a guard, and he was a huge asset in perimeter defense.

Michigan State will use a couple of players in Dawson's stead, among them being Brandan Kearney and Russell Byrd. Neither of them is as dynamic as Dawson, though, and that could be Michigan State's doom if it finds itself in a tough game.

And rest assured, Michigan State will find itself in a tough game.

North Carolina Tar Heels: John Henson's wrist

If John Henson was 100 percent healthy heading into the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina's biggest weakness would be a general lack of dominance.

But Henson's wrist is UNC's biggest problem at the moment, and it's not even close. He injured it in the ACC tournament, and the word from ESPN.com is that head coach Roy Williams is unsure if Henson is going to be ready to play by the time the tournament gets underway on Thursday.

Henson is a hugely important player for the Tar Heels. He's an elite rebounder, an outstanding shot-blocker and he's a guy who picks up a lot of garbage points off of offensive rebounds. With him and Tyler Zeller together, few teams can hope to match up against North Carolina in the paint.

If Henson is limited in any way, North Carolina is at a disadvantage. If Henson can't play at all, North Carolina is at a huge disadvantage.

With Henson, the Tar Heels can win this thing. Without him, they won't last long.

Syracuse Orange: Fab Melo's absence

Syracuse announced via its website on Tuesday that star center Fab Melo has been ruled out of the NCAA Tournament due to an eligibility issue.

The Orange were beatable before they lost Melo. Now that they've lost Melo, they're even more beatable.

With Melo out of the picture, Syracuse will be without a huge puzzle piece for Jim Boeheim's zone defense. Melo's job was to clog up the middle and turn offenses away with blocked shots. Now that he's not around to do that, Syracuse's defense goes from being a huge strength to a mere moderate strength.

Melo will be missed on offense too. He's not an elite offensive player, but he's a big-bodied player who would have been able to overwhelm a lot of defenders in the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse isn't going to get as many high-percentage buckets without Melo.

The Orange have overcome a lot of obstacles this season, but asking them to overcome this one is asking a lot.

For your printable NCAA Bracket, click here.