March Madness 2012 Bracket Predictions: 3 Teams Guaranteed to Flame Out

The NCAA tournament is remembered for the improbable Cinderella stories, but the majority of tournament teams are sent home before their dreams are realized.

Fans have their March Madness brackets filled, but most will be flooded with red ink once the four teams make it to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Three teams have high expectations after stellar regular-season campaigns, but will have their hopes dashed early.

Read on to find out which teams will fail to have a deep run.

Indiana Hoosiers

No team can go deep into the NCAA tournament without steady point guard play. Unfortunately for Indiana, the Hoosiers lost their point guard at the absolute worst time.

Senior guard Verdell Jones III tore his ACL in the Big Ten quarterfinal game, ridding the Hoosiers of his 11.5 points, 3.3 assists and their court general. His leadership and court awareness found Christian Watford for the elbow three-pointer that beat Kentucky.

With one of their most heady playmakers sidelined, the NCAA tournament will be an uphill battle for Indiana.

They received no favors being matched up with the New Mexico State Aggies in the tournament’s second round. This team has the defensive chops to lock down the Hoosier offense that relies on Cody Zeller inside to set the tone early. Jones will be sorely missed in this matchup when Indiana need a good look after their initial set breaks down.

In addition, the Hoosiers will be far away from Bloomington, which has been an Achilles heel for them throughout the year. They posted a 5-6 road record this season and they even bowed out early from the Big Ten Conference Tournament in nearby Indianapolis.

Without a home crowd, there is no indication that Indiana will be able to make a run in the tourney.

Duke Blue Devils

Almost a virtual lock for the second weekend in previous seasons, Duke has made it to three straight Sweet 16s. They might make it a fourth, but the buck will stop there.

The Blue Devils will always be well-coached defensively with Coach K manning the sidelines, but rthis year’s squad is deceptively weak on the defensive end. Their best on-ball defender, Tyler Thornton, can’t get on the floor because they lose their three-point prowess without Austin Rivers or Seth Curry.

A late-season injury has also plagued the Blue Devils. Ryan Kelly, one of the unsung heroes from the national title team two years ago, has a sprained foot and is currently in a protective boot. Kelly’s ability to crash the boards and spread the defense with his long-range shooting leaves the Duke frontline undermanned.

If the Blue Devils are unable to score from long range, long athletic teams like Xavier, Baylor and UNLV will have no trouble sending them home early.

Virginia Cavaliers

The Virginia Cavaliers were one of the top teams in the ACC heading into February, but have gone into a tailspin heading into the NCAA tournament.

They are 4-6 since Groundhog Day and only have seven players on scholarship after Senior C Asane Nene was suspended two weeks ago.

In short, the Cavaliers are on fumes heading into their elimination game against the Florida Gators.

Even when analyzing their first-round matchup, it seems that the Cavaliers got a tough draw. They rely on their strong defensive presence inside and make opposing teams shoot long jumpers to beat them. Florida loves to take those jumpers. They rank among the league leaders in three points made and KenPom offensive efficiency.

Virginia forward Mike Scott has been having a stellar year, averaging over 18 points and eight rebounds, but he is a one-trick pony compared to Florida’s staple of scorers. Bradley Beal, Patric Young and Kenny Boynton should have no problem keeping pace

Even if they manage to squeak by Florida, a similar matchup most likely awaits in the third round against an explosive Missouri team.

I would not expect Virginia to make it out of the round of 64.