March Madness 2012: 10 Bold Predictions for Rest of NCAA Bracket

After a day filled with madness yesterday, I have 10 more bold predictions for you. While I can't top Norfolk State shocking Missouri and Lehigh upsetting Duke, some of these are guaranteed to surprise you.

The tournament field is turning out to have many more upsets than we expected, and no one had a perfect bracket in ESPN's Tournament Challenge after yesterday. The two brackets that were perfect after Missouri lost ended up getting screwed by Lehigh like just about everyone else's.

As we enter the Round of 32, these are my bold predictions for the rest of the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Syracuse Will Go Down to Kansas State

Syracuse was dealt a huge blow with Fab Melo being lost for the tournament due to ineligibility. They started their run with a game against No. 16 UNC Asheville, but they did not look like the elite team we have come to know.

The Orange barely out-rebounded a team without a starter who is taller than 6'5", tallying 31 rebounds to UNC Asheville's 31. They also played poor defense inside without Melo, as forwards scored 24 of UNC Asheville's 47 points scored by starters. Syracuse has no answer inside.

Syracuse next plays Kansas State, who look poised for an upset. KSU one of the best rebounding teams in the country at 37.3 boards per game (41st in the nation).

The Wildcats are led by Rodney McGruder and Jamar Samuels, who are their big men. McGruder scored a whopping 30 points against Southern Miss in their first game of the Big Dance, and he looks for a repeat performance against 'Cuse. However, Samuels might be the one to step up, as one of these two always seems to have a big game.

Kansas State has knocked off a few elite teams this season, including Baylor, Missouri (twice) and Alabama. They will now deal a finishing blow to Syracuse.

VCU Will Continue Their Magic

Shaka Smart and his VCU Rams pulled off yet another upset on Thursday night, topping No. 5 Wichita State, who was picked as one of the best mid-majors in the tournament this year.

VCU will play Indiana next, and they will continue another magical run to the Sweet 16.

With Verdell Jones III out for the year with a torn ACL, the Hoosiers lack senior leadership. This is one of the intangibles that is so important in March, and it is also something that VCU has but Indiana does not.

Bradford Burgess is not a good player; he is a great one. He is the team's leading scorer, and he will be key for the Rams against the Hoosiers.

VCU is a terrific defensive team, pressuring the ball extremely well and forcing a lot of turnovers or bad shots. They will be able to grind this game out against Indiana as long as they contain Cody Zeller inside, and I believe that they will be able to do so.

North Carolina State Pushes to the Sweet 16

North Carolina State is a good team, but they are absolutely on fire right now. After upsetting Virginia in the ACC tournament, they lost to North Carolina on a few questionable calls before getting one of the last at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.

The Wolfpack opened tournament play against No. 6 San Diego State, and they blew them out of the building, winning by 14 points.

This team is typically led by sophomore C.J. Leslie, but the team was firing on all cylinders yesterday. While Leslie scored 15 points, Richard Howell led the team with 22 points, and Lorenzo Brown kicked in 17.

This NC State team is hot right now, and I don't see Georgetown stopping them. The Hoyas have been struggling in the NCAA tournament, losing three straight before they knocked off Belmont.

The Wolfpack simply will not be stopped, and they look hot enough to challenge No. 2 Kansas, or possibly knock them off.

No Cinderellas Make It Past the Sweet 16

As much as I would like to see it, very few Cinderellas will even make it to the Sweet 16.

Lehigh, Norfolk State, Ohio, VCU, Colorado, North Carolina State and Purdue are the only teams remaining who are seeded 10 or higher. I only see North Carolina State, South Florida and VCU continuing to the Sweet 16, but they will run into great teams in that round.

NC State will not be able to stop Thomas Robinson and Kansas inside, while VCU simply cannot hang with a team like Kentucky. South Florida is only advancing because they play No. 13 Ohio, but they can't knock off No. 1 North Carolina.

While yesterday was filled to the brim with upsets and last-second wins, the Elite Eight will have the typical seeds we would expect (minus a few No. 2 seeds).

Cincinnati Will Bust Brackets

Cincinnati will be facing No. 3 Florida State next round, and this will be the game that they bust brackets and break hearts.

Cincinnati has all the tools they need to upset Florida State, and the Seminoles looked pretty bad against No. 14 Saint Bonaventure in the first round.

The Seminoles barely squeaked out a win, while Cincinnati has been playing well in tournament play all year.

Florida State became a trendy pick after beating Duke and North Carolina on their way to the first conference tournament championship in school history. However, they looked awful in the first round, and now Cincinnati's Yancy Gates, Sean Kilpatrick, Dion Dixon and Cashmere Wright will knock off the Seminoles.

Kentucky Waltzes to the Final Four

So much for that region of death. With VCU presumably upsetting Indiana, Kentucky has one of the easiest roads to the Final Four.

Kentucky wasn't even challenged by Western Kentucky, leading by as much as 32 at one point in the game. They will take on Iowa State next, and once Anthony Davis shuts down Royce White, that team is not as dangerous as they appear.

They would then be followed by VCU, who is a good team but could not stay with the Wildcats for very long.

Their game in the Elite Eight might challenge Kentucky, as I see them playing an athletic Baylor team after the Bears will upset Duke due to Duke's lack of athletic big men and reliance on the three. Baylor would most likely keep their game with Kentucky close, but because Kentucky's guards are simply so much better than those of Baylor, the Wildcats should win.

There are very few teams that can challenge Kentucky in general, and I don't see any huge games for them until the Elite Eight. The Wildcats can start booking flights to New Orleans.

Ohio State Makes Comes out of the East on Top

With Syracuse losing Fab Melo and soon losing to Kansas State, the East region will go to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are a great team that brushed Loyola (MD) aside in their first game, winning by 19 points. This team is not only a great team to begin with, but they are hot.

We all know about Jared Sullinger's dominance inside, but his frontcourt teammate, DeShaun Thomas, went for 31 points against Loyola. Williams Buford and Aaron Craft are on the perimeter draining threes, and they are both doing well right now.

Buford is the team's X-factor, and he is playing very well right now, including his 17 points against Loyola.

The Buckeyes are looking to dominate the East, and I can't see anyone who will stop them.

North Carolina Wins the Midwest Region

North Carolina may have lost to Florida State in the finals of the ACC tournament, but they were without their defensive stopper, John Henson.

Once Henson comes back, this team will have the best frontcourt in the nation again. The only team in their bracket that can challenge them now that Michigan was eliminated is Kansas.

While the Jayhawks are good, Thomas Robinson can't do everything inside for them against Henson, Tyler Zeller, James Michael-McAdoo and Harrison Barnes.

I can't see anyone stopping North Carolina, and they will roll into New Orleans riding high.

Michigan State Cruises to the Final Four

With No. 15 Norfolk State becoming the fifth No. 15 seed in history to beat a No. 2 seed, there are very few teams left in the West region who can stop Michigan State.

Tom Izzo will be seeking his seventh Final Four trip in 14 years, and there doesn't appear to be anyone to stop his Spartans.

Michigan State is a great team, led by senior forward Draymond Green and sophomore guard Keith Appling. They are hot, as they beat Ohio State for the Big Ten tournament championship before beating No. 16 LIU Brooklyn.

Tom Izzo is simply a genius, taking teams ranked as low as No. 5 in their region to the Final Four. With a great team and a weak bracket that now features only a very beatable Marquette team and a Louisville team that had a poor showing against Davidson, Sparty will be heading to New Orleans.

North Carolina Beats Kentucky in a Rematch for the Crown

With Kentucky beating Michigan State and North Carolina topping Ohio State in the Final Four, the two will set up a rematch of their game from early in the regular season. Kentucky won that game by a single point, but this time it will be UNC who comes out on top.

The Tar Heels will be at full strength again for this game, and we have seen a clear difference between their current team and their past team. They are playing at a much higher level now than they were previously, and they will beat Kentucky in this game.

These two teams match up so similarly against one other that there are very few distinguishable differences.

The biggest key for the Tar Heels will be their experience, as they returned every player for their Elite Eight team. While Kentucky has three starters from a Final Four team back, they are also relying heavily on their four freshmen, which will be their downfall.

I see North Carolina beating Kentucky for this year's championship in another thrilling game.

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