NCAA Bracket 2012: Predicting Every Outcome of Today's Games

The first half of the Round of 32 is in the books after a great day of college basketball.

There weren't exactly upsets or surprises, just a pretty full slate of exciting games.  After going 22-10 in the Round of 64, yesterday was relatively successful.

Of the eight games, we predicted six correctly, only missing on Virginia Commonwealth and New Mexico and actually coming within 10 points of the total point differential of the day.

With eight Sweet 16 tickets punched, who will seize the final eight spots?

No. 11 North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. No. 3 Georgetown Hoyas

In a classic tournament matchup Georgetown battles NC State for the right to reach the Sweet 16.  These two schools have combined for 49 tournament appearances, eight Final Fours and three National Championships.  There are 49 tournament wins between them.

This battle isn't likely to be pretty.  The Hoyas just simply don't give up much, inside or out.  Belmont was a popular upset pick over Georgetown, but the Hoyas are first in college basketball in three-point defense.

NC State has a devastating combination of big men in C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell and a great perimeter game with Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood.  The Wolfpack has really picked up its play of late, but Georgetown is a tall mountain to climb.

The Hoyas will not allow NC State to get into any type of rhythm and will never let them feel comfortable offensively.  On the other end, Henry Sims can facilitate like no other big man in the tournament.  Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson can also be tremendous scorers. 

Georgetown: 69 NC State: 64

No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens vs. No. 1 Michigan State Spartans

Saint Louis earned a tremendous win over a very strong Memphis team on Friday.  The Billikens are a fantastic defensive team, holding opponents to 62.4 points per game and less than 30 percent shooting on threes.

It is definitely a tough matchup for a No. 1 seed in the Round of 32, but Michigan State is truly one of the elite teams in the nation.  The Spartans are led by head coach Tom Izzo and Draymond Green, two of the finest leaders and greatest winners in college basketball.

Green is on a mission to bring a title back to East Lansing and Saint Louis isn't going to stand in the way.  Michigan State is actually more efficient defensively than Saint Louis and ranks ninth in offensive efficiency.  

Saint Louis will play hard and compete, but Michigan State will not be denied today.

Michigan State: 67 Saint Louis: 55

No. 8 Creighton Bluejays vs. No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina will possibly be without big man John Henson once again, but the Tar Heels have one of the most talented rosters in college basketball.  He will be missed, but Carolina will live to play another day.

In battling a tenacious defense in Alabama and emerging victorious, Creighton earned a shot at the No. 1 seed.  Unfortunately, there is just not enough for the Bluejays to combat the Tar Heels.

Doug McDermott is fully capable of catching fire and scoring 35 points by himself, but it will probably take that and then some.

Carolina is just too big, too fast and too talented at too many positions for Creighton to pull the upset.  

North Carolina: 83 Creighton: 73

No. 15 Norfolk State Spartans vs. No. 7 Florida Gators

So Norfolk State shocked the world with an incredible win over Missouri.  The Spartans battled for a full 40 minutes, exchanged leads through the second half and came out on top.  It was one of the most memorable wins in tournament history.

Florida was being billed as a threat to Missouri due to the similarities between the two teams and their perimeter-oriented styles.  Well, Norfolk State did the dirty work for the Gators and we will never find out.

Since Florida is so similar to Missouri, it could set up a similar game for the Spartans, but Norfolk State had an uncharacteristic performance from beyond the arc.

Norfolk State drained 10 threes in 19 attempts, but for the season they hit 5.5 per game for just 32.1 percent.  Don't expect the same type of shooting.  Also, Kyle O'Quinn was a beast on Friday, but Florida has more size to deal with him in Patric Young and Erik Murphy.

Florida: 82 Norfolk State: 70

No. 13 Ohio Bobcats vs. No. 12 South Florida Bulls

This is a battle of two teams that most people didn't pencil in for a second game, let alone a Sweet 16 appearance.  No matter who believed it, one of them will be in the tournament's second weekend.

South Florida gets by on suffocating defense and timely shooting.  The Bulls are an eyesore to watch, and it's hard to believe anyone outside of the Sunshine State wants to see them play anymore this season.

 But truth be told, any team could fall to South Florida, because points are so hard to come by.

For Ohio, it is not the most effective or efficient offensive team to begin with.  The Bobcats are outside the top 200 in field-goal percentage, but defensively it's a different story.  

Led by D.J. Cooper, Ohio is second in the nation in forcing turnovers and 19th in three-point defense.  Ohio has a big-game player who can take over in Cooper, something South Florida is lacking.

Ohio: 59 South Florida: 56

No. 15 Lehigh Mountain Hawks vs. No. 10 Xavier Musketeers

This game is surprisingly difficult to pick.  On one hand you have Xavier, nationally ranked to start the season.  A ton of postseason experience and a great backcourt in Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons.

Then there is Lehigh.

Nobody knows much about the Mountain Hawks—at least they didn't until Friday night's upset of Duke.  But C.J. McCollum's 30-point outburst wasn't his first star performance in the tournament.  He also raked Kansas for 26 as a freshman.

Xavier clearly has more pedigree, but that won't matter to Lehigh.

 That team clearly believes in itself, and it is a relatively close matchup.  Lehigh has a more disruptive defense that creates turnovers and a player who wants to show he is as good as the guards people have heard of.

Lehigh will look to become the lowest-seeded team to ever reach the Sweet 16.

Lehigh: 74 Xavier: 69

No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks

Purdue is a tough team that runs really a good offense.  The Boilermakers don't turn the ball over and can really shoot it from the outside.

Kansas is just one of the elite teams in the nation and Purdue can't defend well enough to keep the Jayhawks from advancing.  

Thomas Robinson will be the hungriest player on the floor, and he has a lot of help in Tyshawn Taylor and Jeff Withey.  Robbie Hummel is a really good college player, but this will be the end of his college career.

Kansas: 79 Purdue: 67

No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. No. 3 Florida State Seminoles

This game should be a slugfest.  Not necessarily with teams trading big shots, but just tough and physical defense.

The Seminoles won the ACC tournament and managed to sneak by a game St. Bonaventure team in the second round.  Cincinnati held on to barely outlast Texas.

One team closed strong while the other faded late.  The Bearcats are running a four-guard offense that isn't incredibly effective shooting.  Yancy Gates is the inside presence that helps it all click.

On Florida State's end, Bernard James is a wall defensively.  He should be able to cancel out Gates.  Florida State has enough scoring with Michael Snaer and Ian Miller.  Cincinnati is a terrible free-throw shooting team, which could play a factor.

Florida State: 67 Cincinnati: 61