Profiling the Sweet 16

March Madness is officially in full swing as the first three exciting rounds of this years NCAA Tournament have been completed. 

This season, we saw two fifteen seeds advance for the first time ever, and we had several great finishes that went down to the final buzzer. 

Now it is time to look ahead as only 16 teams remain in the race be be crowned 2012 National Champions. Let's take a closer look at those still alive for a championship. 

Baylor Bears

Region: South

Seed: Three

Conference: Big 12

Head Coach: Scott Drew

Player to watch: Brady Heslip

Next opponent: Xavier

The Bears and their highlighter uniforms march into the Sweet Sixteen after one of the most successful seasons in program history.

Baylor held on against a tough South Dakota State team, and then ousted Pac 12 Champion Colorado, thanks to nine three pointers by Brady Heslip to advance. Due to upsets in their side of the regional, Baylor will face their third straight double digit seed in Xavier in the next round. 

Heslip could be the x-factor with his three point shooting, but in order for Baylor to get to the elite eight, they will rely heavily on the athleticism of Perry Jones III, and Percy Jackson. 

Cincinnati Bearcats

Region: East

Seed: Six 

Conference: Big East

Head Coach: Mick Cronin

Player to watch: Yancy Gates 

Next opponent: Ohio State

Cincinnati's roller coaster ride of a season has led them to the Sweet Sixteen. The Bearcats struggled in the early season, which culminated with the ugly brawl (and loss) versus Xavier in early December. However since that point in time Mick Cronin and the Bearcats seem to have figured it out.

Cincinnati went from being on the bubble to advancing to the Big East Championship game and then bouncing Texas and Florida State in the opening two games of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bearcats win with their defense and toughness, both of which will need to be on full display if Cincy wants to pull off another upset over second seeded Ohio State in the regional semifinals. 

Florida Gators

Region: West

Seed: Seven

Conference: SEC

Head Coach: Billy Donovan

Player to watch: Erving Walker 

Next opponent: Marquette

Perhaps no team had an easier time making it to the Sweet Sixteen than the Florida Gators. Florida won by a combined 60 points in their opening two games over Florida and Norfolk State. 

Despite being a seven seed, Florida looks like they have the talent to make a final four run, despite being inconsistent in the SEC this year. 

Florida will have to get by a tough hard nosed Marquette team to do it though, which will be one of the more intriguing regional semifinal matchups. 

Indiana Hoosiers

Region: South

Seed: Four

Conference: Big Ten

Head Coach: Tom Creen

Player to watch: Cody Zeller

Next opponent: Kentucky

Indiana return to prominence is officially complete as the Hoosiers find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen once again, for the first time in the Tom Creen era at Bloomington.

The Hoosiers somehow survived Shaka Smart and VCU, and now will have a chance to upend Kentucky once again and move on to the Elite 8. In order to do so, they'll need a huge contribution from freshman superstar Cody Zeller, who will have the task of negating likely Player of the Year Anthony Davis of the Wildcats. 

Kansas Jayhawks

Region: Midwest

Seed: Two

Conference: Big 12

Head Coach: Bill Self

Player to watch: Thomas Robinson

Next opponent: North Carolina State

Rock Chalk Jayhawk got all they could handle from Purdue in their third round contest, but Kansas was able to survive to march on once again to the Sweet Sixteen.

Kansas has been a top five team for the majority of the season, thanks in large part to the one-two punch of Thomas Robinson and TyShawn Taylor. Kansas has plenty of offensive weapons and ran through the Big 12 for much of the season once again under Bill Self.

Now they get the Wolfpack of NC State who are looking to continue their upset run in the fourth round. 

Kentucky Wildcats

Region: South

Seed: One

Conference: SEC

Head Coach: John Calipari

Player to watch: Anthony Davis

Next opponent: Indiana 

The Wildcats have been the team to beat all year long, and in their first two NCAA Tournament games, they showed why.

Kentucky disposed of Western Kentucky and Iowa State in impressive fashion to march on to the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year. 

With players such as Anthony Davis, Daron Lamb, and Terrence Jones, its no surprise that Kentucky was selected as the overall number one seed in this years tournament.

Kentucky now will get a matchup with a Hoosier team who gave them one of only two losses they suffered all year long, when Christian Watford nailed a buzzer beater to sink Kentucky back in December.

Louisville Cardinals

Region: West

Seed: Four

Conference: Big East

Head Coach: Rick Pitino

Player to watch: Peyton Siva

Next opponent: Michigan State

After somewhat of an up and down season which saw the Cardinals go from being in the top five of the polls, to falling out completely, and then coming back to win the Big East Championship, it seems like this team has finally found their rythym.

The Cardinals continued their winning streak they began by winning the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden, by getting by two quality opponents in Davidson and New Mexico so far in this years NCAA Tournament.

Now is where the real test will begin. Louisville gets top seeded Michigan State in the West regional semifinals, and in order to score the upset they will need their Point Guard Peyton Siva to step up. Siva is the emotional leader of this team, and is often relied upon to take a make the big shot. Also Louisville will need Kyle Kuric to get hot and stay hot, if they are going to dismantle the mighty Spartans from this years dance.

Marquette Golden Eagles

Region: West

Seed: Three

Conference: Big East

Head Coach: Buzz Williams

Player to watch: Jae Crowder

Next opponent: Florida

The Golden Eagles have flied under the radar all season long despite being a top ten caliber team and now they find themselves just two wins away from the final four for the second consecutive year.

This year they will be much more experienced and ready for the big stage than they were last year when they made it as an eleven seed. Buzz Williams's squad put away BYU and Murray State to make it here and will now have the task of shutting down guard happy Florida in the regional semis.

Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder have been the leaders for this squad all year long, both averaging over 17 points per game, so for the Golden Eagles to keep their championship hopes alive, they will need those two to take on a bulk of the scoring.

Michigan State Spartans

Region: West

Seed: One

Conference: Big Ten

Head Coach: Tom Izzo

Player to watch: Draymond Green

Next opponent: Louisville

The Spartans will continue to try and "mop the floor" with their opponents as they move on to the Sweet Sixteen to take on Louisville. Top seeded Michigan State has had another solid season under Tom Izzo and will look to advance to their second final four in three seasons.

The Spartans were co-champions of the Big Ten regular season championship, and winners of the Big Ten Tournament, a conference which many would say is the best in the country.

Michigan State beat LIU Brooklyn, and then held on against a tough St. Louis team to get here, and now set their sights on Louisville. The matchup will feature two legendary head coaches in Izzo and Rick Pitino, and on the floor Michigan State will rely on senior leader Draymond Green to continue to step up in order for them to make it to the Elite 8.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Region: Midwest

Seed: One

Conference: ACC

Head Coach: Roy Williams

Player to watch: Jon Henson

Next opponent: Ohio

The Tar Heels were the preseason number one, and did not disappoint throughout the season, securing a number one seed after posting a 29-5 record in the regular season. UNC rolled through Vermont and Creighton to advance to the sweet sixteen where they will now face off agains this years  Cinderella, Ohio U.

UNC will be big favorites in that game thanks to their loaded offense led by the big three of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, and Jon Henson. However, if there is hope for the Bobcats it may come from news that UNC's point guard Kendall Marshall broke his wrist in Carolina's third round win over Creighton.

If Marshall is unable to play it will severely damper UNC's title hopes. Marshall is an unbelievable passer and runs the show on offense for the potent UNC offense. Only time will tell if and how long Marshall will be out, but if he can't return at all it would be a huge blow to the Tar Heels.

North Carolina State Wolfpack

Region: Midwest

Seed: Eleven

Conference: ACC

Head Coach: Mark Gottfried

Player to watch: CJ Leslie

Next opponent: Kansas

If you told College Basketball fans at any point throughout the season that two ACC teams would make the Sweet Sixteen, the majority would easily be able to guess North Carolina, but as for the second most would have said Duke, Florida State, or even Virginia. Instead, it is the North Carolina State Wolfpack who are still in the hunt for the national championship.

NC State was the last ACC team to solidify its tournament hopes and just snuck into the field as an at large with an 11 seed. But since getting in, Mark Gottfried's club has taken full advantage scoring two straight upsets over San Diego State and Georgetown to make it to the regional semifinals.

Now they will look to continue their magical run against second seeded Kansas. They will need to play the best game of their season to knock off the explosive Jayhawks, but after what they've been able to do so far in the NCAA Tournament, I wouldn't count them out.

Ohio Bobcats

Region: Midwest

Seed: Thirteen

Conference: MAC

Head Coach: John Groce

Player to watch: DJ Cooper

Next opponent: North Carolina

The Cinderella Glass Slipper fits on a Bobcat this season. Ohio University is the lowest remaining seed in the NCAA Tournament after knocking off Michigan and South Florida to advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a thirteen seed in the midwest region.

Ohio won the conference championship in the MAC after edging favorite Akron in the finals. They went under the radar all season long, even as far as mid majors go, with teams such as VCU, Harvard, Gonzaga, and Long Beach State getting much of the attention.

However it is the Bobcats that are the final remaining mid-major team in this years dance, who have now won three NCAA Tournament games in the past three seasons. Up next will be their toughest challenge yet against top seeded UNC, a game which no one expects them to win. Maybe they can shock the world again and pull off a massive upset, but even if they don't Ohio's name will certainly be remembered in this years tournament.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Region: East

Seed: Two

Conference: Big Ten

Head Coach: Thad Matta

Player to watch: Jared Sullinger

Next opponent: Cincinnati

When Jared Sullinger announced he would be returning for another season in Columbus after losing in the Sweet Sixteen last year, it was for one reason only, to win a National Championship.

Ohio State still is in the mix to do just that after advancing once again to the Sweet Sixteen this season. The number two seed in the East regional were co-champions with Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten and knocked off Loyola Maryland and Gonzaga to reach this point.

Although Sullinger hasn't played to his Player of the Year potential this season, there is no denying he is a dominant force on the inside. He will be the key going forward, especially against a hard nosed and rugged Cincy squad in the next round.

Syracuse Orange

Region: East

Seed: One

Conference: Big East

Head Coach: Jim Boeheim

Player to watch: Scoop Jardine

Next opponent: Wisconsin

Dealing with controversy is something this group of Syracuse players have been used to all season long. First it was the Bernie Fine scandal that rocked upstate New York and the entire campus, but through it all SU kept winning.

Then they lost their starting center Fab Melo for four games in the regular season, and although they slipped up once, they continue to be a top two team. Then it was the SU drug scandal that hit the campus a few weeks ago, and finally just before the NCAA Tournament began, Melo was once again ruled ineligible, this time for the entire NCAA Tournament.

But still, Syracuse lives. as they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after barely surviving UNC-Asheville, and then downing Kansas State. Without Melo in the lineup, they lack the real inside presence that made their 2-3 zone click, but they still have plenty of weapons including seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, as well as emerging star Dion Waiters.

Next up Syracuse will face Wisconsin, and scoring could be a challenge against Bo Ryan's tough defensive club.

Wisconsin Badgers

Region: East

Seed: Four

Conference: Big Ten

Head Coach: Bo Ryan

Player to watch: Ryan Evans

Next Opponent: Syracuse

The fourth representative from the Big Ten to qualify for the Sweet Sixteen is the Wisconsin Badgers, who make it as a four seed from the East region.

Wisconsin has had another great season under Ryan and have won games with their defense all year long. The Badgers easily beat Montana and then knocked off a game Vanderbilt team to make it this far.

Jeremy Taylor and Ryan Evans are a great one-two punch on offense, but if the Badgers are going to upset Syracuse, they will need to do it with a dominating defensive performance and slow down Syracuse's transition game.

Xavier Musketeers

Region: South

Seed: Ten

Conference: A-10

Head Coach: Chris Mack

Player to watch: Tu Holloway

Next opponent: Baylor

The state of Ohio has had quite an amazing run in the NCAA Tournament thus far as Xavier becomes the fourth team from the state to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Musketeers are making their fourth appearance in five years in the Sweet Sixteen, and this year it comes after a very up and down campaign. Xavier was in the top ten early in the season, but took a nosedive after the infamous brawl with Cincinnati on December 10th, which would put them squarely on the bubble for all of February.

But Xavier managed to secure an at-large after making it to the A-10 conference championship game, and now they find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen after upsetting Notre Dame and beating Lehigh.

There is no doubt Xavier has tons of talent, and their 10 seed is misleading. Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, and Kenny Frease can all make a big impact, and Baylor will have their hands full with Chris Mack's squad come Friday.