NCAA Tournament Scores 2012: Ohio Bobcats Looking Dangerous Heading to Sweet 16

Warning—a group of 12 Bobcats are on the loose and destroying everything in their path.

The 13-seeded Ohio Bobcats are Sweet Sixteen bound for the first time ever in the modern era and are now approaching VCU-like territory.

In their 62-56 win over No. 12 South Florida on Sunday, they stayed patient with the Bulls' tenacious D and ended up exploding for 41 second-half points.

For the second straight game, they had under 10 turnovers as they continue to look like one of the most poised teams in the entire field. This team doesn’t get rattled.

Their next test will be their biggest, with No. 1 North Carolina looming.

The Tar Heels are the clear favorite until you start thinking about the point guard issues they now have with the loss of Kendall Marshall to a broken wrist. The odds of him playing are not good.

It’s a huge development for Ohio, considering they are predicated on outstanding guard play led by DJ Cooper. The junior thrives at penetrating the lane and finding the open man. He is one of the few carry overs from the 2010 team that knocked off No. 3 Georgetown as a No. 14 seed. He knows what he’s doing at this time of year.

The other star of the Bobcats is Walter Offutt. He made all four of his three-point attempts on Sunday as he helped stretch the floor and keep the Bulls defense off balance.

After the game, he sounded like a guy that knew his team would still be alive and well heading into the second weekend (via ESPN):

"

This is where we expected to be, and nobody on this team is satisfied. I can promise you that. I know a lot of people look at the seeds and see the bigger conference teams, and when somebody like us knocks one of those teams off, they look at it as an upset. We’re where we thought we’d be.

"

The confidence level is high and now the Bobcats are playing with house money. They’ve already exceeded every single expectation placed upon them and the pressure is off.

North Carolina is expected to reach the Final Four. Anything less would make the season a failure. However, they now have the weight of the world on their shoulders without the guy that makes the offense go.

While I still believe the Tar Heels will win because of their length inside with Tyler Zeller and John Henson, this is not going to be a blowout.

The red-hot Bobcats are going to be in this one until the final buzzer.

Gotta love March! (Especially when it’s your alma mater that’s shocking the world.)

Click here for the updated CBS Sports bracket. 

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