2012 Sweet 16 Bracket: Biggest Sleeper Teams Still Alive in the NCAA Tournament

After a wild opening weekend at the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Ohio, North Carolina State and Xavier—all double-digit seeded teams—are dancing into the Sweet 16.

The No. 15 seeds were the story of the second round, with Lehigh taking out Duke and Norfolk State ousting Missouri, but their Cinderella stories ended when both teams were taken out in the third round.

Now, every fan rooting for the little guy must turn their hopes to the remaining three sleeper teams, and hope that the glass slipper still fits for these Cinderella stories in the Sweet 16.

Ohio, No. 13 Seed

The University of Ohio earned its spot in the dance by winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

The Bobcats went 29-7 during the regular season and did not rank in the top 100 in the nation in points, rebounds, assists or field goal percentage.

These were just a few of many reasons that almost no one picked Ohio to move past No. 4 Michigan.

But the Bobcats wasted no time proving people wrong and jumped out to a 35-29 lead at halftime.

Junior guard D.J. Williams led his team with 21 points and was one of four Ohio players with double-digit points in the 60-65 win. 

The Bobcats moved on to face No. 12 seed University of South Florida in a mid-major match-up.

In this game, Cooper put up 19 points, but fellow junior guard Walter Offutt led the team with 21.

The Bobcats held off a late run by USF and became just the seventh No. 13 seed to reach the Sweet 16. 

While Ohio's run has endeared them to the nation, the team will face a different level of competition in the Regional Semifinals as they face No. 1 seed North Carolina. The two wins have been fun to watch, but the Bobcats have little hope of moving past UNC.

NC State, No. 11

Among the three double-digit seeds remaining, North Carolina State has the best chance to continue its run.

The Wolfpack went 23-12 in the regular season and 9-7 in the ACC. The team helped itself get an at-large bid to March Madness by reaching the finals of the ACC Tournament and losing by just two points to in-state rival UNC.

NC State upset No. 6 seed San Diego State in the first round with a convincing 79-65 victory. The team played out of its mind and four of the five starters scored more than ten points.

Junior forward Richard Howell put up 22 points and sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown filled up the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

In the next round, few people gave the Wolfpack a chance against No. 3 Georgetown. But once again, four of the five NC State starters scored in the double-digits and the team was victorious.

Three late free throws from Brown gave his team a 66-63 victory and set up a match-up with No. 2 seed Kansas.

While Jayhawks forward Thomas Robinson will be tough to stop, NC State's ability to score in bunches keeps them in every game.

Xavier, No. 10

While Xavier benefited from a controversial call late in the game against Notre Dame, the Musketeers have had a wonderful run in the NCAA Tournament so far.

The team had an up-and-down season, climbing as high as eighth in the nation before an ugly brawl with Cincinnati caused the season to take a turn for the worse. The Musketeers finished the year with a 23-12 record on the season, losing to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Conference title game.

During the Round of 64, Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant was whistled for a lane violation during a free-throw with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game, giving the ball back to Xavier.

The strange call overshadowed an incredible shot by Musketeers guard Tu Holloway to put his team ahead for good in the 67-63 victory. 

Holloway led the team with 25 points and helped set up with No. 15 seed Lehigh.

The Musketeers showed that they were comfortable as the favorite as well, and senior center Kenny Frease led the team with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The team cruised to a 70-58 victory, setting up a Sweet 16 match-up with No. 3 seed Baylor.

The Bears are frighteningly athletic, and Xavier's run will likely come to an end in the next round.