NCAA Bracket 2012: Baylor and More Teams Guaranteed to Survive Sweet 16
We now have a couple of days to collect ourselves after a raucous NCAA tournament opening weekend. The hits will continue in the Sweet 16 with Baylor moving on into the Elite Eight, followed by some very electric teams.
We all knew Duke was susceptible to a hot team, but losing to Lehigh was still a shock to basketball fans.
Going into the Sweet 16, there are some favorites that should brace for a surprise. The following are not among them.
Here is a brief rundown of the teams that can expect to flourish and ride some great momentum into the Elite Eight.
Baylor
The Baylor Bears take on a very solid Xavier team on Friday. This is when we will finally see that Baylor is the real deal when they skirt a possible upset.
Tu Holloway is on a tear and is the main reason Xavier is riding high right now. Baylor is a deeper team and has one of the hottest players in the tournament in Brady Heslip.
Baylor can kill you in a number of ways, but Heslip will stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting. He is coming off a 27-point game in which he shot 9-of-13 from the field.
Kentucky
I know, Indiana is the Kryptonite that took down a nearly unbeatable regular-season force. Lightning will not strike twice in this case.
Kentucky is playing with a renewed hunger and continue to have the deepest team in the field. Whether it's the interior lead by phenom Anthony Davis or the surging play of freshman Marquis Teague, Kentucky is actually getting stronger with each game.
North Carolina
Here is the toughest call amid the heavy favorites. The Tar Heels were hit hard by the loss of Kendall Marshall, and there is no guarantee that he will suit up in time for this weekend.
The star guard runs this offense and provides the pace and poise that had North Carolina as an easy pick to feature in the Final Four.
With Marshall, Ohio has no shot. Without him, things become a bit more uncertain against a Buckeyes team that is playing inspired ball right now.
Ohio guard DJ Cooper will give North Carolina fits but the Tar Heels trump Ohio in every other regard.
North Carolina is safe for now.
For updated bracket and scores, visit CBS' official website.
