NCAA Tournament 2012: One Thing Each Remaining Favorite Must Still Address

A team knows it is in the eye of the March Madness storm when the Sweet 16 has arrived.  

As most of us consider throwing our brackets in the recycling bins, there are a select few who still hold to the hope that they will hit NCAA tourney pay dirt with their picks.  

For the teams still involved, it's zero-hour for fine-tuning and tying up any loose ends. This is especially true for the higher-seeded teams who are trying to stave off hungry, upset-minded Cinderellas with their sights set on New Orleans.  

Here is a list of one thing for each remaining tournament favorite to work on before March Madness resumes on Thursday.   

Syracuse Orange: Half Court Offense

When you consider the year that Syracuse has had with the Bernie Fine scandal and the sudden, ill-timed suspension of Fab Melo, it's amazing that they're still alive as a number one seed.  

Thursday, the Orange take on the Wisconsin Badgers at the TD Garden in Boston.  

What the Orange need to do in preparing for the game is commit to playing a half-court game—something in which they're not well versed.

Wisconsin loves to play a controlled brand of basketball and control the clock. What they do not do is turn the ball over due to the great backcourt play of guards Jordan Taylor and John Glasser.   

Syracuse might try and force turnovers per their usual defensive mindset and make it a transition game. However, the way they match up with Wisconsin would make this difficult and borderline fruitless.  

Scoop Jardine needs to be able to orchestrate good ball movement on the offensive end and get Dion Waiters and Kris Joseph scoring. 'Cuse has the shooters and the athletic ability to make it happen.

If they can settle in and refrain from trying to force Wisconsin to turn the ball over, Syracuse could be in good shape to advance to the Elite 8.   

Ohio State Buckeyes: Trust Your Supporting Cast

It's no secret that Jared Sullinger is a force in the paint.  

As one of the premier post players in the country, Sullinger demands the bulk of opposing teams' attention.  

However, if Ohio State has any hope of making it down to New Orleans as part of the Final Four, it is essential that Ohio State's supporting cast take initiative in the upcoming game against Cincinnati.  

With Sullinger in foul trouble early against Gonzaga last week, DeShaun Thomas and Aaron Craft were able to carry the Buckeyes into the second half when Sullinger finally regained his composure and was able to produce.  

Lenzelle Smith, Jr. and William Buford are able to step in and provide quality minutes as well, as they've proven several times this the year.  

It really comes down to Aaron Craft, who can be a proficient scorer when duty calls and more importantly, when Jared Sullinger is having a tough day.  

Thursday's game against Cincinnati will not be a pillow fight by any stretch. The Bearcats' frontcourt will go after Sullinger hard from the opening tip, and the Buckeyes need to be ready to respond.  

If Ohio State can focus on spreading the work load and being unafraid to step up in big moments, they'll be a tough team to beat going into the final 16.  

North Carolina Tar Heels: Find a Way Without Kendall Marshall

For a team as ultra-talented as North Carolina, it will be no easy feat to replace point guard Kendall Marshall. 

Marshall was an integral part of Roy Williams' unit all season long, acting as chief ball-distributer and all-around energy cell for the No. 2 scoring team in the nation.  

Wishful thinking aside, however, there is simply not much hope that Marshall will be in any shape to play following a fractured wrist suffered during Carolina's 87-73 win over Creighton.  

Due to injuries earlier in the season, the Tar Heels' options at point guard are comically few. Realistically, freshman Stilman White would get the nod in Marshall's absence, which is not encouraging. White has averaged just over four minutes per game all season long.  

I can imagine that for Carolina, trying to score up in the 80s sans Marshall would be like a right-handed batter taking his first-ever swing from his left.  

Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller are healthy and playing at a high level, but there's no telling how they'll be able to function as a complete unit with someone as green as Stilman White running the point.  

The Tar Heels have to work something out to compensate for Marshall's absence, or risk dropping at the hands of No. 13 seed Ohio.   

Kansas Jayhawks: Keep Your Foot on the Gas

Kansas had no trouble getting through a weak Big 12 conference this year, and it's no surprise that Bill Self has his Jayhawks eyeing another national title run in 2012.  

The Midwest region has suddenly shifted immensely given Kendall Marshall's injury against Creighton, and Kansas is an immense favorite going into this Sweet 16 game against North Carolina State on Friday.  

Essentially, Kansas is primed to take the region and head to the Final Four.  

Yet if Kansas wants to make good on what is now a favorable circumstance, it needs to make sure it can finish strong and put games away.

What happened against Purdue cannot happen against NC State, and the brunt of the weight is on stars like Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson to make sure that it doesn't.  

They sure didn't have a great showing against the Boilermakers.  

Kansas is as complete as any team in the country, and because of recent goings on in their region, they have a real shot at validating their No. 2 seed and making a trip down to New Orleans.

Self needs to make sure his guys steer clear of the biggest pitfall threatening a team in Kansas' position: easing up.  

You can't coast, no matter how easy the road looks. When you do, Cinderella rises up and heads off to the ball.  

Marquette Golden Eagles: Keep Your Composure

The last time Marquette lost a contest was to Louisville in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. 

In that game, the Cardinals harassed Marquette from the first whistle, using their athleticism and tenacious help defense to immobilize Big East Player of the Year Jae Crowder.

In short, Marquette doesn't do well against a team that likes forcing turnovers. Even worse is the fact that Louisville made it abundantly clear that if you keep Crowder from scoring, Marquette doesn't have a lot of help in reserve, even if fellow senior Darius Johnson-Odom can put up 20. 

It will be up to Marquette, going up against an athletic Florida squad, to handle defensive pressure out of the gate. If they can't, they may well exit the tournament earlier than expected similar to the way they have failed to make it past the Big East semis every year since they joined the league in 2005-06.

Should they advance, they will either face Michigan State or Louisville once again in the Elite 8. Either way, there is no easy path in sight.

Marquette needs to do their part to control the game early on and get Crowder the ball. 

If they get flustered and turn the ball over, it's a slippery slope, and not one that Marquette has done a good job of navigating in the past. 

Michigan State Spartans: Help Draymond Green

The Spartans are similar to conference-brethren Ohio State in that they each feature a prized bull in their front court. 

For Michigan State, it's Draymond Green who is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds for the season and is arguably the nation's most versatile big man. 

The bad news is that they go up against a very pesky Louisville team that prides itself on being extra disruptive on defense. 

The Spartans will likely see Gorgui Dieng paired up on Green with a lot of help thrown in.  It's on Michigan State to get a lot out of their guards to help Green, who may not get a whole lot of open looks. 

Keith Appling is the only other Michigan State player averaging double figures in points and it's essential that guards Brandon Wood and Branden Dawson step up and make some big plays in an effort to break through Louisville's hectic matchup zone. 

Tom Izzo is an absolute wizard in the postseason, so I don't imagine Michigan State will have trouble making the necessary adjustments. 

They need to be made though. If not, Sparty might find itself in a hole that even Tom Izzo can't climb himself out of. 

Baylor Bears: Get Perry Jones III in on the Action

Baylor certainly made a statement with their uniforms coming into the tournament, but fortunately for them, they've been able to reinforce said statement with their play. 

They have more second-chance points than any team in the tournament, they bully people around the glass, and Brady Heslip is draining nearly every shot from three-point land. 

If there's one thing the Bears need to focus on, though, it's getting Perry Jones III more involved.

While the Bears had no problem dispatching No. 11 seed Colorado, Jones III was absolutely nowhere in sight. It wasn't the first time in this tournament, either, that Jones III was somewhat absconded from action in the frontcourt.  

In Baylor's last two contests, PJ3 has combined for only nine points.  That's paltry for someone who averaged over 14 throughout the season.  

Brady Heslip might be riding a hot streak now, but streaks have a tendency to go cold quickly and without much warning.  Quincy Acy and Pierre Jackson will have to contribute as well, but Jones III can be a huge x-factor and will wreak havoc on opposing frontcourt defenses with his level of athleticism.  

Perry Jones III just needs to chime in a lot more often as Baylor looks ahead to Xavier and potentially Kentucky or Indiana after that.  

Baylor simply can't afford to be shorthanded a 6'11" monster, who can compete with anyone in the country.  

Kentucky Wildcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Needs to Bounce Back

The good news for Kentucky is that if one person is having an off-night, they have scores of talent in reserve just waiting to pick up the slack.

Perks of being a near-invincible team, I guess. 

Still, this isn't the time for one of Kentucky's stars to be hitting a cold streak.  Not with the kind of fierce competition that Kentucky will be facing in its quest to win it all. 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may have averaged close to 12 points during the season, but he's only been able to tally 16 points over Kentucky's last three games. 

Western Kentucky and Iowa State didn't have much upset potential, but in Kentucky's loss to Vanderbilt, a solid team from the Wildcats' conference, Kidd-Gilchrist had a meager showing of five points and zero rebounds. 

Kentucky next plays Indiana—the only other team to beat Kentucky all year. John Calipari needs all hands on deck and he needs Kidd-Gilchrist to contribute a little more. 

Marquis Teague, Anthony Davis and Doron Lamb could probably do it all themselves, but the Wildcat nation would likely rather not take any risks. 

If this is to be the year that Coach Cal breaks the barrier and brings the crown back to Lexington, he'll need all his stars to shine, Kidd-Gilchrist's included.