NCAA Tournament 2012: Inside the Sweet 16

Are you not entertained? The road to the Sweet 16 has been one for the books with storybook upsets and finishes.

The Sweet 16 is here and filled with great matchups and story lines, from Michigan St. vs Louisville, to the rematch between Kentucky vs. Indiana, to whether Kendall Marshall will be playing for the Tar Heels.

The only thing that can make this experience sweeter is winning and making it to the Elite 8.

Now lets dive into the matchups and the keys to being one of the Elite 8 teams this year.

UNC vs. Ohio

UNC is playing without Kendal Marshall after the tumble heard around the world. With the status of Marshall’s wrist up in the air, the Tar Heels have to come together and play a well-rounded game without the streaking guard.

This only means that Henson and Zeller have to play a big game against a confident Ohio team if UNC wants to make it to the Elite 8 .

While the Tar Heels are short-handed at the point guard position, Ohio is thriving behind D.J. Cooper and Walter Offutt. Their first time being in the Sweet 16 since 2001, the Bobcats are the Cinderellas of the tourney as a No. 13 seed

Hopefully the clock doesn’t strike 12 on them in this matchup, where the guard play will be what gives them an upper hand.

Advantage UNC—for the simple fact that the Tar Heels and Roy Williams have been here before. Experience should prevail in this matchup against an Ohio team not used to the big lights.

 

Kentucky vs. Indiana

Kentucky has been on a mission since they entered the tournament trampling over the competition in the first two rounds.

After losing the SEC championship game, Calipari has his kids more focused than ever. They will definitely be seeking some sweet revenge, after their first matchup with Indiana ended in a loss at the buzzer.

All the Wildcats have to do is keep the pace that they have set in the early two rounds, translating defense to easy offense. And as long as Marquis Teague continues to play at a high level, this game can be in the bag early.

After nearly beating the press of VCU, the Hoosiers are in a familiar game again against No. 1 Kentucky.  The key to them shocking the world again, is to stick behind their stars Christian Watford and Cody Zeller.

When things got tough against VCU, the ball was in Wartford's hands, where he was as cool as the other side of the pillow—not to mention that he hit the game winner against Kentucky last time—the clutch gene is there.

Advantage Kentucky—Kentucky has a chip on their shoulder from the December 10th meeting. Anthony Davis has gotten better with every game played this season, so expect him to not hold back against Indiana.

Syracuse vs. Wisconsin

After Fab Melo was ruled ineligible, most people didn’t see Syracuse making it this far, and they almost proved everybody right with the first-round scare.

In the Second Round, they showed they were still the explosive team that we fell in love with earlier in the season. To beat the Badgers, Jim Boeheim is going to have to get pressure on them to force turnovers, a game that the Orangemen thrive off of.

Wisconsin has not deterred from what wins them games: ball control and stingy defense. After holding Vanderbilt’s top scorers to season lows, they will have to stop Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph in this one.

If they can keep these two from getting into the grove of the game, they can defeat top-seeded Syracuse.

Advantage Wisconsin—if Wisconsin can continue not turning the ball over, that can work in their favor against the Orange.

Baylor vs. Xavier

Baylor still is the most underrated team in the tournament. Nobody believes that they are contenders, but they might be the most lethal team after Kentucky.

They don’t just have one scorer, they have a plethora of players that can catch fire at any time, with Brady Heslip, Perry Jones III, Quincy Miller, Pierre Jackson and Quincy Acy.

All the Bears have to do is limit second-chance opportunities by rebounding, and control Tu Holloway.

Xavier might have got the best road paved for them thanks to Duke's slip up in the First Round. After blowing out Lehigh last game, Xavier finds themselves in the Sweet 16. 

Nobody saw this coming after the brawl in December and the Musketeers' barley making into the tournament at all. To win this game, they will have to count on Tu Holloway to come up big and match the physical play of the Bears.

Advantage Baylor—too many weapons for an Xavier team to contain in the half court. Double teaming one person only leaves an opening for another player to catch fire.

Ohio St. vs. Cincy

Cincy is battle tested already by playing in the Big East Conference—making it to the championship in the Big East is a feat in its own right.

Even in the NCAA tournament, the Bearcats have played some tough games against Texas and Florida St. The thing that stays consistent is their stingy defense that forces teams to turn the ball over, creating easy points for Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick.

Ohio St. is one of the top contenders to win the whole tournament this year.

With Aaron Craft shooting lights out at the right time, the Buckeyes are looking good. Jared Sullinger is playing big and shining in the spotlight, as he is dominating down on the block.

Sullinger is going to be matched-up with Yancy Gates; whoever can take advantage of this matchup will be the key to this game.

Advantage Cincy—defense wins games and that is one thing Cincy has been on top of all year.

Kansas vs. NC State

NC State was one of those hot teams that came in the tournament as a sleeper team—well the cat is out the bag now that the Wolfpack have come to play.

C.J. Leslie is blossoming right in front of our eyes, playing his best games versus No. 6 San Diego St and No. 3 Georgetown. Even if you can find a way to stop C.J. Leslie, the Wolfpack have three other players scoring in double digits.

If they can find a way to stop Thomas Robinson, they can guarantee another win—easier said than done though. 

Big 12 champs Kansas has a lot of weapons with national player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson, and other big-time players Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson.  

Even when Robinson couldn’t shake the double team against Purdue, his counterparts Taylor and Johnson picked up the slack. Don’t expect Robinson to have another game like that with Bill Self coaching him up.

Advantage Kansas—when you have one of the best players in the nation in Thomas Robinson, you can't go against him.

Marquette vs. Florida

After a win against Maury St. in the Round of 32, the Golden Eagles showed they could play with anybody.

Jae Crowder showed why he is a dominant player, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half to seal a win. With the athleticism of Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, it is going to be hard to match-up with this team.

The scariest thing about Florida is that they haven’t caught fire yet in their two tournament wins. Even in blowout wins versus Virginia and Norfolk St., they really didn’t catch fire from behind the arc.

A true Billy Donovan team will catch fire from long distance and have another blowout win. Kenny Boynton can lead the charge for the Florida Gators as they look to make it back to their first Final Four since 2007.

Advantage Florida—the three is a big advantage in the NCAA tournament if you can hit them at the right time, and it can propel you to a win.

Michigan St. vs. Louisville

Tom Izzo has definitely coached this team up; after early losses in the year, America wrote them off as contenders.

Now, the Spartans have silenced all critics, with Draymond Green playing like the M.O.P of the tournament.  Keith Appling is the other half of the Spartans one-two punch after coming up big in the game against St. Louis. 

The guard play is going to be a big part of this Sweet 16 matchup.

Rick Pitino has been here before: in 2009 when his top-seeded Louisville team lost to Michigan St. Better believe that Pitino has not forgotten about that loss either, and has let his team know as well.

On a six-game win streak, the Cardinals are streaking at the right time to face a hot Spartan team. Having Peyton Siva and Kyle Kuric in the backcourt, able to explode at any time, is an advantage for Pitino and the boys.

Advantage Neutral—this is going to be a great chess game between two legendary coaches. This game is one of the best matchups in the Sweet 16 and is going to come down to the last possession.