NCAA Scores 2012: Teams That Will Survive Weekend and Make Final Four

With the NCAA Tournament set to resume on Thursday, it's never too early to take a nice sneak peak. Yes, right now there are 16 teams remaining, but when the field is narrowed down to four, this will be the quartet left standing. 

South Region: Kentucky

No team matches the Wildcats' depth on offense or their length on the defensive end. As if all of that wasn't enough, Kentucky is positively the only team remaining on the tournament that has Anthony Davis. All of that combined means that they will get to the Final Four, and do so relatively painlessly. 

This team will be hungry when they take the floor against Indiana on Friday. When the two teams first met, it was in Indiana, the Hoosiers had everything go right, and still needed this to win the game. 

That is not going to happen again this time. Kentucky is going to come out of this game on a mission and will take Indiana rather easily. That bodes well for the Wildcats, as Indiana is by far their greatest remaining challenge before New Orleans. 

Xavier doesn't have the offense to beat Kentucky and the Wildcats can limit Baylor's shooting ability with their length. Don't look for this team to be seriously threatened until the Final Four, if even then. 

West Region: Michigan State

First of all, never underestimate the value of a good coach. Tom Izzo has done a great job of getting his team to the Final Fours. This year will be no exception, as Louisville and the winner or Florida vs. Marquette are just not good enough to beat the Spartans. 

A big part of knocking off the No. 1 seed in a region is to have the best player on the floor on your side. Unfortunately for everyone other than Spartans, the best player remaining is Draymond Green. If any one player is going to take over a game, he's the man to do it. 

The Spartans just move the ball too well and are too strong shooting the ball. Nothing about Michigan State makes them vulnerable for an upset. They are built for a Final Four and will be there next weekend. 

East Region: Ohio State

This team is too strong at the top with Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and William Buford. The least prolific of that trio (Buford) averaged 14.7 points per game during the regular season. Ultimately, that is going to be too strong to stop. 

If Aaron Craft plays smart and knocks down the open shots that come his way, Ohio State will cruise. Even if his shooting is off, don't expect to see the Buckeyes lose prior to New Orleans. 

They are too strong in the paint and too solid on the perimeter. This team is better than Syracuse with Fab Melo. The fact that they will be without Melo makes the road even easier. 

Midwest Region: North Carolina State

This is the prime example of a perfect storm working in a team's favor. For one, this team is red hot and seems to be playing with a lot of confidence. Kansas is headed in the opposite direction, as they were flat out lucky to beat Purdue. There is no such thing as a bad win in the tournament, but the Wolfpack will be ready for this game. 

Remember that this is a team with five double-digit scorers in C.J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, Scott Wood, Richard Howell and C.J. Williams. That will be too many weapons to compete with. 

In the Elite Eight, expect a showdown with a beaten up North Carolina team. The Wolfpack will get their revenge from the ACC Tournament, as UNC is just too injury-riddled to make a Final Four. 

Click here for your up-to-date NCAA Tournament Bracket, via NCAA.com.

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