Elite 8 2012 Bracket: No. 1 Seeds Will Assert Their Dominance on Sunday

The Elite Eight is in full swing, as Sunday's regional final matchups determine the last two Final Four spots.

The top seeds have been embarrassingly represented in the 2012 NCAA tournament thus far, with Syracuse falling in Boston and Michigan State posting just 44 points and bowing out in the Sweet 16.

That will all change on Sunday when a pair of top dogs take to the hardwood in search of a Final Four berth.

So who will join Louisville and Ohio State in New Orleans next Saturday night?

No. 1 Kentucky

The tournament's No. 1 overall seed, Kentucky has looked impressive thus far in the Big Dance, using its superior talent and athleticism to ransack the competition en route to a much-expected Elite Eight berth.

The Wildcats opponent on Sunday is a hot, No. 3-seeded Baylor team that has survived without much contribution from star player and potential 2012 NBA Draft prospect Perry Jones III.

A cold Jones and a loaded Kentucky roster equal bad news for the Big 12's Bears. Player of the Year candidate Anthony Davis is averaging 11 rebounds and four blocks per game for the Wildcats in the NCAA tournament and will negate what Jones and senior big man Quincy Acy like to do in the paint.

Baylor lacks the big-bodied, physical center necessary to get into Davis' body and create foul trouble for the freshman. 

Also it is important to note that the Bears are led in scoring by 6'2" sharpshooter Brady Heslip, who has carried Baylor on the strength of his 15-for-25 shooting from beyond the arc in three tourney games. Do not expect Heslip to find a lot of open looks on the perimeter on Sunday.

The game will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta—not nearly as far from Lexington, Kentucky as it is from Waco, Texas. The Wildcats faithful will be loud and an undeniable advantage for Kentucky in their South Regional Final win.

No. 1 North Carolina

Like Kentucky, the Midwest Region's top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels have too much talent to lose. The potential loss of assist man Kendall Marshall certainly hurts, but the strength lies inside for Roy Williams and UNC.

Tyler Zeller and John Henson present one of the most formidable front lines in college basketball, and are certainly capable of overcoming Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey.

Zeller is averaging 16 points and 14.3 rebounds per contest in the tourney, and Henson has six blocks and two double-doubles in just two tournament appearances in 2012.

Like Baylor, the struggles of superstar Tyshawn Taylor have been obvious during the Jayhawks' tourney run. The senior guard is 0-for-10 from three-point land and is averaging just 8.7 points per game for Kansas in three NCAA tournament games, compared to the 17.3 points per game he averaged during the regular season.

Taylor's woes, combined with the routine slow starts suffered by the Jayhawks as of late, will spark the Tar Heels with or without Marshall to get ahead and stay ahead, unlike so many other fast starters (Purdue and NC State) against Kansas this March.

The Midwest Region will belong to UNC, who will punch the final ticket to New Orleans on Sunday, all along establishing the No. 1 seeds' dominance atop the Final Four bracket.