NCAA Tournament 2012: Winners, Losers, Heroes and Goats of Day 10

Kentucky and Kansas advanced to the Final Four on Sunday, crushing the dreams of Baylor and North Carolina in the process.

The Wildcats dominated the Bears for all 40 minutes. They used a strong, early surge to build a double-digit lead and never looked back. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, survived a hard-fought game with UNC before eventually prevailing 80-67.

Overall, it was a great day for college basketball. Unfortunately, while some players excelled with a Final Four berth on the line, others shrunk under the spotlight.

Here are the winners, losers, heroes and goats from Sunday's Elite Eight action.

Winner: Kentucky Wildcats

To paraphrase the Wu-Tang Clan, this Kentucky team ain't nothing to, um, mess with.

The Wildcats proved why they were the heavy pre-tournament favorite, as they made a very good Baylor team look like a bunch of high school freshman.

Kentucky's balanced scoring was on full display, with four players scoring in double figures. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the way with 19, and Anthony Davis added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Although Baylor is loaded with size and athleticism, they couldn't do anything to slow the Wildcats. Kentucky got to the free throw line 44 times and shot 53.3 percent from the field.

Kentucky also stifled Baylor's high-powered offense. The Bears committed 14 turnovers and connected on just 4-of-14 three-point attempts.

With the win, Kentucky is now riding a tidal wave of momentum into the Final Four. Don't be surprised if they cut down the nets in New Orleans.

Winner: Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks overwhelmed the Kendall Marshall-less Tar Heels, using a late surge to propel themselves to the Final Four.

Tyshawn Taylor broke out of his tournament slump, Thomas Robinson was a beast and all five Kansas starters scored in double digits.

Coming into Sunday, Carolina was the best rebounding team in the country. However, Kansas out-rebounded them 39-30 and held them to just seven offensive boards.

The Jayhawks also forced the Tar Heels into some ice-cold shooting from the outside. Carolina shot just 2-of-17 (11.7 percent) from behind the arc.

The absence of Marshall definitely had an effect on the game, but that shouldn't overshadow a strong Kansas performance. With the win, they are advancing to their 14th Final Four in school history.

Loser: Baylor Bears

Although they made the final score somewhat respectable, Baylor got completely embarrassed on Sunday. They trailed by 20 points at halftime and it was clear that no comeback would be happening.

Kentucky was the more aggressive team throughout, getting to the free throw line 44 times. Baylor, on the other hand, had just 19 attempts from the line.

The Bears got a monster effort from Quincy Acy, who went for 22 points and eight rebounds in his final collegiate game. Unfortunately, he didn't get enough help.

Baylor still had a great year, finishing the season at 30-8. However, they won't be satisfied since they failed to reach their first Final Four since 1950.

Loser: North Carolina Tar Heels

The Tar Heels simply imploded on Sunday. Although they trailed by just one point in the waning minutes, they committed multiple costly errors and eventually lost by 13.

Harrison Barnes wasn't nearly aggressive enough and the absence of Kendall Marshall ultimately crippled them. Stilman White played well, but his inability to knock down shots allowed Kansas to pack the lane and prevent UNC's big men from dominating.

It's an sad end to the season for North Carolina, who looked like championship-caliber team just one week ago. If Marshall never went down, they could have cut the nets in New Orleans. But, unfortunately, for the Tar Heels, they'll never know what could have been.

Hero: Anthony Davis

It's tough to pick the heroes for Kentucky since they had such a complete team effort. However, the win wouldn't have been possible without Anthony Davis.

Davis got tossed around some, but he was still as dominant as ever. Despite absorbing plenty of contact from Quincy Acy and Perry Jones III, he scored 18 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and swatted six shots. He drained 6-of-9 field goal attempts and connected on six free throws, as well.

It was the type of effort we've come to expect from the National Player of the Year. He's got a tough matchup with Gorgui Dieng of Louisville in the Final Four, but you can count on Davis stepping up.

If he plays up to his potential, Kentucky will win their seventh national championship in school history.

Hero: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Kidd-Gilchrist was great against Baylor, putting up 19 points and five rebounds before fouling out late.

The athletic swingman was active on both ends of the floor, using his length, leaping ability and relentless motor to make plays all over the court.

Although he's often overlooked, Kidd-Gilchrist is the catalyst behind Kentucky's success. He's the ultimate glue guy, doing whatever it takes to put his team over the top. So far in the tournament he's averaging 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field.

If Kidd-Glichrist continues to play at this high level, no one will be able to stop Kentucky.

Goat: Brady Heslip

Heslip's shooting ability was one of the main reasons Baylor advanced to the Elite Eight, as he buried 15 threes coming into Sunday.

Against the length and athleticism of Kentucky, however, he couldn't get his shot off. He attempted just two field goals, both from behind the arc. He connected on one.

Heslip had an amazing tournament overall, but he was nonexistent on Sunday. In 26 minutes, he managed just four points, one rebound and one assist.

Baylor desperately needed him to step up against the Wildcats. Unfortunately, he was unable to contribute.

Goat: Baylor's Bench

Baylor had to have every player on point if they were going to be able to upset Kentucky. Unfortunately, their bench left the starters hanging.

Anthony Jones, A.J. Walton, Duece Bello and Gary Franklin combined to shoot just 1-of-12 from the floor. They also had more combined fouls (10) than rebounds (four) and assists (five).

Baylor needed all their players locked in to take down Kentucky. But with a dismal effort from the bench, the Bears had no chance on Sunday.

Hero: Tyshawn Taylor

Taylor dominated the short-handed Tar Heels, using his experience and explosiveness to get to the bucket at will.

The senior was great against UNC, going for 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals. Although he was 0-for-5 on threes, he still shot 52.6 percent from the field.

It was the perfect time for Taylor to break out of his slump. Despite averaging 17 points per game in the regular season, he only scored 26 total points in the first three games of the tournament.

However, he didn't let his struggles continue on Sunday. Look for Taylor to build on this positive performance by playing well against Ohio State in the Final Four.

Hero: Thomas Robinson

Thomas Robinson had a tough matchup against UNC's frontline, but he didn't back down. Instead, he went for a hard-fought 18 points and nine rebounds.

He missed 10 of his 16 field goal attempts, but his 5-for-5 shooting from the free throw line helped make up for it.

It was Robinson's first game in the tournament without a double-double, but given the pedigree of Carolina's big guys, I think we can forgive him.

He's still got plenty of work left ahead of him, as Jared Sullinger isn't exactly a pushover. However, Robinson is talented and hungry enough to lead his team all the way to the national championship.

I'm expecting a big game from him next Saturday.

Goat: Harrison Barnes

Barnes was decent on Sunday, but decent doesn't get your team to the Final Four.

With Marshall out, UNC needed Harrison Barnes to play like a top-five NBA draft pick should. Unfortunately, he came up short.

He finished the game with just 13 points and four rebounds, both of which  are below his season averages. He missed all five of his three pointers and wasn't nearly aggressive enough in attacking the Jayhawks defense.

The rest of the Tar Heels did their jobs. James Michael McAdoo was dominant, Tyler Zeller and John Henson were solid, and Stilman White did exactly what he needed to. All Carolina needed to advance was a strong performance from Barnes.

However, the sophomore couldn't deliver, and UNC is heading home because of it.