NCAA Tournament 2014: Biggest X-Factors in the Sweet 16

You want to talk X-factors in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament?

How about X-men, like Xavier Thames (pictured above) of San Diego State? He's the senior guard who lit up North Dakota State for 30 points in the round of 32—and he plays pretty good defense, too, averaging 1.7 steals per game.

But this is more about the X-factors within the team concept.

Each of the remaining 16 teams has something that could tip the tournament in its favor, whether it's stellar defense, an explosive offense, free-throw shooting in the clutch (or for that matter, making free throws at all) or a top-notch coach who knows how to design just the right play at precisely the right moment.

Take a closer look at which teams will rely on what when crunch time arrives.

The Coach K Connection

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Johnny Dawkins is channeling some Coach K in this tournament.

There is no more Coach K in this tournament.

In fact, for the first time since 1979, per Chris Chase of For The Win, no team from the Big Four of Tobacco Road (that would be Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest) is left to compete in the Sweet 16. If N.C. State could hit free throws, the Wolfpack could be here.

If Duke could play defense, Lord have Mercer, the Blue Devils might be here. And if North Carolina could have had the clock operator give them just a couple more seconds, who knows?

But they're all gone. That leaves Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins as one of the remaining links to the Big Four legacy in general and to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski specifically.

With Coach K out of the tourney after only one game for the second time in three years, and with Dawkins, a former Duke point guard and longtime Krzyzewski assistant, in the Sweet 16, could it be the beginning of the passing of the guard?

Dawkins has the Cardinal playing exceptionally well and easily could tip the scale in their favor. But it will be interesting against a Dayton team led by another young coach with Big Four ties in Archie Miller, a former point guard at N.C. State who just happens to be in the middle of attempting to recruit Dawkins' son, Aubrey Dawkins, to play for Dayton, according to The Associated Press (via FoxNews.com).

Kentucky Pride

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Kentucky guard Aaron Harrison was all smiles after beating Wichita State, but Louisville has statewide pride, too.

Defending national champion Louisville versus Kentucky. Does it get any better than this?

These teams aren't just playing for a spot in the Elite Eight. They're playing for Kentucky pride.

You've got two mercurial coaches in Louisville's Rick Pitino, who once led Kentucky to a national championship, and Kentucky's John Calipari. They are the only two coaches in history to lead three different teams to Final Four appearances, although two of Calipari's teams that accomplished it were later stripped of the honor because of NCAA violations.

Kentucky was the preseason No. 1 in all of America, but it stumbled through a regular season and SEC tournament that ended up producing a total of 10 losses. Louisville is the defending champion and has the better record this season at 31-5 to Kentucky's 26-10—but one of those losses came to the Wildcats, 73-66, on Dec. 28 in Kentucky's Rupp Arena.

Plus, right now, based on their play in each of their first two games of the tournament, it appears Kentucky is playing better basketball at the moment. The X-factor here could be that the Wildcats are more battle-tested, having played a decidedly more difficult schedule in the regular season and then having to fend off unbeaten Wichita State in the round of 32.

Louisville has looked shaky in the tournament after playing a soft regular-season schedule in its one and only season in the American Athletic Conference before departing for the more competitive ACC next season.

Offensive Gems

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Iowa State's offense has proven it can score against anyone, even when down a player.

The old saying is that defense wins championships. Or is that only in football?

It doesn't hurt to have an explosive offense in basketball, and the best three offensive teams left in the Sweet 16 arguably are UCLA, Iowa State and suddenly hot Baylor.

UCLA, coached by Steve Alford, brings its high-powered offense into an interesting South Region matchup against Florida, the nation's top-ranked team that is built mostly around defense.

The Bruins' 81.5 points per game average is second among the remaining 16 teams only to Iowa State (83.2 PPG), but the Cyclones will enter Friday's matchup with Connecticut without one of their top scorers in Georges Niang, who broke his right foot in their second-round win against North Carolina Central.

Sixth-seeded Baylor lit up No. 3 seed Creighton in an 85-55 rout in the round of 32 by hitting 11-of-18 from beyond the three-point arc. The talented Bears obviously have awakened from the midseason hibernation that caused them to lose seven of eight games during one stretch and nearly play themselves out of this tournament before they could get in it.

Now they'll face No. 2 seed Wisconsin in an interesting matchup in the West Region, where the team that makes the most threes will likely win.

Cinderella Story

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Dayton has that Cinderella feeling going where anything is possible.

What is an NCAA tournament without a Cinderella story?

This year's Cinderella has to be THE University of Dayton, which has reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years.

After beating Ohio State in its opening game, the Dayton Daily News took a swipe at Buckeye fans who refer to their school as "The Ohio State University" with a headline that read, "THE University of Dayton." The UD, seeded 11th, then followed that epic victory with another over third-seeded Syracuse in the round of 32.

How are the Flyers doing it? Well, they have a dynamic young coach in Archie Miller, the younger brother of Arizona coach Sean Miller. They also are 11-0 this season when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, which they do with an adaptable defense tailored by Miller to stymie whomever they are playing.

Quite simply, they are gritty, they are lovable and they aren't going away easily for anyone anytime soon. Their matchup with No. 10 seed Stanford is one of the most intriguing in the Sweet 16.

Rocky Top Roll

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Tennessee has gotten hot at just the right time and is rolling.

For the third time in four seasons, one of the First Four teams in has reached the Sweet 16.

This time, it's Tennessee. The Volunteers, a No. 11 seed, are a talented group that might have been projected to be here at the beginning of the season—but not after splitting their first 14 SEC games and falling a total of 12 times overall in the regular season.

That left their NCAA fate to the sometimes fickle selection committee, which included them but sent them off to a play-in date in Dayton before the real tourney got started.

Tennessee responded by winning three games in two cities within five days to set up a Midwest Region matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan. Coach Cuonzo Martin, whose job appeared to be in jeopardy at midseason, according to reports, now has one of the hottest teams in the tournament on his hands.

But no, don't call the Volunteers "Cinderellas." One reporter who did, according to The News & Observer, received this response from Tennessee's Jeronne Maymon after its 83-63 win over Mercer in the round of 32: "There isn't really no story here. We're supposed to be here. We got one of the best teams in the nation."

Defense Rules the Day

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Statistically, Virginia has the stingiest defense in college basketball—and it's a team effort worth celebrating.

Is it coincidence that four of the top five defensive teams in the nation remain alive in the Sweet 16? Probably not.

Virginia has the stingiest defense of all, having allowed an average of 55.5 points per game that is tops in the nation and well worth celebrating. But the Cavaliers are followed closely by San Diego State (56.6 PPG) and top-ranked Florida (57.5 PPG).

Of the three, Florida faces perhaps the most interesting challenge in Sweet 16 foe UCLA. The high-scoring Bruins will test a Gators' defense that was positively stifling while holding Pittsburgh to 37.4 percent field-goal shooting in a round of 32 rout.

It also is fair to argue that Florida's swarming, pressing defense is the nation's best, regardless of what the statistics say. San Diego State and Virginia both play a deliberate, patient style on offense that limits the number of possessions opponents get, keeping scores low.

Top-seeded Virginia will be hard-pressed to beat fourth-seeded Michigan State with that style in the East Region, while San Diego State will have its hands full with Arizona in the West. That's because the Wildcats are No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, whereas the Aztecs are seventh in that category and have a much less efficient offense. 

Fabulous Foul Shooting

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Connecticut has been clutch from the free-throw line all season, not just in the tournament.

With six overtime games already played and several others that have gone down to the wire before being decided in regulation, free-throw shooting has taken on an importance like never before in this NCAA tournament.

That's because so many teams these days seem to be horrible at it, giving a real advantage to the ones who aren't.

Of the teams remaining in this Sweet 16, two stand out for their superior foul shooting—Connecticut and Michigan. The Huskies and Wolverines represent the only two schools left in the fight who ranked among the top 15 in the nation in free-throw percentage for the regular season, with UConn ninth (.761) and Michigan 13th (.757).

Other teams shooting well during the tournament include Michigan State (.851, best of the remaining teams so far) and Tennessee (.828). Michigan is at .767 for the tourney, and UConn put on a clinic in its opening win in overtime against St. Joe's, knocking down 18-of-20 from the foul line, good for 90 percent.

In a close game, nothing is more important than making free throws.

In Brust They Trust

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Senior guard Ben Brust is one of several Badgers capable of hitting a big shot.

When it comes to tight games for the Badgers of Wisconsin and there is a need for a three, in Ben Brust they trust.

So it was fitting that Brust hit a three-pointer that gave his team the lead for good with just over one minute left to play versus Oregon in the round of 32. Brust's bucket capped a wild comeback and just so happened to be the 228th three-pointer of the senior guard's career, making him the most prolific three-point shooter in school history.

Here is the real scary part for opposing teams: Brust is hardly Wisconsin's only three-point threat. He's one of seven Badgers who play regularly and can hit a three if left open for the briefest moment. All seven shoot 32 percent or better from behind the arc, led percentage-wise by Josh Gasser (47 of 103, .456).

But no one shoots more threes or arguably is more clutch than Brust (89 of 229, .389). Nearly 66 percent of his field-goal attempts this season have come from behind the three-point line.

Coaching and Chemistry 101

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Tom Izzo and his Michigan State players are pointed in the right direction.

In 17 seasons as Michigan State's coach, this is the 12th Sweet 16 reached by Tom Izzo.

Yes, he's won only one national championship and it's been nearly 14 years since he secured that one in 2000.

But there is no question Izzo is at the top of his game again this year. He has a knack for developing depth and a team chemistry that always seems to serve him well this time of year.

The fourth-seeded Spartans have had plenty of both on display in their first two wins of this tournament, setting up a great matchup with top-seeded Virginia in the East Region. The Cavaliers have a rising star of a coach in Tony Bennett, but this is where Izzo's edge in experience—and the depth and chemistry he has spent all year honing—is likely to pay off for the tough-minded Spartans who are a reflection of their coach.