Sweet 16 2015: Breaking Down Each Region's Most Dangerous Team

The 2015 NCAA tournament has only been in full swing for three days, but dangerous teams have emerged from the dust already in each region to pose as serious threats in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Eight teams have yet to secure their spots in next weekend's regional semifinals and the Sweet 16, but those tickets will be punched amid Sunday's eight-game slate. But at least one team has broken through in each region, and it's never too early to look forward and see who stands the best chance.

Let's take a look at the updated bracket, along with the most dangerous team in each region as of Sunday.

Midwest: No. 1 Kentucky

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Water is wet, and top-seeded Kentucky is still the most impressive team by a long shot—not only in the Midwest Region but the entire tournament field.

After a practice-session of an opening-round win over No. 16 Hampton on Thursday, the Wildcats stepped into a much tougher test Saturday in facing eighth-seeded Cincinnati. The Bearcats gave them a battle and led for much of the first half before Kentucky's depth and athleticism once again shone through to push the Wildcats to 36-0.

As such massive favorites, Kentucky has its fair share of critics, but ESPN's Colin Cowherd couldn't help but point out the never-ending intrigue following the 'Cats:

The Bearcats gave Kentucky as much of a test as it has seen in the first half all season in the third round, but it didn't seem to matter once the Kentucky machine kicked in. It's becoming more and more apparent that Kentucky might just be unbeatable, as Martin Rickman of Uproxx.com quipped:

Kentucky has the go-to players necessary to win the tight games, with Andrew Harrison making sound decisions in the backcourt and the mere presence of Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein wearing down opponents in the post. If the five that head coach John Calipari has in aren't getting it done, a bench ripe with first-round NBA talent is there to be picked from.

Whether the Wildcats have to end up facing Notre Dame or Kansas in the Elite Eight, it's hard to see Kentucky being tested until it reaches Indianapolis.

East: No. 8 North Carolina State

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This is an easy pick, with NC State as the only East Region team through to the Sweet 16 after Saturday, but the Wolfpack's shocking upset win over Villanova undoubtedly warrants talk of them making a Cinderella run to Indianapolis.

The Wolfpack were expected to give top-seeded Villanova a tough time in the third round after topping Duke and Louisville during the season along with close losses to Virginia and Notre Dame, but they flexed their giant-killing muscles again with their season on the line.

And if recent history is any indication, they could be in for some more magic, as ESPN College Basketball noted:

"

Good news for NC State fans. The last three teams to beat 1 seeds in the Round of 32 went to the Final Four. pic.twitter.com/VvWsmAvtoY

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 22, 2015"

NC State has always possessed guard play capable of making a run in the NCAA tournament with the trio of Anthony "Cat" Barber, Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner, but a newfound star in the frontcourt has been key in the Big Dance. Freshman Abdul-Malik Abu averaged just 6.2 points per game this season, but he had 13 points in each of the Wolfpack's two wins thus far in tournament play and brought in 12 boards against Villanova.

The Wolfpack attacked one of the nation's best teams on the boards en route to a shocking victory, and it's hard to say they won't be able to do so to either Northern Iowa or a Louisville team they already beat in the next round.

West: No. 2 Arizona

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The Wisconsin Badgers are still a shadow that lurks over the entire West Region, but until they advance through to the Sweet 16, Arizona remains the best bet to make a Final Four run in Los Angeles.

The Wildcats have already advanced through to the regional semifinals following an impressive win over No. 10 Ohio State. Arizona trailed by six just before halftime but went on a dominant defensive run and shut down freshman D'Angelo Russell to win comfortably over the Buckeyes.

A star-studded starting lineup featuring Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is tough for anyone to match up against, and contributions like the one from Gabe York in Saturday's win are icing on the cake, as CBS Sports' Seth Davis observed:

It remains to be seen whether Arizona will be able to match up with a team like Wisconsin in the frontcourt with Frank Kaminsky, but star guard play could take the Wildcats to the next level. T.J. McConnell's all-around game against Ohio State ranked up there as the best among Pac-12 players in recent history, per ESPN College Basketball, and York's deep shooting could be an X-factor.

Like most expected when Selection Sunday came, Arizona is as good of a bet as any to emerge from the West.

South: No. 5 Utah

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So much for Stephen F. Austin.

While the Lumberjacks were one of the trendiest upset picks as a No. 12 seed to take down the fifth-seeded Utes in the second round, Utah had none of that. A tough matchup against No. 4 Georgetown followed two days later, but Utah mounted a dominant second-half run to put the game away and advance to the program's first Sweet 16 in 10 years.

A program rebuild has finally come full circle, as CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein noted:

Utah wasn't one of the first teams to jump off the page in the South Region, but it should be now. No. 3 Iowa State fell by the wayside early, but the Utes are now 40 minutes away from a trip to the Elite Eight.

Heading in the wrong direction having lost three of five entering the tournament, Utah has turned things around in convincing fashion. And the fact that star guard Delon Wright combined for 4-of-14 shooting in Utah's two tournament wins just speaks to how dangerous this team is from top to bottom.

A meeting with Duke may await in the Sweet 16, but there's still an opportunity for the Utes to be the favorites to come out of the South once Sunday is said and done. Should No. 7 Iowa top No. 2 Gonzaga and the Blue Devils fall to No. 8 San Diego State, Utah would be the best seed remaining in the region.