NCAA Tournament 2016: Early Predictions for Sweet 16 Teams Post-Selection Sunday

There's a giddy feeling among the 68 teams that have a spot in the 2016 NCAA tournament.

However, that feeling will soon give way to the business of competing and figuring out a game plan against unfamiliar opponents. The teams that do that the best will have the best chance of surviving and advancing.

Once the euphoria fades, it's about hard work and preparation. It's one thing to make the tournament, it's quite another to win a first-round game. That's what all these teams want to do, but only 16 will win in the first and second round and earn a spot in the Sweet 16.

The Sweet 16 is like an oasis in the desert. There's still a long way to go before any team can claim a championship, but when 52 teams have been eliminated and your team is still standing, it sure feels good to get there.

Top seeds can get eliminated before playing their third-round matchup, but that's not supposed to happen. Even though this year's tournament is supposed to be more wide-open than previous years, we don't see any of the top seeds getting eliminated in the first two rounds.

Kansas, Oregon, North Carolina and Virginia should all survive, but the Tar Heels are going to have a difficult time with ninth-seeded Providence in the second round, and Virginia is likely to have a very hard time with eighth-seeded Texas Tech. 

Look for the Tar Heels to get the lead in the final minutes of the second half, while Virginia's hounding defense will make the difference in the final 10 minutes against the Red Raiders.

Team	Region	Seed	Skinny
Kansas	South	1	Should roll in the early rounds
Maryland	South	5	Tough and talented; led by a diamond
Arizona	South	6	Wildcats have the right matchups
Villanova	South	2	'Nova steamed about seed
Oregon	West	1	Explosive offense makes Ducks dangerous
UNC-Wilmington	West	12	Seahawks will take down Duke
Texas A&M	West	3	Aggies are ready to make a statement
Oklahoma	West	2	Buddy Hield takes center stage
North Carolina	East	1	Tar Heels' test will come later
Indiana	East	5	Big weekend for Tom Crean
West Virginia	East	3	Mountaineers have the talent for a long run
Xavier	East	2	Musketeers have their sights set on Tar Heels in regional final.
Virginia	Midwest	1	Tony Bennett has a defensive juggernaut
Purdue	Midwest	5	Nearly took down MSU in Big Ten final.
Seton Hall	Midwest	6	Pirates loaded with guts and toughness
Michigan State	Midwest	2	Spartans gunning for national title.

The second seeds also look safe to get to the second round. Michigan State appeared to be a clear No. 1 seed in the days leading up to Selection Sunday, but the selection committee did not agree. Head coach Tom Izzo excels at preparing his team to compete in big games, and he will used the slight to make sure his squad understands it is not fully respected.

The Spartans should easily tear through 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State and handle the winner of the Dayton-Syracuse matchup.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Oklahoma is the No. 2 seed in the West, and Buddy Hield is a strong national player of the year candidate because of his explosive scoring ability. The Sooners are likely to be pushed hard in the second round by Oregon State, but they will survive and advance to the second weekend of the tournament.

So will Villanova and Xavier, who are both strong teams capable of getting to the Final Four. Look for Villanova to have a major challenge in the second round against crosstown rival Temple. The Wildcats defeated the Owls 83-67 in mid-February, but look for this game to be significantly closer.

"

A Villanova-Temple second round matchup would have the city of Philly feeling some type of way

— Pat Ralph (@Pat_Ralph) March 13, 2016"

Guard Josh Hart is averaging 15.5 points per game, and he won't let the Wildcats have their season come to an end in the round of 32 against Villanova's longtime rival.

Look for Kansas and Villanova to be joined by Maryland and Arizona in the Sweet 16 from the South Region.

Maryland has had an excellent season, and they pushed Michigan State hard in the Big Ten semifinal before dropping a 64-61 decision Saturday. The fifth-seeded Terps are led by Melo Trimble and Diamond Stone, who are averaging 14.4 and 12.9 points per game, respectively.

Maryland has a tough opening game against 12th-seeded South Dakota State, and Maryland should be able to survive and advance against the Jackrabbits. The game that follows will be a major test against fourth-seeded California. The Bears have one of the youngest and most talented teams in the country and are capable of competing against the best teams in the tournament.

However, even though they have two of the best freshmen in the country in Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, they lack the consistency and finishing ability needed to survive. Maryland will endure a classic matchup to get to the Sweet 16.

Most NCAA tournaments have at least one team that completes a major surprise in the first weekend. Whether it's Valparaiso, Davidson or Gonzaga, unlikely teams tend to emerge.

This year, North Carolina-Wilmington is that team. The Seahawks have what appears to be a brutal opening-round opponent in Duke, but North Carolina-Wilmington will not be intimidated by the Blue Devils.

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

The Seahawks have won 16 of their last 18 games, and they have a big-time scorer in Chris Flemmings who is averaging 16.1 points per game. They also have an underrated head coach in Kevin Keatts, who is going to prepare the Seahawks for a major upset.

North Carolina-Wilmington will face a brutal Baylor team in the next round, and while that game will be tough, the Seahawks will survive as the No. 12 seed.

Can you say cover of Sports Illustrated?

Arizona, the sixth seed, will win its opening games against the Vanderbilt-Wichita State survivor and then take down third-seeded Miami in the round of 32.

West Virginia will survive as the No. 3 seed in the East Region. The Mountaineers got to the finals of the Big 12 conference tournament, and while they dropped an 81-71 decision to Kansas, they had won six games in a row prior to that defeat. 

"

Final 4 probabilities -- East:
(1) UNC 44%
(4) Kentucky 16%
(3) West Virginia 16%
(2) Xavier 10%
(5) Indiana 6%https://t.co/dAzCZpcMHp

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 14, 2016"

Head coach Bob Huggins has a couple of solid leaders in Jaysean Paige and Devin Williams. Paige is averaging 13.9 points per game and connecting at a rate of 46.0 percent from the field, while Williams is averaging 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per night.

Look for Indiana to also get through to the Sweet 16. While the Hoosiers lost to Michigan in their first-round game in the Big Ten tournament, they were the regular-season Big Ten champions.

Tom Crean had the Hoosiers playing consistently all season, and that got some of the critics off his back. However, a first- or second-round loss will likely have them baying at the door once again. Senior guard Yogi Ferrell is a first-rate leader and scorer, and he has three teammates averaging in double figures.

The Hoosiers will meet Kentucky in the round of 32, and look for them to play their best game of the year against John Calipari's Wildcats. Crean will breathe a sigh of relief, and Indiana will move on to the Sweet 16.

Fifth-seeded Purdue will make it through to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region, as will sixth-seeded Seton Hall. Both the Boilermakers and the Pirates are bonded by toughness, and that's why they are going to survive through the round of 32.

---

Sign up and play Bleacher Report's Bracket Challenge now for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Trip to four events of your choice. And click here for B/R's Printable Bracket.