March Madness 2011 Predictions: Power Ranking the Remaining Cinderellas

After a few marathon days, the NCAA tournament field has been taken down to the Sweet 16.

Many expected teams made the regional semifinals, with three No. 1-seeded teams—Duke, Ohio State and Kansas—all punching their tickets and only the Pitt Panthers coming up short.

At the same time, a number of Cinderella stories are emerging, as we see five teams seeded at No. 8 or above in the Sweet 16.

These teams are running on adrenaline and they have already exceeded expectations, but the way that some of these teams are playing, their tournament lives may be far from over.

No. 5: Richmond Spiders

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Kevin Anderson #14 of the Richmond Spiders goes to the hoop against Demonte Harper #22 of the Morehead State Eagles during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Co

Led by a 25-point effort from Kevin Anderson, the Richmond Spiders managed to knock off No. 5-seeded Vanderbilt in their opening round game last week.

The Spiders used a similar effort from Justin Harper on Saturday in knocking off the surprising Morehead State Eagles.

It will take similar efforts from both players and an extremely tough defensive effort from the entire team if the Spiders hope to knock off a very strong No. 1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks team that seems poised to make a return trip to the Final Four.

No. 4: Marquette Golden Eagles

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Dwight Buycks #23 of the Marquette Golden Eagles dribbles away from Dion Waiters #3 of the Syracuse Orange during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 20, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio.

After defeating No. 6-seeded Xavier, the Marquette Golden Eagles had to prepare themselves for a rematch against a Big East Conference foe in the Syracuse Orange.

The Golden Eagles beat the No. 10-ranked Orange in January behind a strong effort from Jae Crowder, and they would count on him again on Sunday in defeating Syracuse for the second time this season.

Marquette has been playing very well thus far in the tournament, but that will likely need to improve in order to defeat the No. 2-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels are the top rebounding team in the country, and while the Golden Eagles have a great ability to score points, they also rely on second-chance points at times, a luxury they likely won't have quite as often in the Sweet 16.

No. 3: Florida State Seminoles

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CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 18: Ian Miller #30 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass against Naji Hibbert #23 of the Texas A&M Aggies in the first half during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the United Center on March 18,

The Florida State Seminoles have used their top-notch defense in ripping their way through their tournament path on the way to a Sweet 16 berth.

It appeared that the Seminoles had Notre Dame's number all night long as they led virtually the whole way. Their outstanding rebounding played a big part in overcoming an experienced team that was poised to live up to its billing.

The Seminoles will face a streaking Virginia-Commonwealth team that has steamrolled its way to the Sweet 16 in convincing fashion.

The team has what it takes to knock off the Rams and make it to the Elite Eight, but the 'Noles will need to continue their strong defensive play in hopes of slowing down the VCU offense that is hitting on all cylinders right now.

No. 2: Butler Bulldogs

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WASHINGTON - MARCH 19: Shelvin Mack #1 of the Butler Bulldogs drives with the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Verizon Center on March 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nick

It's hard to consider the Butler Bulldogs a true Cinderella team this season. After all, they did come one shot short of a national championship just a year ago.

Still, the team had its share of trials and tribulations this season and may not have even earned a place in the tournament without winning the Horizon League's automatic bid.

The Bulldogs have made the most of their appearance this season, beating Old Dominion in their opening round and knocking off the No. 1-seeded Pitt Panthers on Saturday evening.

Forward Matt Howard has been a very important part of the Bulldogs' success, averaging 16 points and six rebounds during the tournament.

Shelvin Mack will likely be the difference maker for the team against the Wisconsin Badgers, however, as the guard has an uncanny ability to hit from downtown that gives opposing teams major troubles.

No. 1: Virginia-Commonwealth Rams

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CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 20: Bradford Burgess #20 of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams celebrates in the second half of the game against the Purdue Boilermakers during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the United Center on March 20,

After beating the USC Trojans in the First Four round of the NCAA tournament, the Virginia-Commonwealth Rams were given a tough task in facing the No. 6-seeded Georgetown Hoyas.

The Rams certainly took advantage of their opportunity as they would go on to dominate the Hoyas on both ends of the court en route to a 74-56 win.

That likely would've been enough to satisfy the VCU faithful. But the players would go on to repeat their dominance again on Sunday evening, as they would knock off another team from a major conference in defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 94-76.

Forward Jamie Skeen is the team's leader in points, rebounds and blocks and he has been a vital part of the team's success in the tournament.

The Rams will face a tough test in the Sweet 16 when they play the No. 10-seeded Florida State Seminoles, but the team is on such a hot streak right now that there's no reason to believe they won't be able to keep pace with their competition.