2012 NCAA Tournament: Sweet Success For Syracuse, Ohio State, Florida And Louisville

Sweet 16: Breaking Down Ohio State Vs. Cincinnati

On Thursday, the No. 2 Ohio St. Buckeyes took on the No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2012 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The Buckeyes pulled off the 81-66 victory and will now advance to the Elite Eight.

Fans on both sides have plenty to say following the game. Over at Buckeyes blog Along the Olentangy, Kyle Lamb reflects on how the win was anything but stress-free:

After being outscored 27-11 to begin the final 20 minutes, Ohio State closed the game on a 33-14 run behind a pesky Aaron Craft and a determined Jared Sullinger. Craft finished with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and six steals. Sullinger, meanwhile, turned in 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Ohio State led for 32 of 40 minutes, but the Cincinnati run seemed like an eternity. The Buckeyes came out firing on all cylinders in the first half, making easy work of Cincinnati's 2-3 zone. DeShaun Thomas, in fact, scored 20 points in the first half alone en route to the 37-25 lead.

As has become a bit too common, however, the Buckeyes relaxed on its comfortable lead.

Jared Sullinger described this phenomenon in the postgame press conference as acting like "cool guys" when they get the lead, then having to resort back to "blue collar" guys when they get soft. The blue collar guys are one win away from a Final Four.

Meanwhile, at Cincinnati blog Down the Drive, Matt Opper has this to say:

That went simultaneously better and worse than I expected, if that is even possible. Basketball is a tricky game it really is. Nothing personified that more than tonight. Ohio State won 81-66, but that isn't a team that is 15 points better than these Bearcats. Not when it took only 4 minutes to erase a 12 point half time deficit. What did UC in tonight was that for just the second time in the last 6 or so weeks this team did not come out with the usual laser like focus. That was ultimately the difference. UC was the more casual team and that doesn't cut it at this level.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub. There you'll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

Sweet 16: Season Of Ups And Downs Comes To An End For Michigan State

Although it was not the biggest upset of the 2012 NCAA Tournament (far from it, in fact), it was still stunning when the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals pulled off the victory against the No. 1 Michigan St. Spartans on Thursday in the Sweet 16. The Cardinals knocked off the top seed in the West Region and will advance to the Elite Eight following the decisive 57-44 win.

While Louisville fans are celebrating their win, Spartans fans are left to pick up the pieces. Pete Rossman at MSU blog The Only Colors reflects on the season of ups and downs:

I think disappointment is something we're all feeling right now. Many of us started out this season expecting this team to contend in the Big Ten, then thinking they could be more, than celebrating when they took sole possession of first place. There was discontent when they tied for the Big Ten regular season title, euphoria when they won the Big Ten tournament title, then...this.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub. There you'll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

Sweet 16: Syracuse Vs. Wisconsin Was Instant-Classic Heartbreaker

If there's one thing that the 2012 NCAA Tournament has been chock-full of, it's last-minute drama. Thursday night's Sweet 16 play saw another instant classic in the game between No. 1 seed Syracuse Orange and the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers. Syracuse once again squeaked by and advanced to the Elite Eight, but they needed some heroics combined with some key misses by the Badgers in order to secure the 64-63 win.

The fans of both teams certainly have plenty to talk about following the game. Sean Keeley over at Syracuse blog Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician comments on the win:

All week we heard the same things about the Orange. They can't rebound. They can't play slow ball. They can't force Wisconsin to turn the ball over.

Guess what? They out-rebounded Wisconsin. They played fast, slow and every speed in between. The forced Wisconsin to turn the ball over in bunches.

And that is how they ended up winning a game in which the Badgers made fourteen three-pointers and shot 50% from beyond the arc. It was impossible the way Wisky was making threes. At one point in the second-half, I'm pretty sure they made six in a row. Maybe more. Unbelievable.

Phil Mitten at Bucky's Fifth Quarter offers his take on the Wisconsin loss:

Offensively, the Badgers displayed perfect patience passing the ball around the perimeter and looked comfortable using the whole shot clock to probe the Syracuse zone. After all, it's the style they practiced all year. By committing only six turnovers, Wisconsin was also able to limit Syracuse's fast break opportunities.

However, the trade off to finding (and hitting) all the open 3-pointers was that none of the Badgers appeared comfortable taking a chance in the lane with the long arms of and shot-blocking ability of the Orange lurking. Wisconsin made only 7-of-22 shots inside the 3-point line.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub. There you'll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

Sweet 16: Florida Knocks Off Marquette, But Will Need To Do Better In Elite 8

The first four games of the Sweet 16 are in the books in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Four teams will be advancing to the Elite Eight and four teams will be heading home following Thursday night's intense action. One of the teams advancing will be the No. 7 Florida Gators, who continue to play with focus and passion. They displayed plenty of both on Thursday, as they dispatched the No. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles, 68-58.

Fans on both teams are discussing and dissecting the game Andy Hutchins at Gators blog Alligator Army had this to say:

Florida's playing very, very well, but it's not playing the brand of basketball we had grown accustomed to seeing the Gators play. These Gators gnash their teeth and run, scrap for rebounds, play defense like they value almost every possession, and have cut down on the lapses and silly errors and bad shots — and few of their good shots are even falling. There's significant room above the current water level here, and, after feeling like Florida had tapped its potential, I have seen the Gators play much better — but I still think Florida hasn't put it all together, and still believe the Gators are legitimate national championship contenders as is.

Meanwhile, over at Marquette blog Anonymous Eagle, Mr. Kensington reflected on the loss:

Our hats go off to the Gators, who came with a pretty effective game plan to beat us today. But I think even they would admit, that they did not play their best tonight. They made just 7 three-pointers and shot only 40% in the win. They probably should've blown Marquette out of the gym tonight, but didn't. In fact, Marquette got within 6 of the lead, with 3:20 to play. But the big shot just never came. The boys tried to make a late charge, but just couldn't buy a basket when they needed it most.

Both sides agree that the Gators will need to do better if they hope to take home the championship, but they were effective enough to get the job done on Thursday.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub. There you'll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

NCAA Tournament 2012: One Top Seed Falls, Another Gets Pushed To The Brink

A historically low offensive output led to Michigan State's exit from the 2012 NCAA Tournament, while fellow one-seed Syracuse nearly suffered a similar fate against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.

NCAA Bracket 2012: Titans Will Meet In East, Mentor And Student In West

The narratives for the Elite Eight that were pre-written on Thursday come nicely tied up: in the East, No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 Ohio State meet in a matchup of titans, and in the West, No. 4 Louisville and Rick Pitino will take on Billy Donovan's No. 7 Florida squad.

The Orange edged Wisconsin 64-63 to advance, while Ohio State made a late run to get an 81-66 win over Cincinnati. The smothering Syracuse zone faces a tough test in Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Pitino -- who coached Donovan while the latter was at Providence, and then hired him as an assistant coach -- pits his Cardinals' rugged defense against Florida's offensive firepower after a 57-44 strangulation of Michigan State. Bradley Beal leads the Gators, who took down Marquette 68-58.

For more on the winners, check out Alligator Army, Louisville blog Card Chronicle, Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and Ohio State blog Along The Olentangy. Also view our updated 2012 NCAA Tournament Printable Bracket.

2012 NCAA Bracket, Marquette Vs. Florida: Gators Win 68-58, Move On To Second Straight Elite Eight

Florida came into the 2012 NCAA Tournament as one of the nation's coldest teams. Now, the Gators are hot, and after a 68-58 win over Marquette in the Sweet 16, they are guaranteed to be one of the last eight squads standing.

Bradley Beal was the Gators' star on Thursday night, stuffing the stat sheet with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. Unsurprisingly, his highlight reel for the game is pretty impressive.

And Mike Rosario celebrating the win is worth a look, too.

Marquette wasn't able to keep up, shooting an ice-cold 30.8 percent from the field and getting the 29 points Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom were able to score on a combined 30 shots.

Florida moves on to the Elite Eight, where Billy Donovan will meet his college coach and mentor, Rick Pitino, and the Louisville Cardinals.

For more, visit Florida blog Alligator Army and Marquette blog Anonymous Eagle.

2012 NCAA Bracket, Cincinnati Vs. Ohio State Score: Buckeyes Earn Elite Eight Berth, Win 81-66

The battle of Ohio in Boston in the 2012 NCAA Tournament was won by a second-half run. And it was the Ohio State Buckeyes who made it en route to defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats 81-66.

Jared Sullinger scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds to anchor the Buckeyes, and Deshaun Thomas put up 26 points to lead all scorers. But after conceding the lead to Cincinnati, Ohio State took control of the game with a 20-4 run in the second half to take it back for good. And Sullinger did work during it.

Cashmere Wright had 18 points for Cincy, which also got 15 points from Sean Kilpatrick and 13 from Jaquon Parker.

Ohio State moves on to the Elite Eight, where the Buckeyes will face off with Syracuse on Saturday.

For more, visit Ohio State blog Along The Olentangy and Cincinnati blog Down The Drive.

NCAA Tournament Scores: Florida Leads Marquette 36-30 At Halftime Of Barnburner

Florida and Marquette are playing the latest game of the night in their West Regional Semifinal in Phoenix. The Gators and Golden Eagles may also be playing the best one: Florida leads 36-30 at halftime and has been ahead in what has been almost a boat race.

Florida's Bradley Beal is the only player in double figures on the night with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton each have six points for the Gators, and Casey Prather has four points off the bench and a big dunk.

Marquette's countered with Darius Johnson-Odom, who has eight points; Jamil Wilson, who has seven; and Jae Crowder, who's put up six and survived playing much of the first half with two fouls. Crowder isn't the only Golden Eagle in foul trouble: Junior Cadougan has been whistled three times.

For more, visit Florida blog Alligator Army and Marquette blog Anonymous Eagle.

ANIMATED: Florida's Casey Prather Throws Down Twisting Alley-Oop

ANIMATED: Buzz Williams Hits Half-Court Shot, Celebrates With Awkward Swimming

March Madness Scores: Ohio State Buckeyes Lead Cincinnati Bearcats At Halftime

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Bearcats as the prohibitive favorite considering they entered the 2012 NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Thad Matta's team looks like it'll stave off any sort of March Madness after taking a 32-24 lead into halftime.

The Bearcats were able to hang with the Buckeyes for the majority of the first half, but sophomore forward Deshaun Thomas lifted Ohio State with a pair of three-pointers 25 seconds apart to extend a 27-20 lead into a 33-20 lead with 2:17 left in the first half.

Thomas was astounding in the opening stanza as he scored 20 points thanks to a trio of three-pointers. Jared Sullinger pulled his weight for the Buckeyes as well with 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half.

Justin Jackson scored a team-high eight points off the bench for the Bearcats in the first half while Cashmere Wright scored seven points in the first half during the battle of Ohio's best. Cincinnati turned the ball over nine times in the first half.

For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub. There you'll find a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.

2012 NCAA Bracket, Michigan State Vs. Louisville Score: Rick Pitino's Cardinals Headed To Elite Eight

The Louisville Cardinals are the second team on to the Elite Eight, picking up what looked like a rather easy win over the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday night. Rick Pitino's team extended a 23-18 halftime lead into 57-44 victory to advance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket over the Spartans.

Louisville had two player score in double figures as freshman forward Chane Behanan scored 15 points while Russ Smith had 11, but the Cardinals got solid contributions from quite a few of their players. Chris Smith and Jared Swopshire made a combined five of nine three-point attempts while center Gorgui Dieng came up biggest for the Cardinals.

Dieng, a 6-foot-11 center, scored just five points in the game. He filled up the rest of the box score, though, with nine rebounds, three steals and seven magnificent blocks. In a game that will be looked back upon for its defense (if anything, that is), the Senegalese center personified it to a 'T.'

The Spartans were led by senior Draymond Green, as has been the case all season. The big man scored 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to counteract his six turnovers. Fellow senior Brandon Wood led Michigan State in scoring with 14 points.

For more on Michigan State, visit The Only Colors. The best Cardinals blog can be found at Card Chronicle.

2012 NCAA Bracket, Syracuse Vs. Wisconsin Score: Orange Are Headed To Elite Eight

The Wisconsin Badgers trailed at halftime, but a barrage of three-pointers in the second half changed things around for Bo Ryan's team. It ended up not being enough to overtake the Syracuse Orange, however, and Jim Boeheim's team is headed to the Elite Eight following Thursday night's victory.

The Badgers made 14 of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc, but Syracuse seemed to have an answer for almost every score in the second half on their way to a 64-63 victory. The Badgers had a chance to tie the game on their final possession, but a missed a three-pointer fired up from way beyond the arc by senior guard Jordan Taylor sealed the Orange's ticket to the next round.

C.J. Fair led a balanced offense for Syracuse with 15 points, while Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters all scored in double figures as well -- Waiters coming up huge off the bench with 13 total points. Fair was probably the team's best all-around player as he added seven rebounds and four steals as well.

The Badgers got excellent contributions from Taylor and Jared Berggren with 17 points apiece, but none of the other Wisconsin players were able to tally double figures in the points column.

For more on the Orange, be sure to visit Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. The best Badgers blog on the internet can be found at Bucky's 5th Quarter.

VIDEO: Wisconsin Can't Miss!

March Madness Scores: Louisville Leads Michigan State At Halftime Of An Offensive Struggle

The Sweet 16 game between the Louisville Cardinals and Michigan St. Spartans didn't get off to the most exciting start, considering the teams struggled to score a combined 41 points, but at least it's close. The Cardinals took a 23-18 lead into halftime of what's going to nicely be described as a defensive battle.

The two teams combined to make just 14 of their 52 total field goal attempts in the first half as both teams struggled on the offensive end. Chris Smith, Jared Swopshire and Russ Smith led Louisville with six points apiece, but starting center Gorgui Dieng was a nice surprise as he hit a three-pointer to go with a pair of blocks, rebounds and steals.

The Spartans were led by Draymond Green, as he scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds, but nobody else stepped up for Tom Izzo's program. Aside from Green, no other Spartan scored more than three points in the first half.

For more on Michigan State, visit The Only Colors. The best Cardinals blog can be found at Card Chronicle.

NCAA Tournament Scores: Syracuse's Swag Helps Orange To Halftime Lead Over Wisconsin

The Syracuse Orange weren't expected to be a force in the 2012 NCAA Tournament when the school announced that center Fab Melo had been suspended just before the Big Dance. The Orange are missing Melo, but have shown plenty of confidence on the way to a six-point halftime lead over the Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet 16.

Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters lead the Orange with nine points apiece in the first half -- the latter off the bench -- to help their team to a 33-27 lead, but the game didn't start out so great for Syracuse. After the first four minutes, Syracuse didn't lead again until less than nine minutes remaining, but then began to pour it on, going on an 11-0 run once they got hot to take the lead into halftime.

Wisconsin center Jared Berggren scored 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to lead the Badgers. Foul trouble came into play, however, as both he and fellow starting frontcourt man Mike Brusewitz entered the intermission with a pair of fouls.

For more on the Orange, be sure to visit Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. The best Badgers blog on the internet can be found at Bucky's 5th Quarter.

NCAA Tournament 2012: Re-Ranking Remaining 16 Teams (Sorry, UNC)

With the Sweet 16 set to begin Thursday night, we re-rank the remaining NCAA tournament teams. UNC without Kendall Marshall finds itself in the middle of the pack.

NCAA Tournament 2012: Thursday's Sweet 16 Games Should Be Ultra Competitive

Previewing and predicting Thursday's four NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 games, where similar styles should result in similar scoreboard totals. | Sweet 16 Schedule

NCAA Tournament 2012, Marquette Vs. Florida: TV Schedule, Game Time And More

The Florida Gators are hoping for another blowout victory when they play the Marquette Golden Eagles in Thursday night's Sweet 16 game, but odds are it won't be quite as easy as their first two games in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament 2012, Michigan State Vs. Louisville: TV Schedule, Game Time And More

Two of college basketball's top coaches will face off on Thursday night when Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans play Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals for the right to advance past the Sweet 16 of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament 2012, Cincinnati Vs. Ohio State: TV Schedule, Game Time And More

Watch as Yancy Gates and Jared Sullinger attempt to beat the living crap out of each other.

NCAA Tournament 2012, Syracuse Vs. Wisconsin: TV Schedule, Game Time And More

Wisconsin doesn't have the talent of Syracuse, but with Fab Melo gone, they're a terrible matchup for the Orange. This game will not make sense to people unfamiliar with Bo Ryan and Jim Boeheim.

2012 NCAA Tournament Schedule: Sweet 16 Game Times, Announcers And More

The Sweet 16 is set and the game times are out. Here's the schedule of events for Thursday and Friday's NCAA Tournament games.