The Midwest Region's side of the 2012 NCAA bracket looked ripe for upsets heading into the Sweet 16, when North Carolina and Kansas faced low-seeded rivals Ohio and North Carolina State, but with the dust settled it's a good old No. 1-No. 2 battle for a Final Four berth as March Madness draws to a close. Kansas vs. UNC it is; the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis will be the setting as the Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tarheels compete for (ostensibly) Midwestern supremacy. Former KU coach Roy Williams will tangle with the Bill Self-staffed Jayhawks at 4:05 CDT.
For the Tarheels, their overtime win over that underdog Ohio squad gave them another chance to hope for point guard Kendall Marshall's wrist injury to heal. That doesn't seem especially likely, although the Jayhawks, who beat NC State by a slim margin of 60-57, are practicing assuming he will.
More 2012 NCAA Tournament by SB Nation's own Midwest Regional, SB Nation St. Louis:
- Kendall Marshall is practicing, but will he play?
- Roy Williams after that Ohio win: "I thought I was gonna frickin' pass out."