2015 NCAA Tournament: Which Teams Will Advance To Syracuse?

The Syracuse Orange won't be going dancing this season, but that doesn't mean SU is completely closed out from the NCAA Tournament. The Carrier Dome, home to the Orange, is the site of the East Regional semifinals and final.

But which four teams will advance to Syracuse? To figure that out, let's take a look at the region's 17 teams and their odds* to reach the Sweet 16.

We'll start with the teams spending the opening weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa.

1. Villanova Wildcats

How they got here: Villanova, the region's top seed and the tournament's second overall seed, comes in having won 15 straight games by an average margin of 16.6 points. The Wildcats won both the Big East regular season title and the conference tournament.

Player to watch: Josh Hart, Villanova's sixth man, is averaging 10.4 points per game and is shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from 3-point range. He shot just over 70 percent from the field and averaged 17.7 points per game in the Big East tournament.

Odds: The Wildcats have a 98.9 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and an 86.5 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

8. North Carolina State Wolfpack

How they got here: The eighth-seeded Wolfpack finished 20-13 overall and 10-8 in the ACC, good enough to tie for a sixth-place finish in the conference. NC State had resume-building wins over Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina. Mark Gottfried's team also knocked off Syracuse, 71-57, in its regular season finale.

Player to watch: Trevor Lacey leads all NC State scorers with 15.8 points per game. The guard eclipsed the 20-point mark seven times this season.

Odds: The Wolfpack have a 50.3 percent chance to get to the Round of 32 and just a 6.8 percent to get to the Sweet 16.

9. LSU Tigers

How they got here: LSU went 22-10 overall and 11-7 in the SEC. The Tigers beat three teams that are also among the field of 68 -- West Virginia, Georgia, and Arkansas. They also lost by just two points to Kentucky, the tournament's top overall seed.

Player to watch: Jarell Martin is nearly averaging a double-double, scoring 16.9 points and grabbing 9.2 rebounds per contest. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds in LSU's loss to Kentucky on Feb. 10.

Odds: The Tigers have a 49.7 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and a 6.7 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

16. Lafayette Leopards

How they got here: After upsetting top-seeded Bucknell in the semifinals, Lafayette took down American in the Patriot League tournament championship, punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Player to watch: Nick Lindner enters the tournament red-hot. The guard is averaging 23.2 points per game in Lafayette's last five games.

Odds: As expected, Lafayette's chances to advance are almost nonexistent. The Leopards have a 1.1 percent chance to see the Round of 32 and a 0.1 percent chance to make it out of the weekend alive.

Let's now move to the group of teams playing in Seattle, Wa.

4. Louisville Cardinals

How they got here: The Cardinals earned an at-large bid after finishing the regular season 12-6 in the ACC and 24-8 overall.

Player to watch: Montrezl Harrell is averaging 15.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In Louisville's last three games, he's averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Odds: The Cardinals have an 85.7 percent chance to advance to the Round of 32 and a 52.2 percent chance to get to Syracuse.

5. Northern Iowa Panthers

How they got here: After finishing the regular season at 16-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Panthers won the conference tournament to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Player to watch: Forward Seth Tuttle leads Northern Iowa in points per game (15.3), rebounds per game (6.8) and assists per game (3.3). The senior is also shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Odds: Northern Iowa has an 82.5 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and a 41.1 percent chance at getting to the Sweet 16.

12. Wyoming Cowboys

How they got here: Wyoming beat San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference championship, earning an automatic bid into the tournament.

Player to watch: Larry Nance Jr. notched a team-high 14 points in the win over San Diego State and is averaging 17.8 points per game in March.

Odds: Wyoming is given a 17.5 percent chance of advancing past Northern Iowa and a 3.4 percent chance of reaching the Sweet 16. But given the recent success of 12 seeds, anything's possible for the Cowboys.

13. UC Irvine Anteaters

How they got here: The Anteaters clinched a spot in the tournament after beating Hawaii in the Big West tournament championship game. They finished the regular season 11-5 in the conference.

Player to watch: Will Davis II leads UC Irvine in points (12.9) and rebounds (7.0) per game.

Odds: UC Irvine has a 14.3 percent chance of getting to the Round of 32 and a 3.3 percent chance of reaching Syracuse and the Sweet 16.

The next five teams will be playing in Columbus, Ohio, with the exception of a play-in game that will be held in Dayton, Ohio.

3. Oklahoma Sooners

How they got here: The Sooners fell short in the Big 12 tournament championship to Iowa State but earned an at-large bid after going 12-6 in the conference in the regular season.

Player to watch: Buddy Hield's 17.5 points per game are not only a team high, but they also lead all Big 12 players.

Odds: Oklahoma has a 93.2 percent chance to advance to the Round of 32 and a 69.5 percent chance to advance to the Sweet 16.

6. Providence Friars

How they got here: Providence finished fourth in the Big East with an 11-7 record in the conference, good enough to earn an at-large bid. The Friars had six wins over tournament teams, including two against Georgetown.

Player to watch: LaDontae Henton, the Big East's leading scorer, scored just nine points in Providence's loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament. If the Friars want to advance, he'll need to be more productive than that.

Odds: The Friars have a 58.9 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and an 18.9 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

11. Boise State Broncos

How they got here: Boise State, a team that was on the bubble, earned a spot in the tournament after winning the Mountain West Conference regular season title.

Player to watch: Derrick Marks can flat out score. He's averaging 19.3 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

Odds: Boise State has a 48.7 percent chance to win its play-in game with Dayton, a 19.7 percent chance to reach the Round of 32, and a 5.5 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

11. Dayton Flyers

How they got here: The Flyers, whom Orange fans remember as the team that ended Syracuse's season last March, finished second in the Atlantic 10 after going 13-5 in the conference.

Player to watch: In just 28.9 minutes of play per game, Kendall Pollard averages 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Those marks are second and third best on the team, respectively.

Odds: Dayton has a a 51.3 percent chance to win its play-in game with Boise State, a 21.4 percent chance to reach the Round of 32, and a 5.5 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive season.

14. Albany Great Danes

How they got here: Albany knocked off Stony Brook 51-50 in the America East Conference championship, thanks largely to Peter Hooley, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Player to watch: Sam Rowley ranks fourth in the America East Conference with 14.0 points per game, which also leads all Great Danes players.

Odds: Albany has a 6.8 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and a 1.2 percent chance of reaching the Sweet 16.

The last group -- seeds two, seven, 10, and 15 -- will be playing their opening weekend games in Charlotte, NC.

2. Virginia Cavaliers

How they got here: Virginia won the ACC regular season championship and held the country's no. 2 ranking for much of the season, but losses to Louisville and North Carolina down the stretch cost the Cavaliers a one seed.

Player to watch: Malcolm Brogdon leads all UVA players with 13.9 points per game. He also earned All-ACC First team and All-ACC defensive team honors for his efforts.

Odds: Virginia has a 98 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and an 80.5 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

7. Michigan State Spartans

How they got here: The Spartans received an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing tied for third in the Big Ten and reaching the conference's tournament championship.

Player to watch: Branden Dawson is a walking double-double, averaging 11.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game this season and having notched nine of them thus far.

Odds: Michigan State has a 63.4 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and a 14 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

10. Georgia Bulldogs

How they got here: The Bulldogs finished tied for third in the SEC at 11-7 in the conference.

Player to watch: Marcus Thornton leads Georgia in points per game (12.3), rebounds per game (7.2), and blocks per game (1.2).

Odds: Georgia has a 36.6 percent chance of reaching the Round of 32 and a 5.3 percent chance of reaching the Sweet 16.

15. Belmont Bruins

How they got here: Belmont earned an automatic bid after it knocked off Murray State in an 88-87 thriller in the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

Player to watch: Craig Bradshaw is averaging a team-high 18.1 points per game and had 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting in Belmont's win over Murray State.

Odds: Belmont has a 2.0 percent chance to reach the Round of 32 and a 0.2 percent chance to reach the Sweet 16.

*All odds are via www.thepowerrank.com.