NCAA Bracket 2012, Sweet 16: Baylor's Road To The Regional Semifinals

The Baylor Bears are currently the No. 3 seed in the South Region in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The team has made it all the way to the regional semifinals, better known as the Sweet 16. They will play the No. 10 Xavier Musketeers on Friday night in an attempt to make it to the Elite Eight.

The year has been a great one for the Bears. Although they finished the regular season in third place behind the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers, they made it all the way to the finals of the Big 12 Tournament. They lost that game to Mizzou -- their third loss to the Tigers in three games this season -- but had the last laugh in the NCAA Tournament, as Mizzou was knocked off in the Round of 64 by No. 15 seed Norfolk State.

Baylor's path to the Sweet 16 has been relatively easy for them. They started by defeating the San Diego St. Aztecs 68-60 in the Round of 64. Their second game was even easier, as they dominated No. 11 seed Colorado Buffaloes before advancing with an 80-63 win. Now they are the favorites to defeat Xavier and advance to the regional finals.

It won't be easy, but the Bears have proven they have the talent to make an impact on the tournament. Their presence Sweet 16 is a key indicator that Baylor just might emerge as the 2012 national champions.

For all news and information regarding the Baylor Bears, please visit Our Daily Bears. 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.