The Sweet 16 is upon us in Boston, but there are three other sites around the country where the Big Dance has also descended. Here are 10 Storylines to Watch over the next few days:

1. Ty Lawson and his toe. The most important body part in the entire country belongs to the North Carolina point guard. Lawson sat out the first-round rout against Radford and struggled early against LSU before finally looking like himself in the second half. Which Lawson will show up?  Without their speedy floor leader, the Tar Heels become just another team.

2. Can Pittsburgh end its Sweet 16 jinx? The Panthers have been to the Sweet 16 five of the last eight years, but haven’t been able to get over the hump. They’ve also never had a group like this one — with three of the toughest players in the country in Sam Young, Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair.

3. Syracuse has played as well as anyone in the country over the past few weeks and has established itself as a legit Final Four team. After two straight NIT appearances, Jim Boeheim is back in the Big Dance — and the six-overtime victory against UConn in the Big East quarterfinals has hardly slowed them down. “We’re 20-year-old kids,” said ‘Cuse point guard Jonny Flynn, who is arguably the best floor leader in the country right now. “We’re not tired.”

4. What will Oklahoma big man Blake Griffin, the National Player of the Year front-runner, be able to do against that vaunted Syracuse 2-3 zone? The Orange has a pair of competent big men in Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson, but Griffin is a beast and the almost-certain No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft.

5. Arizona is the feel-good story of the tournament. The junior class of Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise has been through three head coaches in their three seasons. This year it’s interim coach Russ Pennell after Hall of Famer Lute Olson called it a career just prior to the start of the season. The Wildcats lost all their recruits and will be a Pac-10 doormat next year after Budinger and Hill leave early for the NBA.

6. The most exciting game of the Sweet 16 should be Memphis against Missouri. The battle of the Tigers, both of which love to get out and run. This could be like a track meet. John Calipari’s Tigers have Lynn native Antonio Anderson — who has won more games than anyone else in D-1 history and is the team’s clear leader.

7. How will UConn react after the Yahoo.com story about the Huskies recruitment of ex-player Nate Miles?  I doubt it’ll have any affect on the players in their game against Purdue, but it certainly has grabbed plenty of headlines. And to think that UConn coach Jim Calhoun had stress issues prior to the opening-round that forced him to sit out.

8. The defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks lost six of their top seven scorers from last season, but Bill Self has done a remarkable coaching job and taken a team with one proven player, junior guard Sherron Collins, and taken them to the Sweet 16. Now that get an erratic Michigan State team with an Elite Eight berth on the line.

9. Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino will go up against the Cinderella of the tournament — an Arizona team that is searching for a permanent head coach. There’s plenty of speculation that Pitino is ready to make another move, and may wind up in Tucson.

10. Keep an eye on the coaching carousel. Don’t be shocked if Kentucky gets rid of Billy Gillispie after just two years. If that happens, it’ll start a potential domino effect. Kentucky went after Florida coach Billy Donovan a couple years ago and may make another run at the Gators coach. If Donovan leaves, look for VCU head man and former Donovan assistant Anthony Grant to opt for Florida over Alabama.

Bonus Note: How about Boston University firing Dennis Wolff and paying him $1.2 million left on his contract and then BU athletic director Mike Lynch going out and hiring a search firm, Dan Parker & Associates, for a $75K price tag? Isn’t his job as an AD to be able to pick a coach without spending more money on a search firm?  The latest name to be tossed around is Bentley head coach Jay Lawson. I’m fairly certain the Terriers didn’t need to shell out $75K to come up with Lawson’s name.