Bracketology 2012: Latest Predictions for 2012 NCAA Tournament

The madness is just about upon us—Selection Sunday is right around the corner.

Conference Week is traditionally the week we see teams' true colors, and this year is no different, with several schools falling from grace and others surging up the rankings.

Bubble teams have also been pressed to impress the committee, hoping their resumes are just good enough to squeak in and make it to the Big Dance.

Here is the latest predictions for where teams will land when all is set in stone on Sunday night.

East Regional - (Boston - TD Garden)

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC Asheville

No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 California

No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 12 Long Beach State  

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Xavier

No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 Colorado State

No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 14 Montana

No. 7 San Diego State vs. No. 10 St. Louis

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Lehigh

Syracuse is poised to grab the second overall seed and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, despite their loss to streaking Cincinnati.

The only problem for them here is Michigan State, as neither Virginia, California or Wisconsin should be able to upset the Orange.  On the other end, Michigan State's only real test would be against the height of Georgetown, which may cause some problems for them.

I would not be surprised to see a team like Georgetown or Michigan State upset the Orange in the Elite Eight.

Midwest Regional - (St. Louis - Edward Jones Dome)

No. 1 Missouri vs. No. 16 Lamar/ Norfolk State

No. 8 New Mexico vs. No. 9 Alabama

No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 12 BYU

No. 4 Murray State vs. No. 13 North Carolina State

No. 6 St. Mary's vs. No. 11 Drexel

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 Belmont

No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Kansas State

No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 LIU Brooklyn

By far the hardest region to get out of, Missouri will have their hands full after sneaking in and grabbing one of the top seeds.  With Kansas falling in the Big 12 tournament to Baylor, the Tigers should be able to hold off Baylor later tonight.

The sleeper here is the Big East, who will have Marquette and Louisville each trying to win this region.  Also, New Mexico is a very underrated team, so there is a possible second-round upset over Missouri as a possibility.

Look for Kansas to take this region, though.  They matchup fairly well with every team in this region.

South Regional - (Atlanta - Georgia Dome)

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Western Kentucky/ Miss. Valley State

No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Purdue

No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 12 New Mexico State

No. 4 Wichita State vs. No. 13 South Dakota State/ Ohio

No. 6 Notre Dame vs. 11 Mississippi State/Texas

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 14 Davidson

No. 7 Temple vs. No. 10 Harvard

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Loyola (MD)

This region seems almost destined for a Duke vs. Kentucky Elite Eight, which would not be a bad matchup in my book.

Look for Wichita State and Cincinnati in this region to be a surprise.  Cincinnati has been on a tear as of late and Wichita State can hang with every one of these teams in this tournament.

Also, Notre Dame played very poorly in the Big East tournament, so look for an upset there. 

West Regional - (Phoenix - U.S. Airways Center)

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Stony Brook

No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 South Florida

No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Nevada

No. 4 Florida vs. No. 13 Colorado

No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 VCU

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Vermont

No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Connecticut

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Detroit

Another extremely hard region to win, with several of these teams picked to go deep in this tournament by most experts.

UNC should have their hands full in the Sweet 16 with either Florida or Indiana, but Ohio State should have an easy time on the bottom of the bracket until they hit Baylor.  When Baylor is at their best, they are tough to beat, so watch out for that matchup in the Sweet 16, as well.

Connecticut has a chance to be another surprise this season, but look out for Gonzaga who has all the pieces for a magical run.  If they are consistent and come ready to play, they should be able to match up well with Ohio State in the second round.  The better matchup would be with UConn, though.

This year, there are a lot of top teams that have separated themselves from the pack so look for a very clean bracket this year, although we can always count on that one team to surprise throughout the tournament.

Hot teams play well in this tournament, and it does not get much hotter than both Louisville and Cincinnati right now, so watch out for either one of them.

All in all, enjoy the drama that keeps attracting us back to this wonderful time of year.