March Madness Schedule 2012: Top 10 Games to Watch in the First Round

The first round of the NCAA tournament is arguably the best in March Madness, and these 10 games are the ones to look forward to from the best round of games in sports. 

Teams like VCU will try to recreate their success from last season, while teams like Harvard will try to win their first game in school history. Harvard is actually in only their second NCAA tournament in school history.

Purdue is on this list for sentimental reasons, including that this could be Robbie Hummel's last college game.

These are the top 10 games for many reasons, but they will all be worth watching. The Big Dance is the best time of year on the sports calendar, and these 20 teams will remind us why.

Iowa State vs Connecticut

The reigning champions, the Connecticut Huskies, are seeded as a No. 9 seed this year, and are facing a first round game against No. 8 Iowa State.

This is going to be a very close game that should come down to the wire, but that is not why you should be watching.

Very rarely will a champion go down in the first round of the next year, and UConn will try to pull off the upset in order to avoid doing so.

The featured matchup in this game will be the do-everything forward Royce White of Iowa State against potential No. 2 NBA Draft pick Andre Drummond. These two will have a huge impact on the result of this game, and matchup well against each other.

What's more, if UConn wins this game they set up a great game against No. 1 Kentucky, who they have a chance to upset. That could be considered the biggest upset of the tournament if it happens, but UConn's first step is to beat Iowa State.

Wichita State vs VCU

Two of the potential Cinderellas of this year's tournament will face off in a twelve-versus-five matchup.

The Wichita State Shockers are the No. 5 team in the South region, and are arguably the best mid-major in this year's tournament. Led by Garrett Stutz, the Shockers are a talented team that has the potential to go far.

VCU, on the other hand, pulled off a run to the Final Four last year, and are looking to repeat that success. Led by Bradford Burgess, the Rams are a talented team. Coach Shaka Smart is a genius who can lead his team on a deep run, and this team needs to be taken seriously.

This game has all sorts of storylines, including having two Cinderellas and setting up the twelve-over-five upset that we know will happen some time this year.

This game is going to bust a lot of brackets for one reason or another, and it could come down to whoever has the ball last.

Notre Dame vs Xavier

Notre Dame secured a No. 7 seed in the South region, setting up a game against No. 10 Xavier. I see this game as an upset, but it could go either way.

With Notre Dame's best player, Tim Abromaitis, done for the year, the task of beating the Musketeers falls upon point guard Jerian Grant and big man Jack Cooley. This team is not the same without Abromaitis, and they are vulnerable.

Xavier's Tu Holloway can stymie Grant by either playing tough defense or matching him shot for shot. Holloway is the best scoring point guard in the country at 17.0 points per game. The team also has Kenny Frease trying to match Cooley inside, but Cooley should prevail.

The X-factor in this game will be the play of Mark Lyons. Lyons averages 16.5 points per game, and he will need to make up the difference between Cooley and Frease, not to mention kick in another 10 points or so in order to win.

Both teams have the potential to win this game, which makes me think it will be one of the best to watch in the first round.

New Mexico vs Long Beach State

Long Beach State was pegged as a Cinderella back in November after beating Pittsburgh. The team then beat Xavier in December.

LBSU was pegged as a Cinderella because of their success against good teams, and their tough schedule, consisting of Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina and Louisville.

The team is led by Casper Ware, but Larry Anderson and double-double machine T.J. Robinson also help to keep this team great.

The 49ers are trying to upset No. 5 New Mexico in the first round, and they have a good chance to do so.

Florida vs Virginia

Florida's biggest concern is their lack of size, while Virginia utilizes Mike Scott's size to win games. On the flip-side, Virginia's guards are mediocre, while Florida's are superb.

This game is going to feature two very different styles, and the question is which will prevail.

Florida has only Patric Young inside, while they have Bradley Beal, Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Mike Rosario in the backcourt. They have a prolific offense, scoring roughly 70-80 points per game.

Virginia, on the other hand, relies heavily on Scott, and is cold going into the tournament after being upset by North Carolina State.

During this game Scott will dominate inside, but Florida will completely outclass Virginia in terms of their backcourts. This game will come down to the wire because of the differences in style, but I see Florida winning.

Vanderbilt vs Harvard

In our third five-versus-twelve matchup, we have the Vanderbilt Commodores playing the Harvard Crimson.

This is just Harvard's second time in the Big Dance, with the first coming during 1946, when the team went 0-2. Harvard is looking for the first win in school history, but Vandy stands in their way.

Vanderbilt is led by shooting guard John Jenkins, who scores 20 points per game. They also have Jeffrey Taylor kicking in over 17 per game, and Festus Ezeli is a defensive-stopper inside.

This game promises to be a good one, as Harvard is fighting for history, while Vanderbilt looks to continue their hot streak that led them through the SEC tournament and a win over No. 1 Kentucky.

Cincinnati vs Texas

This game between No. 6 Cincinnati and No. 11 Texas features two of the players to watch in this year's tournament: Yancy Gates and J'Covan Brown.

Gates is a dominant big man that led his Bearcats through the Big East tournament, including a win over Syracuse before losing to Louisville.

Brown is one of the nation's best players, scoring over 20 points per contest, and taking over many games this season.

Cincy and Texas both have the potential to make a run to the Sweet 16 and beyond, but they will have to start by knocking off the other one.

Creighton vs Alabama

Creighton has the potential to be this year's Butler, coming as a No. 8 seed and going to the championship game. However, they will have to start against Alabama.

Bama will be a tough test for Creighton, as JaMychal Green has the potential to shut down Doug McDermott.

Green is the type of player who can shut McDermott down. Garrett Stutz of Wichita State is the only comparable defender McDermott faced, and he scored 12 and 13 points in the two games he faced Stutz.

If Green takes McDermott out of the equation Creighton is no longer an intimidating team. With Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph and Trevor Releford handling the backcourt duties, this team should be able to stop Creighton.

San Diego State vs North Carolina State

The North Carolina State Wolfpack comes into the Big Dance hot, knocking off Virginia and losing to North Carolina on a few questionable calls in the ACC tournament. San Diego State, on the other hand, is looking to shock the world as a mid-major.

Sophomore C.J. Leslie leads the Wolfpack, and he will be the best player on the floor in their game against the Aztecs. While Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley should not be taken lightly, Leslie is better than both of them, and Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown will help the 'Pack compete with the Aztecs.

The Wolfpack has five players averaging double-digit points per game, and all five can have a big game on any given night.

The Aztecs cannot shut down all five players, and the question will be how many they can stop.

Saint Mary's vs Purdue

Robbie Hummel is one of the most popular players in college basketball. He is simply a great kid and a great athlete who it's hard not to love.

The college basketball world wept when, last season, Hummel tore his ACL during Midnight Madness after recovering from an injury that ended his 2009-10 season. Now he is fighting back, and leading Purdue is points and rebounds per game.

This could be Hummel's last game in college, and it will be worth watching just to say good-bye to him.

However, this will also be a great game, as Hummel will be trying to lead his Boilermakers to an upset of Saint Mary's.

The two teams are very different, as the Gaels have the better backcourt, and Hummel leads the Boilermakers' superior frontcourt.

This game could come down to the wire, if saying good-bye to Hummel wasn't enough for you.

For your printable bracket for the 2012 NCAA tournament, click here

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