NCAA Tournament 2012 Schedule: Times, Dates, Live Streaming and TV Info

March Madness is the best time of the year for sports fans. We all converge around television sets for the next three weeks watching the NCAA tournament, with all the upsets and pageantry that made us fans of the event itself. 

Kentucky and Syracuse will enter the field of 68 as the biggest favorites. They had the best regular season records in the country, and have rosters loaded with talent. But being the big dog on the block does not always lead to success. 

Mid-majors and underdogs are going to steal the show early, but will there be another team that makes a VCU-like run in this year's tournament? We will break down the field of 68 with all the information you need to get ready for the start of the insanity. 

When: First Round Games Played on March 13 and 14, Times TBA; Games Start on Thursday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. EDT 

Watch: All Games Broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV

Live Streaming: All Games Available on NCAA.com

NCAA Tournament Schedule:

Selection Sunday—March 11, 2012

First Round—March 13-14, 2012

UD Arena (Dayton, Ohio)

Second-Third Rounds

March 15 and 17, 2012

Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.)

The Pit (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Consol Energy Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.)

March 16 and 18, 2012

Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio)

CenturyLink Center Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)

Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)

Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, N.C.)

East Regional—March 22 and 24, 2012

TD Garden (Boston)

West Regional—March 22 and 24, 2012

US Airways Center (Phoenix)

Midwest Regional—March 23 and 25, 2012

Edward Jones Dome (St. Louis)

South Regional—March 23 and 25, 2012

Georgia Dome (Atlanta)

National Semifinals—March 31, 2012

Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans)

Championship Game—April 2, 2012

Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans)

Under-The-Radar Team To Watch: Murray State

While Kentucky and Syracuse go 30-1 and grab all the college basketball headlines, Murray State does not have that luxury. This program came out of nowhere to run its way through the Ohio Valley Conference. 

The Racers are not the sexiest team—they don't have a high-powered offense that scores points in bunches. They are one of the most efficient teams in the country, shooting a high-percentage from the field. 

Don't sleep on them, even though they didn't play in one of the big six conferences. 

Prediction: Kentucky rolls to a title

It may be boring to predict Kentucky, a team that went 30-1 during the regular season, to win a championship. But it is hard to deny what the Wildcats did and all the talent that is on the roster.

Say what you want about John Calipari, but he knows how to recruit and coach his young freshmen players. This team gelled much faster than any of us thought, and they will bring another banner to Lexington when all is said and done. 

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