NCAA Tournament 2012 Predictons: Baylor and the 3 Teams Doomed to Fail

Now that the 2012 NCAA tournament brackets have officially been released, what three top-seeded schools are destined to to make an early exit?

Here's the link to download a pdf of the official bracket.

No. 3 Baylor

The Baylor Bears have been, for the most part, an inconsistent team in 2012. They have dropped five of their last 11 games, which isn't a good sign for any team right before the tournament. However, those five losses did come against quality teams like Kansas St., Iowa St., Missouri (twice) and Kansas.

But the reason Baylor won't make it far in the tournament is because of the region they were placed in. If they get past No. 14 South Dakota State, they might have to face the Colorado Buffaloes, who have been extremely hot as of late.

On top of that, No. 2 Duke and No. 1 Kentucky are also in the same region (South), which makes it arguably the toughest of the four regions.

It will be an uphill battle for Baylor if they want to make it out of the Sweet 16.

No. 7 Notre Dame

Notre Dame has been shaky all year, especially as of late. They have lost three out of their last five, including unimpressive wins against Providence and South Florida.  

They have lost to teams like Rutgers and Maryland, which certainly blemished their track record. However, they also beat Syracuse when they were they No. 1 team in the nation, so you know they can beat anyone on a good day.

It will all depend on whether or not they show up and play to the best of their ability.

No. 2 Duke

Duke's inconsistency in the NCAA tournament has been well-documented. The most recent example of this was their loss to Florida State in the ACC tournament.

Duke has a handful of impressive wins against teams like North Carolina and Kansas, but they have also had some very ugly losses.

This Duke team has also gone against its roots, as Austin Rivers' me-first mentality strictly goes against what Duke basketball stands for.

This Duke team has the potential to win it all, as they do almost every year. However, they also have the potential to get knocked out in the first few rounds.