NCAA Bracket 2012 Predictions: Bracket Busters You Need on Your Radar

There are always at least one or two teams in every NCAA tournament bracket that will have millions of people cursing their school's name.

Fans have grown smarter, looking for that buster of brackets which could make or break yours. Choose correctly, and you will look like a genius. Some may also accuse you of being in on the conspiracy, but don't let that mess you up.

It's the single most daunting task when predicting a bracket, so you had better choose wisely. Here are five good candidates to keep looking at over and over again. If you don't heed this advice, I'm going on the record to say you've been warned.

Iona Gaels

Iona has gone from that school that nobody outside of the New York metro area had ever heard of to 2012's edition of the team everybody suddenly hates. Fans of Drexel and Seton Hall are certainly going to root against them tonight, when they have their First Four game against Brigham Young.

Iona will likely move on from that game relatively unscathed, as the whole country despises that they are even there to begin with.

Don't think that Marquette will take them lightly, but it will be up to their defense to slow down Iona, who puts up the most points per game of any team in the nation. Iona doesn't play a lot of defense, but if the Gaels keep scoring and you don't, you won't beat them.

The Gaels should be causing fits all the way to the third round, where Murray State—in front of their home crowd—will try to put Iona away for a trip to Phoenix.

Virginia Commonwealth Rams

They're back.

The team that nobody believed in last year has returned as a No. 12 seed in the South Region. It's because of Shaka Smart and his Rams that we even give a second glance to teams in the First Four games. We also have to fear VCU in general, because they may be even better this time than last season, when they made the Final Four.

Wichita State is a talented team that is experienced in postseason tournaments, but Smart has dealt with the March Madness before and I think he likes it. The challenge is there for Smart to find a way to outdo his last coaching job with Virginia Commonwealth. He accepts that challenge and may make an example out of Wichita State.

You're not off the hook, either, Indiana. Assuming you can make it past New Mexico State, the Rams will try to force you back home as well.

VCU took down a team from the Pac-12 (USC), Big East (Georgetown), Big Ten (Purdue), ACC (Florida State) and Big 12 (Kansas) on their way to the Final Four last season. Which conferences will fall to the Rams this time?

Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State will try to do some damage out of the East Region, where they are the No. 8 seed. Normally, a No. 8 seed against a No. 9 seed sounds like a pretty close matchup.

However, Southern Miss is that No. 9 seed and one of the more overrated teams in this entire tournament. Kansas State, however, has beaten both Baylor and Missouri in back-to-back games in the last month.

The Wildcats will make the Round of 32 and take on a Syracuse squad who now no longer has Fab Melo to help them coast through parts of the tournament. Without Melo, the Orange might as well be another color. They certainly are another team.

Kansas State is a surprise Sweet 16 team in some eyes and will even cause some trouble in the East Regional games in Boston, where they may end up facing Wisconsin for a chance at the Elite Eight.

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

I couldn't get any relevant pictures of the current St. Bonaventure team on this site, mainly because the whole team was in grade school the last time they were in the tournament.

The Bonnies have been absent since 2000, but they have returned to the tournament with a shocking Atlantic 10 Conference victory, giving them an automatic bid. Their reward for getting in was a No. 14 seed and a second-round date with Florida State, who won the ACC Tournament.

There may not be a lot of knowledge about St. Bonaventure forward Andrew Nicholson right now, but there will be. Nicholson has scored at least 19 points in each of his last 11 games and crashed the boards as well. In a game in early February, Nicholson had 23 rebounds. This kid is for real, and the Seminoles should be afraid of the Bonnies.

Long Beach State 49ers

This is the team I am resting my faith on. The Long Beach State 49ers play a great out-of-conference schedule and have hung around good teams all year long. They finally broke through in the Big West Conference Tournament, earning the automatic bid and giving a team with seven seniors one chance to make it in the tournament.

New Mexico is opponent No. 1 for the 49ers, who can use their experience, toughness and great shooting abilities to shock the Lobos in their first game. It's a No. 12 seed beating a No. 5 seed. Anyone surprised?

It would give Long Beach State a chance for a rematch with Louisville in the third round. These two teams played previously this season, and Louisville won by 13. Louisville was a lot better, but Long Beach State wasn't as hot as they are now.

Since that game, Long Beach State has gone 22-5. Those five losses include a two-point loss to Creighton, an eight-point loss to Kansas and a six-point loss to North Carolina.

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