NCAA Tournament 2012 Bracket: 8 Most Likely Blowouts You Can Take to the Bank

Let the games begin, March Madness has arrived in college basketball and the battle lines have been drawn. Looking forward to the first set of games, there are some obvious blowouts that are going to occur.

The No. 1 seeds will all likely march to big victories, but there are some other matchups that will end in big wins for the expected winners. Scatter in a few surprises, and you have a list of blowouts that are deposit worthy.

Looking at the games that are set to play, eight are going to be blowouts that you can take to the bank. 

Kentucky vs. WKU/MVSU

This may be the most obvious blowout that is set to occur in the tournament. Kentucky has built quite a season around star freshman Anthony Davis. The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed for a reason, they are virtually unbeatable.

The Wildcats have only lost two games this season, going undefeated inside the SEC. No matter which squad makes it out of the first round alive, Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State are destined to receive a throttling at the hands of the Wildcats.

This will be a fun second round matchup, for Kentucky fans. 

Duke vs. Lehigh

The Mountain Hawks of Lehigh are ready. They have worked hard for the tournament seeding that they received and there won’t be a doubt that they will give their strongest effort of the season as they open up tournament play against Duke.

Unfortunately for the Mountain Hawks, Duke will be ready for the first-round contest as well. The Blue Devils will look to Austin Rivers and Seth Curry to lead the scoring charge against the Mountain Hawks.

Expect the charge to be pretty substantial.  The Vegas odds makers have the spread at 12, I’m going with an 18 point margin, takers? 

Iona vs. BYU

This is a tough contest to look at and really expect to see a blowout, but surprises happen. BYU is currently listed as the two-point favorite by the Vegas odds makers, but Iona has something to prove.

The Gaels are one of the most explosive offenses in college basketball currently, which will give the Cougars fits in the first round.

Both the Cougars and the Gaels can score points, but look for the Gaels to take a run at the end, winning the game bigger than anyone expects.  

Missouri vs. Norfolk State

This is the time that you would wager your entire daily total for the Daily Double if you stood before Alex Trebek. The Tigers head into this contest currently listed as a 21.5 point favorite. Need I say more?

I know that the pageantry that comes with the tournament and the chance that Norfolk State has to make this a great Cinderella story, but it simply isn’t happening this year.

This is the first appearance for the Spartans in the tournament and unfortunately they drew one of the best teams in the lineup. If there was a blowout guarantee label, it would be stamped on this contest.

UNC vs. Lamar/Vermont

The Tar Heels will sit patiently awaiting their future opponent to be revealed after the first-round contest between Lamar and Vermont. Whichever team rises victoriously, it will be their last for the tournament.

The Tar Heels are very talented, with Harrison Barnes likely to hit 20 points in this game. Lamar and Vermont with both look to make the game close, but the Tar Heels will disappoint the masses with anything less than a double-digit win.

Don’t look for the Tar Heels to take this game lightly as they will march to a big victory in the second round.

Michigan State vs. LIU-Brooklyn

The LIU-Brooklyn team has to see the writing on the wall. They battled hard to earn their berth in the tournament, but they will fall hard to the Spartans in the second round.

Michigan State has played some strong basketball this season and they aren’t likely to throttle down to the competition any time soon. The Spartans have a title in their sights with LIU-Brooklyn being a distance guide at this point.

This game will be bad. You heard it here first. 

Kansas vs. Detroit

The Jayhawks are ready. The Titans from Detroit will try to be, but their efforts will fall short. The Jayhawks are a very talented team and are an early 15-point favorite.

The Jayhawks will look to Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor to have a big game and seal the win early. Both are averaging over 17 points a game.

As hard as Detroit has worked to earn their tournament berth, their dance ends in their first contest by a big margin.

Syracuse vs. UNC-Ashville

The Orange are looking for a title. For them it starts with UNC-Ashville. They're are a 17-point favorite currently, with the Bulldogs not likely to have much of a chance at stopping the Orangemen’s offensive onslaught that is sure to come.

Look for the Orangemen to live up to the spread and likely surpass it. Syracuse will throttle the Bulldogs in the second round. 

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