NCAA Tournament 2012 Bracket: No. 1 Kentucky Gets Stuck in Region of Death

Despite securing the top seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats were given nothing short of a bracket of death. The Wildcats will be challenged in every game from the round of 32 on, with teams like Connecticut, Indiana, Baylor and Duke being their future opponents.

The selection committee did Kentucky no favors, and March Madness will be filled with dangers for the Wildcats. The Big Dance will be more of a dog-fight than anything else for Kentucky, as they do not have any easy games (except perhaps their game against the play-in winner of Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State).

These are the biggest tests for Kentucky in the hardest region in the country.

Connecticut

Knocking off the reigning champs is never an easy task, and it is one that will fall to Kentucky.

Connecticut should have no problems beating No. 8 Iowa State in the first round, which gives Kentucky a tough matchup in the Round of 32.

The Huskies are led by Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier in the backcourt, and they also have Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi in the frontcourt.

Lamb is the team's best scorer, and he has been having an incredible season as a sophomore. He started the year with a 30-point game, and has continued to show that he isn't going to fade. Shabazz Napier is also a sophomore, and he is having the season of his life, averaging 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game.

Andre Drummond will be problematic for the Wildcats, as he is going to be facing off with Anthony Davis. Drummond is one of the best centers in the country when he is motivated, and playing against the projected National Player of the Year and No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft will have him looking to leave a mark on this game.

The Huskies will be motivated, having head coach Jim Calhoun back from surgery, and they will be looking to come out swinging and possibly beat the best team in the country.

Indiana

Indiana was the only team to beat the No. 1 Kentuky Wildcats before Vanderbilt stunned them in the finals of the SEC tournament. The Hoosiers' Christian Watford nailed a buzzer-beating three to win the game 73-72.

Now the Wildcats must conquer their demons, as it looks like they are destined to meet Indiana in the Sweet 16 if they can beat UConn.

The Wildcats will need to keep Anthony Davis on the floor, as he had some foul trouble against Cody Zeller last time. The Hoosiers know that they need to take Davis out early if they are going to win, so I expect them to go right at him.

The Hoosiers still have the potential to beat the Wildcats, and it would not be surprising to see them go 2-0 against Kentucky this season.

Baylor

If the Wildcats can beat Connecticut and Indiana, they may find themselves in a matchup with No. 3 Baylor.

The Bears of Baylor are very athletic, and they have one of the best frontcourts in the nation. Perry Jones III leads the bigs on this team, and if he is hot the Bears are next to impossible to beat. Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller both give this frontcourt more size and athleticism, and they can hang with Kentucky.

Baylor's Pierre Jackson has stepped up this year, taking over the role of point guard and averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. He leads the team in assists and is second in points.

The Bears are a dangerous team with the potential to beat any team in the country if Jones III is doing well, and they are the biggest threat to Kentucky, in my mind.

Duke

The No. 2 seed in Kentucky's bracket is Duke. The Blue Devils have arguably the best active tournament coach in the country in Mike Krzyzewski, and they are a dangerous team.

Duke has the ability to beat any team in the country if their threes are falling. Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Quinn Cook, and even big man Ryan Kelly can shoot well from three. With the Plumlee brothers inside with Kelly, this team has the potential to knock Kentucky out of the Big Dance.

Duke lives and dies with the three, but they are 27-6 this year for a reason. Duke has the defense to keep themselves in any game, and the shooters to beat any team.

If Duke can shoot 60 percent from three (which is not a tall order for this team) against Kentucky, the Wildcats can kiss a trip to the Final Four goodbye.

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

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