NCAA Tournament 2012 Predictions: Biggest Round of 64 Shockers in Each Region

There are bound to be some shocking upsets right out of the gate when the NCAA tournament gets underway. Such craziness is par for the course in the Big Dance.

Naturally, the question is, where will they happen?

Good question. There aren't that many matchups with upset potential, which is a pity. The Big Dance is far more fun when the top teams are crashing and burning.

It's not totally hopeless, though. We're likely to see at least one upset in each of the four regions in the Round of 64. My upset pick for each region is listed below.

East: No. 12 Harvard over No. 5 Vanderbilt

The Commodores were last seen beating the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats in the final of the SEC tournament. Conventional wisdom suggests that they'll be able to handle a Harvard team that is going dancing for the first time since the 1940s.

Not so fast, though.

The Crimson are one of the top defensive teams in the country, and they're very efficient scoring points inside the arc. Harvard is a team that is perfectly equipped to slow down the game to a pace it prefers, wearing opponents down in the process.

If Vanderbilt's threes aren't falling on the offensive end of the floor, this game is going to be very close. A game like that will be won by whichever team wants it more.

I'll wager Harvard wants it more than any team in the field this year.

Midwest: No. 11 N.C. State over No. 6 San Diego State

The Wolfpack suffered through a four-game losing streak in February, but they've been playing very good basketball ever since. They won four in a row after losing four in a row, and they should have beaten North Carolina in the ACC tournament.

What makes N.C. State scary is that it can put as many as five above-average scorers out on the floor at a time. C.J. Leslie is the best, and he also emerged as a consistent double-double threat down the stretch. He recorded a double-double in each of N.C. State's last four wins.

The Wolfpack's scoring ability will serve them well against a San Diego State team that does not excel on defense. The Aztecs are an inconsistent offensive team in their own right, and that will be their undoing against the Wolfpack.

Truth be told, I expect N.C. State to take this one easily.

South: No. 10 Xavier over No. 7 Notre Dame

The Musketeers have gotten this far largely thanks to their backcourt combo of Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons, both of whom averaged better than 15 points per game this season.

The backcourt will provide points against Notre Dame, but the bigger problem for the Irish will be Xavier's tough defense. The Muskies play an aggressive man-to-man defense, and that will spell trouble for an Irish team that struggles to score points on offense.

If the Musketeers are scoring points at the other end against the Irish, this game could get away from them in a hurry. The Irish don't have enough scorers to light up the scoreboard, and they'll be totally doomed if they have to resort to taking threes.

Xavier will back Notre Dame into a corner like this. The Irish have drawn a tough matchup.

West: No. 10 Virginia over No. 7 Florida

The Gators are an above-average offensive team, and they thrive on making shots from beyond the arc. No lead is safe when Florida's shooters are clicking.

Virginia is a team that can hang with Florida's offense, though. The Cavaliers allowed just 53.7 points per game this season, and their opponents shot just 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.

If Virginia successfully shuts down Florida's three-point shooters, the Gators will be forced to play a physical game they're not accustomed to playing. That's the kind of game Virginia can win, especially if Mike Scott shows up and plays a great game.

It won't be pretty, but Virginia will take this game.

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