NCAA Bracket 2012 Predictions: Your Complete Guide for Today's Madness

Today kicks off the beginning of the round of 64, which is when the real madness of March begins. The NCAA tournament gives us no less than 16 games of epic basketball today, and it will be difficult to know what games to watch. This is your guide to today's madness.

Best Games to Watch:

No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach State

In the first five-versus-12 matchup of the day, Long Beach State will look to seal themselves as the Cinderella they were picked to be in November. This game will boil down to Drew Gordon and Kendall Williams of New Mexico against Casper Ware, Larry Anderson and double-double machine T.J. Robinson.

No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Harvard

Harvard hasn't made the Big Dance in 66 years, but in their first trip since 1946 they will take on a red-hot Vanderbilt team that just knocked off No. 1 Kentucky for the SEC tournament championship. This will have all eyes on it, since it is not only a five-versus-12 matchup, but it features a potential Cinderella against a potential Elite Eight team.

No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 VCU

In a game that features Wichita State, the best mid-major in the field of 68, VCU looks to follow up their magical run to the Final Four last year with another upset or two. Look for the matchup of Bradford Burgess against Garrett Stutz. While they won't play directly against each other, they will go shot-for-shot in this one.

No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Connecticut

Reigning champs UConn are seeded as the worst team in their first-round game, but they have the potential to make a deep run. This game will be interesting to watch, because we will get our first look at Jim Calhoun's UConn team defending their title.

No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 West Virginia

In a potential upset, Gonzaga will try to pit their superior guards against West Virginia, while trying to limit the damage of Kevin Jones. This game will be decided by West Virginia's double-double machine, and just how well he plays.

Games to Ignore:

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC Asheville

Even without Fab Melo, Syracuse is a dangerous team. They are still much more talented, quicker, bigger and stronger than UNC Asheville, and I would bet my house on Syracuse to win.

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Western Kentucky

Similarly, No. 1 overall seed Kentucky will look to blow out a Western Kentucky team that is 16-18, including their play-in win. The Hilltoppers needed a huge comeback to beat Mississippi Valley State by a single point, and they won't be able to stop the Wildcats from imposing their will.

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Loyola (MD)

Ohio State is a dangerous team with Jared Sullinger inside, and DeShaun Thomas, Aaron Craft and William Buford hitting threes. They won't even be challenged by Loyola, who are not big enough to stop Sullinger.

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 South Dakota State

Baylor's frontcourt of Perry Jones III, Quincy Miller and Quincy Acy will be able to dominate South Dakota State inside, while Pierre Jackson should be able to stop the Jackrabbits' star, Nate Wolters. Wolters averages almost 22 points per game, but he does it against weak opponents, who are not as good as Jackson. This game will be another blowout.

Matchups to Watch:

Jordan Taylor vs. Montana's defense

Montana's one hope of beating Wisconsin is to shut down Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor. Montana is in trouble against Wisconsin's defense, but if they can take out the best player for the Badgers, they will stand a much better chance.

BYU's forwards vs. Marquette's big men

BYU has Brandon Davies inside, who helped lead the team last year before being suspended. They also have Noah Hartsock, who dropped 23 points against Iona last night. Marquette needs their big men to stop these two from leading BYU to the upset.

Mike Moser vs. Andre Roberson

Mike Moser is UNLV's best player by far, and he will have to play inside against Andre Roberson, Colorado's double-double machine who averages 11.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. This will be the deciding matchup in the game.

Andre Drummond vs. Royce White

Royce White is the do-everything power forward for Iowa State, but taking him out of the equation makes this team much more vulnerable to a small upset. Andre Drummond is an excellent big man, who uses his athleticism and stature to dominate the game if he so chooses. These two will be fighting inside to determine the winner of this game.

Stars Who Will Shine:

Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Kevin Jones is West Virginia's talented big man, who averages 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He is going to dominate inside against Gonzaga because their only player big enough to stop him is Robert Sacre, who is too soft to stop Jones. I see West Virginia's big man going for 28 points and 17 rebounds against the Bulldogs.

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette

BYU was torn apart by Scott Machado of Iona, who had a double-double in points and assists. Darius Johnson-Odom is also a guard, but he is a much better scorer than Machado, who went for 15 points. DJO is in for a huge scoring day, as Iona's guard combined for 60 of their 72 points. If they can do that, DJO can go for 25 or more points easily.

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Loyola (MD) will have no answer for big man Jared Sullinger inside. Sullinger is a man among boys, who completely dominates the game, and he will have no problem beating Loyola inside, as no one is as big or powerful as Sullinger.

Potential Bracket-Busting Upsets:

No. 12 VCU over No. 5 Wichita State

VCU made an improbable run last year in the NCAA tournament, and they will look to start this year with another upset. Bradford Burgess is not a good college player, he is a great one. Burgess will be looking to go out with a bang, and he could do so against the Shockers. Seven-footer Garrett Stutz will need to play well for Wichita State to win, and VCU will be looking to stop him. This game has the potential for an upset written all over it.

No. 12 Long Beach State over No. 5 New Mexico

Long Beach State was pegged as a potential Cinderella back in November, and they will look to prove that against New Mexico. They will utilize point guard Casper Ware, scoring machine Larry Anderson and double-double monster T.J. Robinson. LBSU has a great shot at upsetting the Lobos, and this game could hurt more than a few brackets of people who haven't heard of Long Beach State.

No. 10 West Virginia over No. 7 Gonzaga

Kevin Jones of West Virginia is going to be able to impose his will inside against Gonzaga. The only way for the Bulldogs to salvage this game is to have their guards play incredibly well, but I don't see that happening. The Mountaineers should definitely be able to pull off this upset.

Complete TV Schedule with Predictions (Best Game to Watch at Each Time in Bold):

Time (ET)	Teams	Channel
12:15 p.m.	No. 6 Murray State over No. 11 Colorado	CBS
12:40 p.m.	No. 8 Kansas State over No. 6 Southern Miss	Tru
1:40 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville over No. 13 Davidson	TBS
2:10 p.m.	No. 4 Wisconsin over No. 13 Montana	TNT
2:45 p.m.	No. 3 Marquette over No. 14 BYU	CBS
3:10 p.m.	No. 1 Syracuse over No. 16 UNC Asheville	Tru
4:10 p.m.	No. 12 Long Beach State over No. 5 New Mexico	TBS
4:40 p.m.	No. 5 Vanderbilt over No. 12 Harvard	TNT
6:50 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky over No. 16 Western Kentucky	TBS
7:15 p.m.	No. 12 VCU over No. 5 Wichita State	CBS
7:20 p.m.	No. 10 West Virginia over No. 7 Gonzaga	TNT
7:27 p.m.	No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 South Dakota State	Tru
9:20 p.m.	No. 9 Connecticut over No. 8 Iowa State	TBS
9:45 p.m.	No. 4 Indiana over No. 13 New Mexico State	CBS
9:50 p.m.	No. 2 Ohio State over No. 15 Loyola (MD)	TNT
9:57 p.m.	No. 6 UNLV over No. 11 Colorado	Tru

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

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