NCAA Bracket 2012: Why South Is Most Exciting Region

The second round of the NCAA tournament kicks off on Thursday, as March Madness will officially begin. 

It is not very often when three of the Final Four teams from the previous year end up in one bracket. That is the case with the South region, which features No. 1 seed Kentucky, No. 8 seed UConn and No. 12 seed Virginia Commonwealth. 

The South bracket is arguably the region with the most firepower. Including Kentucky and two other Final Four teams from last year, the region also boasts Duke and Baylor, two teams who were constantly in the top 10 for most the season. The South also has Indiana, one of only two teams who were able to knock off the mighty Kentucky team this season. That could be an interesting matchup when the Sweet 16 rolls around. 

Kentucky may have the hardest path for any No. 1 seed. They have the possibility of facing defending champion UConn in the second round, a team that is way better and more talented than its deceiving 20-13 record. Expect to see some fireworks in a highly anticipated third-round matchup between the two star-studded teams. Top freshmen Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond could square off for the first (and only) time in their college careers. 

The No. 5 seed versus the No. 12 seed always provides an interesting matchup in any bracket, and Wichita State against Virginia Commonwealth will be no different. Both teams are considered "sleepers" who could easily make runs to the Sweet 16. 

Wichita State has senior leadership, the ability to shoot the three and also rebound very well. Virginia Commonwealth are a younger team that play great defense and rely on threes, the kind of basketball head coach Shaka Smart loves to execute. Either team could provide a very tough out for Kentucky in the Sweet 16. 

If you are looking for a shocking upset in the South region, look no further than No. 14 seed South Dakota State being the possible team to oust No. 3 seed Baylor. Baylor has slumped to 7-5 over the last twelve games, and despite beating Kansas in the Big 12 tournament, the team is falling fast. They need to be careful with this South Dakota State squad—a team that plays great defense and can be dangerous if they can get it going from downtown. 

UNLV is also a team to look out for in the South region. The Rebels have good size in the frontcourt as well as terrific guard play. This is a team that handed North Carolina their first loss on Nov. 26, beating them by 10. They should handle Pac-12 tournament champ Colorado easily in the first round, and have a simple route to the Sweet 16. 

Kentucky may be the most suited team to make it out of this tough region alive, but they don't call it madness for just any reason. The Wildcats only lost twice this season—after a perfect 16-0 in SEC play, they ended up losing to Vanderbilt in the final game of the SEC tournament. John Calipari has been here before, making it to two Final Fours in the last last four years, but never enough to win the whole thing. 

They only have Duke, Baylor, Indiana, UConn and Virginia Commonwealth that can get in their way.

This may be the year Calipari breaks through and cuts down the net for a national championship with the Kentucky Wildcats. Needless to say, they will have a very tough route getting there.