NCAA Basketball Scores 2012: Breaking Down Today's Elite Games

Today is the second day of the round of 64 in the 2012 NCAA tournament, and March Madness brings us many great games on day two of the second round. The NCAA bracket gives us some potential upsets and barn-burners today.

The first four games today (Cincinnati vs. Texas, San Diego State vs. North Carolina State, Creighton vs. Alabama and Florida vs. Virginia) are all close matchups that will surely provide some fireworks. The following 12 games are going to follow that up with some buzzer-beaters, star performances, upsets and more.

In short, today is the epitome of why we love March Madness, and these are the games to watch today.

East: No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Texas

The first game of today is a great one, featuring Cincinnati and Texas. This is going to be a very close game, featuring two of the tournament's best stars.

J'Covan Brown will look to lead the Longhorns to an upset. The team earned one of the last at-large bids this year, and they are looking to prove that they deserved it. Brown will need to go over his average of 20 points per game if the team is going to win, but that is a reasonable demand.

Yancy Gates led his team to the finals of the Big East tournament, upsetting Syracuse on the way. They now look to begin their road to the Final Four, and we know that the team will be looking for a statement win.

The matchup to watch is Texas freshman Myck Kabongo against Cincy's defense, as he has some great games and some terrible games.

I give the edge to Cincinnati, because Cincinnati can stop Kabongo, who is Texas' X-factor. If it's just Brown, this team is very vulnerable—I see Cincinnati avoiding the upset.

Midwest: No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 North Carolina State

Just 25 minutes after Cincy and Texas tip off, we have another great matchup between a No. 6 seed and a No. 11 seed.

San Diego State has been hovering around the Top 25 in the country for a long time, and they can thank Chase Tapley and Jamaal Franklin for that. While this team is not as good as they were last year, they are still a good team.

North Carolina State, on the other hand, grabbed one of the last at-large bids because of an upset of Virginia in the ACC tournament, before they lost to North Carolina on a few questionable calls. Now sophomore C.J. Leslie looks to lead his team to a few upsets.

North Carolina State is hot right now, which makes them a dangerous team. The Aztecs won six games in a row before losing to New Mexico in the Mountain West tournament, but they have the potential to win this game.

This should come down to the play of sensational sophomore C.J. Leslie, and it could go either way. However, I think Leslie steps it up this game, and the Wolfpack win.

Midwest: No. 8 Creighton vs. No. 9 Alabama

In the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup in the Midwest, the game will come down to the big men. Both Creighton and Alabama have talented big men, who will be battling inside for the victory.

Creighton's Doug McDermott is one of the best players in the country, averaging 23.2 points per game, which is the third most in the country. He is the leader for Creighton, but when he has bad games the team struggles mightily.

Alabama has JaMychal Green, who is their big power forward who will be trying to stop McDermott. McDermott hasn't played a lot of big men who are of the same caliber as Green, but the most comparable is probably Garrett Stutz. While Green isn't seven-feet tall, he is powerful and can block shots.

In games when McDermott played against Stutz, he averaged only 12.5 points, which is just over half of his average.

If Green shuts down McDermott, this game will go to the Crimson Tide.

West: No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Virignia

In an SEC-ACC matchup, No. 7 Florida and No. 10 Virginia are going to put on a show.

Florida's weakness is inside, while big man Mike Scott is easily Virginia's best player. Common sense would imply that Scott would dominate in this game, but since Virginia doesn't have another great big man, center Patric Young can try to stop Scott.

On the other hand, Florida has arguably the best backcourt in the country, with Bradley Beal, Mike Rosario, Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. These four guys are going to be looking to carry the team, and Virginia doesn't have anyone to stop them.

This game is going to come down to how well Scott plays, and I can't see him having a great game against Young inside.

West: No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Saint Louis

In a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup, Memphis looks to prove that they are still dangerous, while Saint Louis looks to honor their coach, who died from a lung affliction earlier this season.

Memphis will be led by their athletic freak Will Barton, who averages 18.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He is easily the team's best player, and without him they would not have made the tournament.

Brian Conklin and Kwamain Mitchell are the leaders for the Billikens of Saint Louis. These two combine for over 25 points per game, and they will need to come up big if the team is going to beat Memphis.

While I will be rooting for Saint Louis because they lost their coach, I can't see them stopping Barton and Memphis.

Midwest: No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Purdue

No. 7 Saint Mary's and No. 10 Purdue are sure to put on a show. Saint Mary's is one of the best mid-majors in the country, while Purdue is led by senior Robbie Hummel, who is one of the most likable players in college basketball.

Led by Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's is looking to make a deep run in this year's tournament. They will need big man Rob Jones to get his double-double, as he averages 14.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Robbie Hummel is playing what could be his last game in his college career, and he will be looking to show that he is still a dominant force, giving Purdue fans something to cheer about. He leads the team in both points and rebounds per game, and will look for a double-double of his own.

I can't see Saint Mary's stopping Robbie Hummel, and I think his raw emotions will help him lead Purdue to a victory. It also helps that the game is held in the Midwest region.

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

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame lost Tim Abromaitis early in the year, but they will still play a great game against No. 10 Xavier.

Notre Dame has point guard Jerian Grant and big man Jack Cooley, but they will not be enough for a win. Xavier matches up well against them, and only if Notre Dame had another great inside player like Abromaitis, could they have won.

Tu Holloway is the best scoring point guard in the nation. He can cancel out Grant by either playing tight defense on him or making up for every point he lets up on the offensive end. Seven-footer Kenny Frease will be able to stop Cooley inside, due to his intimidating presence in the paint.

The biggest difference in this game will be guard Mark Lyons of Xavier. Lyons averages over 15 points per game, and the margin of victory for Xavier should be pretty similar to the number of points Lyons puts up, as the team are comparable apart from him.

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

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