NCAA Bracket 2012: Today's Top Games We Can't Wait to Watch

The NCAA tournament is an exciting time, but there are always going to be some games that college basketball fans will look forward to more than others.

Whether it be a matchup of two closely matched teams, a meeting of two elite players or a bracket-busting game, each round of the tournament features a handful of highly anticipated games.

The following is a list of those games we cannot wait to watch on March 15.

No. 6 Murray State vs. No. 11 Colorado State, West Region

12:15 p.m. ET, CBS

The Murray State Racers have one of the best overall records in the country at 30-1. They also started the season on an impressive 23-0 run, showing the nation that they are not a team to mess with.

On the plus side for the Racers is their experience, which is cemented by Isaiah Canaan and Donte Pool. The bad thing is that this squad gives up 14-plus turnovers per game, a statistic that defines sloppy play and that is one thing not suited for the NCAA tournament.

For Colorado State, the key to winning is to keep shooting at a high percentage. The Rams have a 48 percent success rate for field goals and 41 percent success rate from the behind the arc.

Murray State has proven that it can win, but Colorado State is still a quality team that can do some damage in the early rounds of the tournament. 

No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Southern Mississippi, East Region

12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

What makes this game so intriguing is not knowing which Kansas State team is going to show up. Will it be the squad that defeated both Baylor and Missouri on the road or the team that lost twice to Oklahoma?

For Southern Mississippi to win they are going to have to break down Kansas State’s defense, which can be suffocating at times, and out-rebound this impressive Wildcats squad.

What is promising for the Golden Eagles is that they have a tendency to out-rebound opponents already. They also have a very balanced scoring attack, which could be what it takes to send Kansas State packing. 

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU, West Region

2:45 p.m. ET, CBS

It is rare that a team from the "last four in" would be featured in a game we can't wait to watch.

The most intriguing aspect of this game is to see whether or not BYU will carry over its momentum from its game against Iona. The Cougars were down 25 points at one point before they went on one of the NCAA tournament's finest comebacks ever.

Can Brandon Davies and Damarcus Harrison do the same thing against Marquette?

If so, they will have to get though Marquette’s seniors Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, two of the team’s leading scorers.

Marquette has a chance to blow BYU out of the water, but everyone now knows no lead is safe this year. 

No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Connecticut

9:20 p.m. ET, TBS

The Iowa State Cyclones and the Connecticut Huskies will be facing off in one of the most highly anticipated games of the second round.

The Huskies were faced with questions regarding whether or not they would be in the tournament the latter half of the season and are now looking to prove themselves.

The Cyclones, on the other hand, had an impressive showing in Big 12 conference play, finishing an unexpected third in the conference, after beating Baylor in the regular season finale.

However, what may be the most talked about headline in this game is whether or not UConn will get the opportunity to face Kentucky in the next round.

A lot of people are anticipating and looking forward a matchup of the national title favorite versus the national titleholder, however, Iowa State is not going to go down easily. 

No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Colorado, South Region

9:57 p.m. ET, CBS

UNLV is one of the more promising teams in the nation. The Rebels boast an incredible pool of talent with the likes of Mike Moser, Chance Stanback and Oscar Bellfield. These three alone are enough to topple any team.

The problem for UNLV will be containing and diminishing the confidence that Colorado has. Never underestimate the power of success in the conference tournament, because a team that is on fire entering the NCAA tournament usually plays better than a team that had a good regular season, but a poor conference tournament showing.

This will be an interesting matchup, but all eyes will be on whether or not Colorado will have enough offense to hang with UNLV.