NCAA Tournament 2012 Bracket: Bold Predictions for Midwest Region

There are going to be some major upsets in the Midwest bracket of the NCAA tournament.

It's time for the underdogs to rise up in protest against their lower-ranking position by beating the teams favored to win.

Here are two bold predictions for the Midwest bracket.

San Diego State (6) will lose to North Carolina State (11)

It's been an up-and-down end of the year for the Wolfpack. They finished out the year on a hot, cold, hot streak until barely missing out on a huge upset against the North Carolina Tarheels in their last game.

The 67-69 loss to the Tarheels proves North Carolina State can hang with any competition.

The Aztecs are going to be a challenge, no doubt. 

Sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin was the MWC player of the year, scoring 17.2 points, pulling down 7.9 boards and dishing out 1.5 assists per game. 

He's joined by two other talented guards, Chase Tapley and Xavier Thames, and they contribute 25 points per game between the two of them. 

The Wolfpack will play tough defense, though, and I expect the Aztecs to have a tough shooting night. 

C.J. Leslie will lead the charge for NC State. He's extremely active in the paint, and the Aztecs will likely be forced to use multiple defenders to avoid getting their guys in foul trouble against him.

Look for the Wolfpack to devour the Aztecs in the second round.

Saint Mary's (7) will lose to Purdue (10)

This is the year for Robbie Hummel to finally get into some action at the NCAA tournament. After missing Purdue's previous two appearances due to a couple knee injuries, Hummel has gotten stronger and stronger as the season progressed.

Expect big things from this fifth-year senior, and expect Purdue to upset St. Mary's on their way to the Sweet 16.

Rob Jones will put up a heck of a fight, and the battle between the two forwards should be fun to watch all game long.

St. Mary's relies on Matthew Dellavedova to get their offense going. The trouble is that Dellavedova's been struggling lately with his shooting touch. 

Hummel, on the other hand, has stepped up his game significantly since February. It's his last season at school; after missing out on his last two opportunities, he's not going to allow himself or his team to lose focus.

Purdue is going to win handily.

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