March Madness 2012 Bracket: 4 Bold Predictions for Weekend Games

No Duke, no Missouri, no problem.

With a plethora of upsets already under this 2012 NCAA tournament's belt, there has been no shortage of mind-boggling finishes and upsets in this years tourney.

March Madness just doesn't get any better than this.

Through just two rounds and three days of action, two No. 2 seeds have been eliminated, as the No. 1 seeds have been given tough matchups in the second round as well. With Duke and Missouri having packed their bags already, there are plenty of surprises and memorable moments left ahead.

These are the four bold predictions for the first weekend of the 2012 NCAA tournament.

Peyton Siva Will Go off for Cardinals

When people talk about the best facilitators at the college level, there is a tendency to have North Carolina PG Kendall Marshall alone at the top of that list.

But let us not forget about Louisville Cardinals PG Siva, one of the hotter point guards in the nation today.

In his last three outings, Siva recorded 30 points and 20 assists, averaging 10 points and 6.3 assists per game. Yet more importantly than his numbers, Siva has been taking on an added scoring role for this team and his increased driving to the basket has benefited his teammates offensively.

In a game where the troops will need Siva to produce, he will come up big in the clutch in a matchup against the New Mexico Lobos.

Syracuse, Kansas State Will Go Down to the Wire

Despite a 32-2 season, a 17-1 mark in one the tougher conferences in basketball in the Big East, and a No. 1 seed in the tourney, Syracuse will have a tough one on their hands with Kansas State.

The reason being - Syracuse is without their top player, Fab Melo, due to ineligibility and will be forced to sit out the entirety of the tournament.

There is no question that Syracuse has other talents and enough to make a deep run in the tournament, yet it is clear that without Melo this is a team that struggles to win basketball games.

Despite the dominance a fully equipped Orange team would normally have in this matchup, expect K-State to do work in this third round matchup.

VCU to Continue Boasting the Shaka Smart Swagger, Beats No. 4 Indiana

The No. 12 seed VCU Rams face await a tough opponent in the tournament's third round, facing the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers who finished 11-7 in the Big Ten this season.

The resume for the Hoosiers includes a win over the nation's No. 1 ranked team - the red hot Kentucky Wildcats.

After making an outright impressive run to the Final Four in 2011, there is no question this VCU boasts that same confidence behind head coach Shaka Smart. They are a team that is playing together and playing smart, efficient basketball.

The Rams come into this Hoosiers matchup fresh off a win over Wichita State in the second round. Expect much of the same in this one, with the Rams upsetting the Hoosiers and heading to the Sweet 16.

Norfolk State to Keep the Magic Going

The Norfolk State Spartans, a No. 15 seed in this year's tournament, made a statement against the No. 2 Missouri Tigers in their last win Friday.

The Spartans are a team that pounds teams inside with the strong play offensively from Kyle Q'Quinn and Rodney McCauley. Quinn comes into this matchup against the Florida Gators coming off a 26-point, 14-rebound performance in what was the biggest shocker of the tournament to date.

The Spartans will take it to the No. 7 seed Gators in this one, in what will be another shocker of an upset to put into the books.