March Madness previews: East Regional | South Regional | Midwest Regional | West Regional
The Kentucky Wildcats were awarded the top overall seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament and are headed to the South Region to kick off play Thursday.
The Wildcats lost to Vanderbilt on Sunday in the SEC Tournament championship game but it didn’t affect their overall seed, as the NCAA selection committee deemed their 32-2 record — the only other defeat came at the buzzer at Indiana — worthy of the top spot in the nation.
The Hoosiers are a No. 4 seed in the same region, meaning a rematch in the Sweet 16 is possible. Neither Kentucky coach John Calipari nor Indiana coach Tom Crean is likely pleased with the possibility of a rematch so soon, as the selection committee says it places an emphasis on not pitting teams that met in the regular season together until the later rounds in the tournament. Given the composition of this field, this matchup could have been avoided.
Also, defending national champion Connecticut could be a third-round opponent for Kentucky, but the Huskies must first get past Iowa State from the Big 12.
The No. 2 seed in the region is Duke, which finished second in the ACC regular-season standings and was eliminated Saturday in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. Interestingly, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Duke-Kentucky game in which the Blue Devils' Christian Laettner drained a last-second shot to send Duke to the Final Four in one of the greatest tournament games ever played.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and his team could meet Notre Dame in the third round. The Irish are coached by Mike Brey, who once worked for Krzyzewski and has been rumored as a possible replacement at Duke when the legendary Coach K eventually retires.
The region also includes Virginia Commonwealth, which advanced to last year’s Final Four, as well as mid-major powers Xavier, UNLV and Wichita State.
Best first-round matchup: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Xavier. Both teams faced adversity during the season and grew stronger as a result. The Fighting Irish lost its best player — Tom Abromaitis — in November and the Musketeers had a slew of players suspended after an ugly fight with Cincinnati in December.
Best potential matchup: No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 1 Kentucky. This would be for the regional title and would match two teams loaded with athletes. Kentucky is based a bit more on defense while the Bears like to churn their wheels.
Upset alert: No. 11 Colorado over No. 6 UNLV. The Buffaloes are playing solid basketball coming off a Pac-12 tournament championship and have athletes to match Vegas. The Rebels, however, have been a bit inconsistent of late and might be vulnerable.
Potential Cinderella: No. 7 Notre Dame has the discipline and experience to stick around for a while. Getting into the second weekend would require the Irish to beat No. 2 Duke in the third round in Greensboro, N.C., and from there Notre Dame is capable of knocking off Baylor in the Sweet 16.
Players to watch:
Anthony Davis, 6-10, freshman, F, Kentucky: Could win National Player of the Year and is regarded as the nation's top defender. Also leads Kentucky in scoring.
Mike Moser, 6-8, sophomore, F, UNLV: Quick around the glass, he leads the Rebels in scoring and rebounding. Transferred from UCLA.
Perry Jones III, 6-11, sophomore, F, Baylor: Jones nearly left for the NBA a year ago but returned and leads the Bears in scoring and rebounding and is regarded a high NBA pick if he comes out this season.
Tu Holloway, 6-0, senior, G, Xavier: An experienced player who knows how to run a team but also leads the Musketeers in scoring and assists.
Austin Rivers, 6-4, freshman, G, Duke: Rivers is the first freshman to lead Duke in scoring since 1983 and was a first-team All-ACC selection.
Bracket buzz: The CAA tournament champions, VCU, won five games and reached the Final Four after beginning its trek in the First Four in Dayton a year ago. The Rams get to face a mid-major in Wichita State in the first round, and with a win could again gain some steam and break up the bracket.
Prediction: No. 1 Kentucky will beat No. 3 Baylor in the regional final. Kentucky is an extremely young team but hasn't played that way all season. It defends and has players capable of making plays. Baylor is an excellent team worthy of a Final Four run, but it might be a tad too undisciplined for Kentucky's stout defense.
March Madness previews: East Regional | South Regional | Midwest Regional | West Regional
