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2012 NCAA Bracket Advice: South
| 1 Kentucky v. 16 Miss Valley/W.Kent | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky | Kentucky |
| 8 Iowa State v. 9 UConn | Iowa State | |||
| 5 Wichita State v. 12 VCU | VCU | VCU | ||
| 4 Indiana v. 13 New Mexico State | New Mexico State | |||
| 6 UNLV v. 11 Colorado | UNLV | UNLV | UNLV | |
| 3 Baylor v. 14 S. Dakota State | Baylor | |||
| 7 Notre Dame v. 10 Xavier | Xavier | Duke | ||
| 2 Duke v. 15 Lehigh | Duke |
South Region:
Key to the region…Wait, I thought Kentucky was the overall number one seed. You might not realize it looking at this packed region and the Wildcats tricky run, starting with a potential round of 32 matchup against defending national champions Connecticut (too bad the Huskies fall to Iowa State). Besides the legitimate Sweet16 and Elite Eight teams in the mix, Kentucky's biggest worry stems from the sometimes-shaky play of point guard Marcus Teague. If this freshman holds up, the other freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will take care of the rest.
Round of 64 upset: VCU (12) over Wichita State. The crazy part about believing in Shaka Smart's Rams this season is that the top producers from last season's Final Four are gone. This edition features wave after wave of thieving guards and VCU leads the nation in steals. No knock on a legitimate Wichita State squad, just bad luck facing a team that has won 17 of 18 games and looks poised for another bracket-busting run.
Others: New Mexico State (13) over Indiana, Xavier (10) over Notre Dame (7)
Player to watch: Mike Moser, UNLV…The athletic 6-foot-8 forward is another one of those UCLA transfers littering the field. Moser burst on to the national scene with an eye-popping performance during UNLV's early season win over North Carolina. Now the double-double machine has the ultimate national stage to show off his all-court ability and explosive skills around the basket.
Others: Bradford Burgess (VCU), Tu Holloway (Xavier), Perry Jones III (Baylor), Darius Miller (Kentucky),
Sweet 16 matchups: Kentucky over VCU, UNLV over Duke…The Rams will generate points off turnovers, but will have no answer for Davis. In fairness, who does besides the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, after the sharing is caring Runnin Rebels (fourth nationally in assists) take down Baylor in the round of 32, they do the same to Austin Rivers and the Blue Devils. Duke has talent, just not the overwhelming kind this season. Plus the effort gap Coach K's crew normally enjoys will not exist against Moser, Chase Stanback and company.
And going to the Final Four…Seems to easy picking Kentucky, almost like a trap, but so be it. The loss in the SEC title game will help coach John Calipari get the attention of his young squad and a focused Kentucky is a frightening Kentucky. Props to UNLV for a stellar run, but it ends here…Kentucky 80 UNLV 71, Anthony Davis most outstanding player.
