The 2012 NCAA Tournament kicks off on Thursday afternoon with its first Round of 64 game, which will be a matchup between the No. 6 Murray St. Racers (30-1) and the No. 11 Colorado St. Rams (20-11). The Rams made it into the tournament as the fourth team from the Mountain West Conference and have been mentioned as an overrated team because of an 0-6 away conference record and a high strength of schedule rating due to having the Duke Blue Devils on it. It's time to prove them wrong.
Related: March Madness for the Rocky Mountain Region | Printable NCAA Bracket
The Rams are led by Wes Eikmeier (15.6 points) and Dorian Green (13.5 points) on offense and by Pierce Hornung (8.4 rebounds) and Greg Smith (5.3 rebounds) on defense. However, the latter player, Smith, did miss the Mountain West Tournament and expects to play in this game.
The Racers opened up the season with 23 straight victories before losing the dream of an undefeated team. But that one loss was the only blip on the schedule, as the team won seven straight games after that loss, including the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship. Will Isaiah Canaan's 19.2 points and Donte Poole's 14.2 points be too much for the Rams to handle?
Game time/date: 10:15 a.m. MT, Thursday, March 15, 2012
Location: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
TV: CBS
For more on March Madness at every level, visit SB Nation NCAA Basketball. Our 2012 NCAA Tournament hub has everything you need for the big one.
