The 2012 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday with the Colorado St. Rams playing the Murray St. Racers and ends with the Colorado Buffaloes and the UNLV Rebels. How will those games turn out and all those in between? (This is not going to be done in any serious way).
No. 6 Murray State vs. No. 11 Colorado State, 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS (Louisville) - So, Murray State has a jockey on a race horse, so they're fast. The Rams might not be able to run as fast the Racers, so an early lead for Murray State could spell doom for Colorado State. But one good early hit and the Rams could be in business. COLORADO STATE
No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Southern Miss, 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV (Pittsburgh) - The Golden Eagles can attack from the sky and avoid leaping, lunging Wildcats. Or something. SOUTHERN MISS
Related: March Madness for the Rocky Mountain Region | Printable NCAA Bracket
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Davidson, 1:40 p.m. ET, TBS (Portland) - Another Wildcat team taking on another bird team. Cardinals are small creatures, but they sure can fly circles around a wildcat. LOUISVILLE
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Montana, 2:10 p.m. ET, TNT (Albuquerque) - It's tempting to say a grizzly bear can tackle a badger, but the animal kingdom doesn't always behave that way in college sports. WISCONSIN
No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU, 2:45 p.m. ET (tentative), CBS (Louisville) - More Golden Eagles? Yes, and they'll take care of a Cougars team that needed to rally from a 25-point deficit to Iona. Iona, people! MARQUETTE
No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC Asheville, 3:20 p.m. ET (tentative), truTV (Pittsburgh) - Did no one tell you that a color defeats anything and everything, including a Bulldog? SYRACUSE
No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach St., 4:20 p.m. ET (tentative), TBS (Portland) - While the 49ers start panning for gold, the Lobo comes from behind and bites him. NEW MEXICO
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Harvard, 4:40 p.m. ET (tentative), TNT (Albuquerque) - See Syracuse. Color wins out all the time. HARVARD
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Western Kentucky, 6:50 p.m. ET, TBS (Louisville) - So, if you stand on top of a hill, you become a hilltopper. Awfully tempting target for a wildcat to attack. KENTUCKY
No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 VCU, 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS (Portland) - The smile on the Shocker and the Rams are both frightening, but VCU has its runs last year. WICHITA STATE
No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 West Virginia, 7:20 p.m. ET, TNT (Pittsburgh) - Mountaineers tame bulldogs. WEST VIRGNIA
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 South Dakota State, 7:27 p.m. ET, truTV (Albuquerque) - Jackrabbits running scared of bears. BAYLOR
No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Connecticut, 9:20 p.m. ET, TBS (Louisville) - The Huskies run into a force of nature. IOWA STATE
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 New Mexico State, 9:20 p.m. ET (tentative), CBS (Portland) - Hoosier -- who what? Aggies with the stunning upset. NEW MEXICO STATE
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Loyola Maryland, 9:50 p.m. ET (tentative), TNT (Pittsburgh) - So, a brown nut versus a greyhound. Not even close. OHIO STATE
No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Colorado, 9:57 p.m. ET (tentative), truTV (Albuquerque) - Buffalo roam, Rebels flee. COLORADO
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's Selection Sunday StoryStream, and stick around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on who was snubbed, who got the best bracket, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four.
